The musings of a madman...

This is a question I just kinda had to ask myself... It is well documented how Jay-Z spent the prime of his career discussing his retirement plans. If anyone remembers it right, it was supposed to be Volumes 1-3 and ride off into the sunset. Vol 3 failed to best 2 in the quality department, so he had to make The Blueprint, which bit him with that "classic album" flu, then he piggybacked with a horrible Blueprint 2 and even horribler 2.1. We all know what happened from there, one more great album since (The Black Album, for the record) and 2 "retirements" in the meantime. Now how he speaks non-specifically about how long he will do this, almost as if threatening to retire is some kind of a game. This game was so fun that lesser rappers had to get on the bandwagon. Nerd rapper Lupe Fiasco decided that he would do the same, amidst his not-THAT-great releases with 12 fucking minute outros thanking people who had nothing to do with any fucking thing in the universe, poor

Anyone remember those shows on VH1 where they had people compete to be the next 'thing' in their particular niche in the industry and some cash? ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show and ego trip's Miss Rap Supreme While the premise of the shows in and of themselves were novel ideas, one must recall that contestants were marginally talented at best, had rather dumb rap names and to this point have squandered the opportunity that was given them. 10 weeks of exposure on a marginally well-watched show on VH1 for exposure, coaching with people who are on in the industry as well as having overcome the competition of several others on the way through. In addition to that important element of getting and being on, they also won a little cash for their efforts in having won. $100-150k I think it was, which is decent money when compared to the alternative of having NO exposure OR money. This goes not to mention that VH1 HAS to be paying these people SOMETHING per-episode to leave t

Okay, following the advice of a few of my readers and my own idea presented for solicitation of such advice, I waited until year's end (or until the last Tuesday of the month year, so no more music is releasing) and I will NOW make my 2009 post for the time capsule that is the internets... Let us understand that by the time you read this, 10 of the 12 months' releases will have been filled in, but as I TYPE this, I am expecting the ugliest of clusterfucks. I base this SOLELY on what I recall having been released to this point in the year (10/26/2009, 8:42am EST). To be totally honest, I am describable as angered right now just thinking about it, but I will let it ride. I committed to the project, so I will do it to completion. January We get the not-so-good-soundtrack to a not-so-good movie, Notorious . I won't even get into why I didn't see the movie, but know that it has a lot to do with the fact that it featured people portraying people who were NOT dead in the movie

Posting live from the no fun zone... I am to understand that some people have been reading my " wayback " series from this/last week, and may be looking with the thought that I am some kinda fuckin "hater" or whatever the kids are calling them these days. Look... If I said I downloaded it, assume it was a free download and blame it on Google, since a search got me to it. If I said your favorite artist caught a brick, or put out some bullshit, or suggested that I was not going to even dignify their shit with a TRY, then trust that I did and will not. Conversely, if I said I listened to and did not like it, then your safest inference is that I gave it 3 listens at least at my home computer and took notes while I did it, on the off chance I might need to specifically mention it here on the blog. If I suggested that your favorite Jay-Z has caught a couple bricks this decade, it happened and that is HIS fault, not mine. If I suggested that your favorite Kanye West was fu

-Metaphor: noun (uncountable) ( rhetoric ) The use of a word or phrase to refer to something that it isn't, invoking a direct similarity between the word or phrase used and the thing described, and without the words "like" or "as". (countable) The word or phrase used in this way. An implied comparison. I need to learn you folks something for a moment here... In Greek mythology, Sisyphus [ Phlip note - Wikipedia link, that] was a king punished in Tartarus by being cursed to roll a huge boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this throughout eternity. The word sisyphean means, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, "endless and unavailing, as labor or a task." Sisyphus was son of the king Aeolus of Thessaly and Enarete, and the founder and first king of Ephyra (Corinth). He was the father of Glaucus by the nymph Merope, and the grandfather of Bellerophon. Sisyphus promoted navigation and commerce, but was avar

How does that saying go about doing the same shit and expecting different results? Well, I am about to run down 2007 in hip hop, and I am less than thrilled at the prospect that it will be any better than 2006 was before it. Again, I am with the same feeling coming in that I do not specifically recall any huge hits coming into the year. Somehow, that worries the shit out of me. There was not much special in my personal life to mark the releases of this year, at least not that I can recall. "Turning 28" is not one of those things one sits and expounds on the virtues of, much like the letter 'c'. All that being said, why don't I just get on into it? January Ultramagnetic MCs start us off with The Best Kept Secret , which I merely downloaded for the sake of history. Same applies for X-Clan's Return From Mecca , the difference being that Ultramagnetic is still on my hard drive. The savior of this month, however was Sean Price's Jesus Price Superstar . [ Phlip

2006, now... I am at a crossroads that sees me changing jobs twice (February, then December) in one year -- something I had not done twice in the 8 years before it -- and meeting new and purging old people from my life. In such, I cannot terribly remember or really know what to expect of this year's releases. In such, I am without a real introduction, as I will be newly taking it all in right now. January I could use this space to comment on the virtues of the letter 'c' (word to Gil Scott-Heron), because damned if anything came out this month. I won't, though... I will just mention Tha Alkoholiks' Firewater , then move on to the next month. February J. Dilla released Donuts on Feb. 7 and we lost him 3 days later, I was less than fucking pleased with this fact (his passing, not the album). Aceyalone's Magnificent City led off, followed by Dilated Peoples' (a group name even my mother likes, and she hates rap for no apparent reason) 20/20 . Dem Franchise Bo