ANTICIPATION

What's good everybody. Just got back from va-ca in Orlando, Florida, and the batteries are fully recharged. Is everybody ready? Is it really gonna happen? June 11th is less than 2 weeks away and there are no talks of a push back of "The Carter III"(shocking!!!). So I guess that means its actually coming out. Will it be a five mic classic? It better be with all the hype surrounding this thing for the last two years. You would think Dre was dropping "Detox" (for real Dre drop that shit).

You think Lil Wayne is a lil nervous right now? He's got a lot of pressure right now, this album better be track to track heat. I am in no way a fan of Lil Wayne, but I will say that all the hype and hoopla has got me intrigued to hear what the album sounds like. I will listen to it, not purchase it. The title "best rapper alive" carries some responsibility, need at least one classic album to put yourself in that ranking, and even then you have to show consistency. For example, all of Kanye's albums are considered classic, or at least close to classic, and in no way would I consider Kanye to even be in the argument for best rapper alive. Not while "the R" and "the Teacher" are still breathing.

Well Wayne, I guess what I am saying is good luck, I hope you can back up all of your talk. If not this whole thing was brilliant because I'm sure you will still have high first week sales off of hype alone. Anyone remember when the XFL started playing games or the "Godzilla" remake starring Matthew Broderick? Precisely.

Sean Combs ft. Jimmy Page - "Come To Me"

...ALL ON THE SAME TRACK!?!!?!?

Thank you all for the overwhelming number of votes we got back from the R&B/Hip-Hop Collabo poll. With a whopping eleven votes in (ten more than I expected) Meth and Mary took home six of them, giving them the title. I called it, what can I say...I'm that damn good. I liked that last post so I'm gonna do another one like it, this time I want to see what the greatest all-star remix is. I have once again picked five of my personal favorites, ranked them, and set up another poll to your right. Listen to each one and vote so we can crown a champ.

5.) The Game - "One Blood Remix"

4.) Usher - "Confessions Pt. II Remix"

3.) Talib Kweli - "Get By Remix"

2.) Busta Rhymes - "Touch It Remix"

1.) Craig Mack - "Flava In Ya Ear Remix"

FEATURING....

Sorry Supaman, I had finals this week, I had to fall back from the blog for a minute, but I'm back. Today I want to talk about the lost art of the R&B/Hip-Hop collabo. I don't know if the industry is over saturated with them so we just don't notice them anymore, or they just plain suck most of the time so we don't care. I'd like to think its a little of both.

Back in the 80s they were rare because hip-hop was still thought of as fad so a lot of prominent R&B stars shied away from incorporating rappers in their music. I think it was around 87 or 88 when the first real collabo banger came out with Jody Watley's "Friends" featuring the god himself, Rakim. A match made in heaven. That just got the ball rolling. Soon we saw Heavy D. and Al B. Sure link up, Tony, Toni, Tone hook-up with Tupac's brother Mocedes The Mellow (a.k.a. MoPreme) on "Feels Good", and Father MC and a then unknown Jodeci got together a few times.

Then in 1995 came possible the ultimate style mash-up: Method Man and Mary J. Blige's "You're All I Need." One word: Classic! I mean the shit won a Grammy, man. The Grammy committee even installed a hip-hop/r&b collabo category in the yearly ceremony. After that it was full steam ahead. Every rapper needed a R&B singer on a track. Mary J. guest starred on many a hip-hop album. That was the Fugees whole gimmick. Common and Chantay Savage, Jay-Z and Babyface, LL Cool J and Boyz II Men, and the list goes on. Rappers even started to sing (Ja Rule...still waiting on "The Mirror" to drop homie). It seemed as collabos became common, the less both artists on the track seem to care about the quality of the song. It became a lost art.

So here is my challenge to all you hip-hop and r&b stars, take out Mary and Meth from the number one spot, and be in the studio at the same time so you can vibe off of each others creative energy. Right now Estelle's "American Boy" with Kanye West has brought some of that back, but don't let it end there. Lets see Common and Alicia Keys, Kanye and John Legend, Mos Def and Amy Winehouse, or Lupe Fiasco and Erykah Badu. There it is, the challenge is out there. So the two people that actually read this blog (hi mama), get the word out and maybe it will get back to these artists so we can hear some heat this summer.

Here are the top 5 Hip-Hop/R&B Collabos of all-time...according to me of course:

5.) Nas ft. Lauryn Hill - "If I Ruled The World"

4.) Lupe Fiasco ft. Jill Scott - "Daydreamin'"

3.) 112 ft. The Notorious B.I.G. & Ma$e - "Only You Remix"

2.) The Roots ft. Erykah Badu - "You Got Me"

1.) Method Man ft. Mary J. Blige - "You're All I Need"

I posted a poll on the side too, so vote and let me know what you think the top dog is.

FINALLY!!!

After years and years of red tape, TV show parodies, and bad songs (I wish he would have trapped his ass in the closet for real), the R. Kelly trial is finally underway. I can hear the grunts and moans from the deepest parts of every hood worldwide: "Kellz ain't guilty...you can't put him jail...we didn't get to hear Fiesta part 58 yet!!! Why is there such an outcry for this man's innocence? He makes music, that's it, some good, some bad. Can I Believe I Can Fly really wash away a man's sins. He is a child molester, plain and simple. And he videotaped it, nasty bastard. I know he struggles with illiteracy, but come on man Ray Charles could have told you that girl was way too young. When you ask a girl for i.d. and she shows you her B2K fan club card, there might a slight problem. Maybe I could have understood if it was a one time thing, a single lapse in judgement, but no, Chester had to go and hook up a threesome with her and another chick who was of age. What?!!?!?! An old African proverb states "mistakes are not to be repeated," this cat repeated, rewinded, and Tivo'ed his mistakes.

I hate to see a black man go out like that, but guilt is guilt. He exploited the trust and admiration of a young, really young fan, and that is not acceptable or respectable (getting my Jesse Jackson on). He needs to be punished, but we all know no matter what the verdict is this man's freedom will never be at stake, he will cop a plea and drop a lot of loot to assure that. It's a damn shame too, I hear the Cook County Correctional Facility has an excellent phonics program for his illiterate ass. Here are a few treats that are fitting for this upcoming trial.

The Roots ft. Patrick Stump - Birthday Girl

Dave Chappelle - Piss On You

Dave Chappelle - Piss On You (Remix)

GENIUS IS BLIND

Just to let some of ya'll know, Jodeci didn't write "Lately", Donell Jones did not originate "Knocks Me Off My Feet", Red Hot Chili Peppers didn't just stumble across "Higher Ground", and Will Smith and Sisqo didn't...well I think you get it. Today marks the 58th birthday of, in my opinion, the second best song writer in my lifetime (sorry its hard to top Prince): Stevie Wonder. Countless hits spanning from decade to decade, songs that made the whole world sing, and a musical influence that spans from genre to genre, country music to hip-hop. With the beautiful imagery he creates in every song, its so hard to imagine that this man was born blind (and ya'll are impressed with R.Kelly because he's illiterate..."Read a B-O-Okaaaaaaay!!!"). Happy Birthday Mr. Stevland Hardaway Judkins, and thank you for blessing us all with your talents and visions.

Stevie Wonder - "Overjoyed"

CLASS IS NOW IN SESSION

I guess this is my first official blog. The first step in defeating the enemy is to know what you are facing. Sometimes to accomplish that all you have to do is look in the mirror. We as a people can no longer afford to accept what others perceive as our image to represent us. They are not laughing with us, they are laughing at us. Flavor Flav and New York are our modern day "Steppin & Fetchit". We gotta stop being intrigued by these cultural demigods and tell the powers that be that those images on "Soul Plane" & "The Maury Povich Show" are not us, nor do they represent us in any way, shape, or form. Why do all the shows that seem like they are trying to expose us to some educational value (i.e. - "American Gangster") glorify criminals that thrived on destroying families in our communities. Why can't BET put on a documentary about Jean Baptiste Du Sable, Frederick Douglass, or W.E.B. DuBois? Big up to Rap Godfathers for this one. No disrespect LowKey, I know they are your new bosses, but they [BET] ain't paying me so I can do what I want. Download this and enjoy the next 22 minutes. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something. (Where have you gone Donnie Simpson?)

The Boondocks - Season 2 - Episode 15 "The Uncle Ruckus Show"
http://www.sendspace.com/file/afzus6

BIGGER FISH TO FRY

Wow, is it really that serious. Bloggers falling into the same trappings as hip-hop. I see a 50 - Game hug coming in the near future between Lowkey and YoungKingz. Enough is enough, its petty. Ya'll ain't even the ones making history...it's the people ya'll are writing about, don't ever forget that. And don't let anyone stop your shine YoungKingz, keep posting for your pops, love for hip-hop, and most importantly you. Whoever reads this is probably saying "who the f*@k is this guy!?!?!?!"...and your right. I don't know either.

Black_Men_United_-_U_Will_Know