In today's #TCMS, The Company Man runs through his Top 20 joints by Lupe Fiasco. No LASERS or Enemy Of The State tracks made this list. As always, in his Honest, Unmerciful fashion, TCM tosses in his twenty-two cents on the enigma that is L-U-P-Emperor. He's philanthropic. He's consistently inconsistent. He can do anything with words yet never seems in control of his off-wax narrative. He just might be the greatest rapper of all time. #FACT.
#TCMS Airs Monday through Thursday on PNCRadio.FM from 4 to 6PM. Listen on your mobile device HERE
Showing posts with label Lupe Fiasco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lupe Fiasco. Show all posts
LUPE FIASCO EXPLAINS HOW NWA INSPIRED HIS REBELLIOUS PERSONA
All we hear is Lupe this, Lupe that...What’s the deal with Atlantic, Lupe? Lupe, why’d you call President Obama a terrorist? What's Wasulu doing on Bill O’Reilly?
The Chicago lyrical enigma has spent much of the past nine months headlining Hip-Hop news in one largely head-scratching way or another. Whether it was his protracted public dispute with his label home, Atlantic Records or his declaration that he hated LASERS one week before it’s oft-delayed release -- on and off wax, Cornell Westside has consistently refused to bow down to the conforming pimp-hand of Corporate America. It’s officially part of the irony of his rap moniker: Lupe Fiasco.
When detailing the influence his father’s wide-ranging musical tastes had on him at an early age, Lupe states that, "[My father] played NWA specifically to make the white people at his job mad."
He continued: "So for him it was less about the content and more about the expression -- the whole movement, the idea of it, to cause a reaction, to get people to react to it, to face up to actually what was being said because in NWA there was a lot of truth. When it came time for me to connect with my peers and [decide that] this is what was going to represent me, it was NWA. It was [Eazy-E]. MC Ren, specifically. My first rap name was MC Ren. My partner was Eazy and my other partner was BG Knocc Out. My other partner was DJ Yella, and my other partner was this, and my other partner was that.”
Suddenly it all makes sense. Pre-Fisaco Wasulu latches onto the revolutionary rhetoric of the world’s most notorious rap group and their uncanny ability “to cause a reaction.” Post-Fiasco Lupe lashes back when his latest apocryphal comments causes a negative reaction, which subsequently causes an even greater negative reaction.
Wait, maybe it all doesn’t make sense. Either way, in the aftermath of his “Obama’s a terrorist” firestorm, we don’t expect to see Lupe attending any affairs at the White House any time soon a la fellow Chicagoan Common last month, or Eazy-E in 1991.
Watch the full interview below:
211622225845 by yardie4lifever2
FULL ARTICLE PUBLISHED @THEWELLVERSED.COM
Lupe Fiasco, LASERS, Album Review
Decades from now, when Hip-Hop historians gather around whatever new age camp fire or telekinetic chat room in existence to discuss the anthology of Lupe Fiasco, LASERS may be his most polarizing offering. Considering the tumultuous journey this album and this artist endured-slash-self-inflicted to merely secure a release date -- one where Fiasco Fanatics painfully e-witnessed their FNF Army General slide from “critically acclaimed” to “continuously delayed”-status, literally navigated the legal system to hold a New York City sanctioned protest for it’s release outside of Atlantic Records, essentially rescuing LASERS from the vast fissure of LPs-Never-To-Be-Seen -- from backstory to Best Buy, at this point certainly (and futuristically speaking, hopefully) this project is an absolute outlier.
Albums one and two, Food & Liquor and The Cool, live in Lupe’s imagination, where third-person narratives and mind-numbing extended metaphors roam like vicious lyrical Tyrannosaurs. A place where project buildings become walking robots and "The Streets is a demon in a dress." Album three, LASERS, lives in Wasulu Jaco’s frustrated reality. A place where an arguably self-sabotaging reluctant superstar finally succumbs to the pimp-hand of Corporate America, sacrificing his self-imposed exile and artistic freedom in exchange for the possibility of an independent future. On LASERS, for the first time fans finally catch a prolonged glimpse of the person behind the Fiasco.
“As the old me, I predicted all my recent plights. / Exhausted tryna fall asleep. / Lost inside my recent fights,” Cornell Westside kicks on “Letting Go” (featuring Sarah Green), an onslaught of personal introspection laid over The Future’s melancholy keys and injected high hats. On “Till I Get There,” Lupe’s loose sing-songy extended metaphor paradoxically compares the pains of fame to metal illness:
Lupe drops so many “I’s” (well...so many for him) in that snippet alone that it’s difficult to disbelieve he’s speaking literally. After reveling in a catalog loaded with third-person wizardry, it’s odd to think of Fiasco opening himself personally. That same openness shows up again on “Words I Never Said” when he digs into the President, dropping “Gaza Strip was getting bombed, / Obama didn’t say shit. / That’s why I ain’t vote for him. / Next one either,” with a snotty petulance as if vindicated over the backlash from his shallow criticism of the then 2008 Democratic candidate. The whole song is snotty and petulant, really, like he’s faux raging against the machine. Somehow that’s a good thing. Of all the lyrical talent’s Lupe effortlessly holsters right up on his shoulders, his ability to tackle complex issues simplistically if need be (and given his frequent accusations that Atlantic Records told him to dumb down his lyrics in order to get LASERS released, apparently simplicity was paramount) is arguably his most impressive. “Words I Never Said,” is not only an awesome song, but a testament to Lu’s conviction to speaking his beliefs -- even when shackled by the establishment he willingly signed into. It’s “American Terrorist” (from F&L)...only more personal and more petulant, with Skylar Grey and Alex Da Kid crooning and grooving where Matthew Santos and Prolyfic once crooned and grooved.
READ FULL REVIEW @BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM
Albums one and two, Food & Liquor and The Cool, live in Lupe’s imagination, where third-person narratives and mind-numbing extended metaphors roam like vicious lyrical Tyrannosaurs. A place where project buildings become walking robots and "The Streets is a demon in a dress." Album three, LASERS, lives in Wasulu Jaco’s frustrated reality. A place where an arguably self-sabotaging reluctant superstar finally succumbs to the pimp-hand of Corporate America, sacrificing his self-imposed exile and artistic freedom in exchange for the possibility of an independent future. On LASERS, for the first time fans finally catch a prolonged glimpse of the person behind the Fiasco.
“As the old me, I predicted all my recent plights. / Exhausted tryna fall asleep. / Lost inside my recent fights,” Cornell Westside kicks on “Letting Go” (featuring Sarah Green), an onslaught of personal introspection laid over The Future’s melancholy keys and injected high hats. On “Till I Get There,” Lupe’s loose sing-songy extended metaphor paradoxically compares the pains of fame to metal illness:
“Doctor, Doctor please, / The fame ain’t painless enough. / That’s cause you ain’t famous enough. / You got a little game but your name ain’t rangin‘ enough. / He said take two of these, / [And] put some change in my cup. / I said I wasn’t poor. He gave me some more. / Prescribed me a publicist and pointed to the door. / Out. / Ouch. / I’m telling you this all from a therapist’s couch.”
Lupe drops so many “I’s” (well...so many for him) in that snippet alone that it’s difficult to disbelieve he’s speaking literally. After reveling in a catalog loaded with third-person wizardry, it’s odd to think of Fiasco opening himself personally. That same openness shows up again on “Words I Never Said” when he digs into the President, dropping “Gaza Strip was getting bombed, / Obama didn’t say shit. / That’s why I ain’t vote for him. / Next one either,” with a snotty petulance as if vindicated over the backlash from his shallow criticism of the then 2008 Democratic candidate. The whole song is snotty and petulant, really, like he’s faux raging against the machine. Somehow that’s a good thing. Of all the lyrical talent’s Lupe effortlessly holsters right up on his shoulders, his ability to tackle complex issues simplistically if need be (and given his frequent accusations that Atlantic Records told him to dumb down his lyrics in order to get LASERS released, apparently simplicity was paramount) is arguably his most impressive. “Words I Never Said,” is not only an awesome song, but a testament to Lu’s conviction to speaking his beliefs -- even when shackled by the establishment he willingly signed into. It’s “American Terrorist” (from F&L)...only more personal and more petulant, with Skylar Grey and Alex Da Kid crooning and grooving where Matthew Santos and Prolyfic once crooned and grooved.
READ FULL REVIEW @BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM
The B Side: Lupe Fiasco's LASERS
Now here’s the B-Side to Lupe Fiasco’s LASERS. Despite showing his range as a songwriter and the much appreciated newfound insight into the life (or in this case, plight) of Wasulu Jaco, creatively, artistically, lyrically, stylistically LASERS is an immense step down for Cornell Westside.
We “Lupe Extremists” (as my roommate Ray dubs us) heard the “Switch”’s and the “Dumb It Down”’s and the “Theme Music To A Drive By”’s and all the ridiculous lyrical quadrants and otherworldly narratives Fiasco can venture into without breaking a sweat.
We’ve listened in awe as Carrera Lu continuously snatched industry beats from legends like Jay-Z and Nas and Eminem and matched if not surpassed their original versions on his magnificently classic, seemingly light years ago mixtape series.
We’ve watched him drill super deep into whatever topic and run extended metaphors for entire songs and drop simplistically complex similes like “Can’t see me like B.I.G. on CMT” and “You can be as hard as sign language with no fingers” often and effortlessly and marveled at his imagination and innovation.
We’ve bragged to our homies and jumped into “Greatest of All Time” debates exclaiming that the lyrical genius from Chicago’s West Side is nicer and more talented and more capable of steamrolling any other #GOAT candidate in their own style, in their home cypher despite only having “two out.” No exceptions. No one’s exempt. No matter what “Kick Push” seemed like it was about.
We remained loyal during the tumultuous three year gap between The Cool and LASERS and endured the endless array of head-scratching headlines where an increasingly enigmatic sounding Lupe railed against leaks and labels and fans, targeting us, telling us “to stop whining” when we railed against him for not releasing mixtape, Friend Of The People on Christmas Day 2009 as promised.
We ignored all of the warning signs of a frustrated Fiasco and his Pop-leaning plans after hearing less-than inspired, vaguely Hip-Hop tracks like “I’m Beamin’” and “Love Letter To The Beat” and questioned why this artist who arose so triumphantly through the mixtape ranks suddenly felt like he didn’t need to feed his loyal fan base a slew of new raps -- even while he was in the midst of his Japanese Cartoon foray.
We never questioned the integrity of a righteous man with God-given talent to move people through his music yet hoarded those God-given gifts from the people who used his music as motivation -- threatening legal action against those that shared stolen property out of sheer excitement that there was something new from Lu. We never questioned the integrity of the artist who once said, “And baby-girl what does it matter where your purse [is] from” while charging $4,000 for leather "Malcolm" motorcycle jackets and $200+ for chino pants with his “Trilly and Truly” retail tag on them.
We blocked out the weird message board rants that led to “Fiasco-gate” and the “Rhymefest Political Debate” as if they never happened. We justified his incessant sensitivity and penchant for warring with blogs and print publications over seemingly insignificant distractions.
We agreed with his MTV tiffs because we don't believe in MTV anyway.
We pretended that “Enemy Of The State” wasn’t as lazy as it sounds, and instead championed it as one of the Top mixtapes of 2009, regardless that he tellingly stated that he “did it in two days.”
We protested and pined and prayed for LASERS and won, moving the machine to negotiate, willing the potentially shelved-indefinitely LP from our most important artist to reality, taking a cue from his integrity-laden content that inspired us so viscerally. We came to his rescue.
We anticipated March 8th like it was December 25th, prepared ourselves for another lyrical onslaught after hearing “SLR” and quietly felt vindicated when Lupe literally called himself a “One man Slaughter House / A two album Jay-Z / A one n**** Wu-Tang / A young and hungry Mos Def / A conscious rapping Lil‘ Wayne,” and yet none of those artists said anything publicly to dispute his claim.
We thought we were “bi-winning” like Charlie Sheen.
And when LASERS finally hit shelves; when we finally hit play on the oft-delayed third album from Carrera Lu-Emperor and when it sounded like Lupe on cruise control; as if he crafted it overnight, in his sleep, while heavily sedated on whatever en vogue Corporate-pushed pharmaceuticals of choice...we felt betrayed.
We rushed to pan LASERS and intricately dissected it’s suspect-ness because we’re conditioned to intricately dissect anything Lu releases. We questioned everything we ever thought we knew about him and tossed darts at his label. We quickly looked ahead to Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album, pushed LASERS aside as if it didn't exist, deeming it his worst album yet.
And we're not wrong. We are absolutely correct in that assertion. This is his worst album yet for Fiasco fanatics. This is his easiest to digest LP. This is his most dumbed down offering. This won’t take four-thousand-and-eighty listens to truly grasp the weight of his similes and metaphors and allegories and creative forays. This isn’t as beautifully convoluted or loaded with convoluted rhyme schemes that always seem to flow beautifully. This doesn’t require digging into the mind’s untapped crevices to truly decipher.
This is as straight forward as a laser beam, meeting those initially perplexed by Lu’s simple complexity smack in the middle, easily mixing with what club DJs are actually spinning.
LASERS isn’t for us Lupe Extremists -- no matter how much unrelenting support we provided while he immersed himself in the murk of reluctant superstardom.
Arguably, it never was.
This one’s for the masses: a higher quality collection of Pop tunes maintaining the underlying principles we revered, packaged for the schmillions of not-yet-believers.
And as fans, what more can really hope for from our major-label shackled artists but massive success while somehow remaining true to the foundation that wooed us from the beginning?
Well...another revolutionary mixtape series would be nice.
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Lupe Fiasco, Words I Never Said
With LASERS is 1 month and 8 days away, Lupe Fiasco releases his second single, "Words I Never Said" featuring Skylar Grey and production by Alex Da Kid (the same singer/producer combination Eminem and Dr Dre tapped for "I Need A Doctor").
LASERS is slated for release on March 8, 2011.
Follow The Company Man on Twitter @TheCompanyMan
LASERS is slated for release on March 8, 2011.
Follow The Company Man on Twitter @TheCompanyMan
BHF HISTORY: LUPE FIASCO, A FAMILY AFFAIR
SATURDAY. JUNE TWENTY-FOUR. TWO THOUSAND AND SIX.
It was a family affair that day.
When it comes to Brooklyn Bodega thats always the case. Husband and wife tag-team, Wes and Ebonie Jackson created the BHF to celebrate Hip Hop’s legacy and culture. So in essence, its a family run organization.
But we didn’t know that then. We only knew that Big Daddy Kane was headlining something called The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival at someplace called The Tobacco Warehouse and the tickets were free and we needed to be there.
It was imperative. Not because of Kane, though.
Because of Lupe Fiasco.
FACT.
We were hooked — my cousin Sha and I, that is. Ever since he kicked “I’m tryna stop lyin’ like a Mum-Ra / But I’m not lyin’ what I’m layin’ on the beat” on Kanye West’s triumphant “Touch The Sky”, we were hooked. I didn’t quite catch the reference initially. Of course, Sha broke it down immediately (Mum-Ra…villain from Thundercats…lion…lyin’…Eureka!).
Thats the way its always been between us two. Whether it was 16 year-old Sha teaching a 5 year-old Company Man all the lyrics to Run DMC’s “Peter Piper”; or screaming on me because 36 Chambers hadn’t entered my 7th grade Sony tape player; or showing me how to count bars a few years ago when I realized I should write rhymes if I was gonna write about rap.
When it comes to Hip Hop, Sha’s the Jedi. I’m the Padawan.
And we were excited about Lupe.
I can’t emphasize this enough.
That ear-snatching verse on “Touch The Sky” was only page one of his doctrine. Those next few month’s were spent scouring the internet for mixtapes and leaked tracks, attempting to one-up each other with the latest Limewire Lupe discovery, exalting the lyrical genius from Chicago’s West Side to any and everyone willing to listen. For us, Hip Hop hadn’t been that much fun since the Jay and Nas beef first set off.
CONTINUE READING @ BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM
Spittin That He Can Pass A Polygraph - Jay Electronica Interview
I stood there for nineteen and a half minutes.
Watched. Waited.
I stood there while the mass of people grew larger around him. Person after person walked up to him with well wishes and digital cameras and tokens for this night’s God Emcee.
There was the old colleague who returned the furry Russian Trapper hat that he left in the studio. There was Chris and his boy who both wanted pictures and were nervous enough while asking that they accidentally turned the camera off during the second shot. There was the long-haired Greek looking model-slash-actress-slash-probably-a-waitress chick that boxed me out of the way, praying to build with the God.
There were 5-Percenters praising (his track) “Annakin’s Prayer”. There were young cats. There were old heads. There were women. There was everyone. All for an Underground rapper from New Orleans with little more than a couple mixtapes and a couple singles. All for Mr. “He Can Pass A Polygraph.”
All for Jay Electronica.
Fuck That. Jay ElectHanukkah.
Through all this, as the masses verged on mayhem, Jay remained humble. Gracious even. Taking every picture. Building with every fan.
When more fans encircled, he remained gracious. When Mighty Mos Def (who rarely does interviews or pictures) tried pulling him away to an after hours spot, he graciously stayed with his fans.
And when those nineteen and a half minutes were up, when The Company Man finally grabbed his attention long enough to ask these four questions, he graciously answered each one.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW @ BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM (CLICK HERE)
Watched. Waited.
I stood there while the mass of people grew larger around him. Person after person walked up to him with well wishes and digital cameras and tokens for this night’s God Emcee.
There was the old colleague who returned the furry Russian Trapper hat that he left in the studio. There was Chris and his boy who both wanted pictures and were nervous enough while asking that they accidentally turned the camera off during the second shot. There was the long-haired Greek looking model-slash-actress-slash-probably-a-waitress chick that boxed me out of the way, praying to build with the God.
There were 5-Percenters praising (his track) “Annakin’s Prayer”. There were young cats. There were old heads. There were women. There was everyone. All for an Underground rapper from New Orleans with little more than a couple mixtapes and a couple singles. All for Mr. “He Can Pass A Polygraph.”
All for Jay Electronica.
Fuck That. Jay ElectHanukkah.
Through all this, as the masses verged on mayhem, Jay remained humble. Gracious even. Taking every picture. Building with every fan.
When more fans encircled, he remained gracious. When Mighty Mos Def (who rarely does interviews or pictures) tried pulling him away to an after hours spot, he graciously stayed with his fans.
And when those nineteen and a half minutes were up, when The Company Man finally grabbed his attention long enough to ask these four questions, he graciously answered each one.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW @ BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM (CLICK HERE)
The Rap Pet Peeves Blog
Content is extremely important to The Company Man.Whether its a web page, blog site, or rap song - that site, writer, or artist must have something to say in order to hold my attention. I'm not going to waste time on any site boasting little more than the latest celebrity sightings found on a bajillion other web sites. I'm not going to waste time on any blog showing little more than the latest youtube video found on a bajillion other blogs. And, I'm most definitely not going to waste time listening to any rapper saying the same thing the same way as a bajillion other rappers. Time is money. And during a financial crisis, the cost of capital is too high to waste on those with nothing to say.
But I guess thats what makes me different from most rap fans.
But I guess thats why I'm hot.
FACT.
On the flip side, little irks me more than a dope artist saying ish they know is wrong, ish they should know is wrong, and ish that just doesn't make any sense. Sometimes they do it just to rhyme. Sometimes they do it trying to be deep. Sometimes they just don't know no better.
Exhibit A: METAPHORS VS SIMILIES
"...Your boy takes off like I been strippin' all my life. / Thats the type of metaphors I write." - Jay-Z; 44 Fours
Dope line, right? The visual is crazy! "Your boy takes off like I been strippin' all my life. / Thats the type of metaphors I write." - you can see exactly whats he's saying. Not to mention that the song itself is a masterful display of cleverness surpassed only by its predecessor, '22 Twos.' Only one problem: ITS NOT A METAPHOR!
Similie: Comparing 2 or more persons, places, or things using 'like' or 'as'
Metaphor: Comparing 2 or more persons, places, or thing without using 'like' or 'as'
Source: my 5th grade Languange Arts teacher
'Your boy takes off like I been strippin all my life' is a SIMILIE. As soon as that 'like' flowed out Jay's mouth, the comparison was no longer a metaphor. I'm 82% percent sure Hova The God knows the difference between similies and a metaphors. Lets just say he was one '4' short of reaching 44 by tracks end (I mean, clearly '43 Fours' doesn't have the same ring to it. I wouldn't let one grammatical error crater my dope song/doper concept either). He's earned the benefit of the doubt.
Not even Lupe Fiasco is exempt:
"Never met her before / but I think I like her like a metaphor." - Sunshine
Again...SIMILIE.
Exhibit B: SAYING ISH THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE WHILE TRYING TO BE DEEP
"Jesus died at age 33. / Theres 33 shots between glocks. / At 16 a piece, thats 32 / which means / one of my guns was holding 17. / 27 hit your crew. / 6 went into you." - Nas; "One Mic"
Its been 7 years since Nas dropped 'One Mic' and those bars still fall 40 yards short of making any sense at all. What the HELL is GOD'S SON trying to say (pun intended)??? Comparing Jesus's death age to the number of shots fired at a rival is perplexing and contradictory...especially coming from Nas. Don't get me wrong, 'One Mic' is definitely a classic track (on a not-so-classic album). But the nonsensical nature of the bars above is a distraction from the songs potency. In fact, those are the only bars I can still recite from the track!!! Homie's trying too hard to be deep. And all he needs is 'One Mic'...plus '16 in the clip and one in the hole.'
Exhibit C: SAYING ISH JUST TRYING TO RHYME
Lil' Wayne's catalog is laced with nonsensical lines that do little more than aid his ability to stay on a rhyme scheme. He's adopted the piss-poor habit of repeating the same line consecutively, with slightly different pronunciations (which rarely adds any value to the verse), while he transitions to his next thought. Its weak. It waters down what he's trying to say.
"How did he think of this? / I mean how did he think of that? / I mean how did I think of that? / I mean like a rental, bring it back. / I mean how did I think of that?" - Lil Wayne
Or this one:
"So assasinate me, bitch. / Cause I'm doing the same thing Martin Luther Kind did. / Checkin' in the same hotel. / In same suite, bitch. / Same balcony like 'Assasinate me, bitch!'" - Lil Wayne; "Playing With Fire"
(2 minutes into the video)
Lil Emphezema (my bad, Lil Weezy) pulls an And-1 here. Not only does he repeat 'bitch' as the rhyme on 3 of the 4 bars, but he's also guilty of saying dumb shit just trying to sound deep. Lil Wayne isn't doing a damn thing the same as 'Martin Luther King did.'
Number of similarities between MLK and Lil Wayne: 3 (both are black. Both are male. Both are from he south)
Thats it.
Period.
Either he's over-valuing his contributions to society, or he's under-valuing MLK's. The line is weak, repetitive, and trying too hard to sound deep. Which is why Lil Wayne gets Lil burn in my iPod.
Like I said, content is extremely important to The Company Man.
Carry on...
The Day I Met Lupe Fiasco...
Honestly, I don't remember the season.I think it was either Spring or Fall because I was wearing my suit coat. Manhattan summers are too muggy to rock extra layers. You see, The Company Man sweats. And 80 degrees, concrete, and car exhaust are Kryptonite to my Cool (pun intended).
Lets say it was Spring. I like Spring.
Don't ask me 'which day of the week?'
So, coming out of the FYE that used to be on 51st and 6th, I turned the corner to head back to the office. I looked up, and there was Carrera Lu standing right there outside the store!
Its like...the organized confusion of midday midtown froze suddenly. Everything slowed like that first time Neo dodged bullets in the Matrix part one. I didn't see anything else. I didn't see anyone else. I could've been in Brooklyn for all I knew. My senses were f*cked.
And not on some 'Stan' shit.
On some Respect shit.
Meeting Lupe now (err...then) is like meeting greatness just before universal acclaim (despite his ever expanding fan base, Lu still has his detractors. We're certainly not all in agreement on the wallpaper. not yet anyway). Its like meeting Michael in '76 or Jordan in '86 (less the notoriety). Its like meeting Ra fresh off Paid In Full. Nas fresh off Illmatic. Its like meeting the defining talent of any generation, in any genre of any industry, anywhere. At least to me.
And I was shook. I admit it.
I admit it.
To come within a clear twenty feet of someone you genuinely respect and admire as an artist (genuinely in the strictest sense of the word, artist in its most complimentary) is not a common occurrence. And when it does happen, no one wants to come across as another rambling fan seeking an autograph (I only had the Blu & Exile receipt on me anyhow). But at the same time, I wasn't about to let this moment pass without saying something! So I walked up to him:
TCM: "Yooo! Lupe, whats up?? My names 'J' and I respect what you do, kid. Keep doing what you do." That felt corny. Did I just say that???
Turning to the familiar looking cat perched against FYE's window:
TCM: "Is this your hypeman? Whats up, homie? You're a good hypeman."
My fractured senses were still trying to put everything into perspective.
Who is that curly haired guy over my left shoulder? Is he holding a camera?? Damn, its hot. Am I really talking to Lupe??? I'm really talking to Lupe...Focus...Focus...woo-saa
Lupe: "Thanks man. I appreciate that. Make sure you pick up The Cool on December 18th."
TCM: "Oh no doubt! Wait. Are you sure its coming out then? Because I remember back when it was supposed to drop in November..."
Lupe: "Yeah. Nah, its coming out December 18th. Thats the date."
TCM: "Thats whats up. I was disappointed you didn't show up at the Allhiphop.com Week show at the Nokia too."
Lupe: "Aw man...see what happened is that they thought I was performing at the show, but they never confirmed the event. And I had a show in Japan that day..."
TCM: "Ahh...i hear that. Well Lupe, keep doing what you do. I gotta get back to work."
Lupe: "Aight, thanks man."
Instantly, life unpaused. Snapped back to reality...ups, there goes gravity.
As clarity kicked in, I remembered that Atlantic Records' headquarters is right next to FYE and figured Lupe must've been in town for meetings since he didn't have any shows scheduled. Why didn't I ask him why he was in town? Or whens his next NYC show?
I remembered that the familiar cat perched against the window was in fact Bishop G, and that he's much more than just a hypeman. Did I really tell Bishop G that he's a 'good hypeman???'
Most regrettably, I remembered all of the things that I always wanted to ask Lu, all the things I wanted to tell him. I wanted to ask him about Fahrenheit 115, and what was going though his mind when he created "Switch" and "Much More" and 'Lupe The Killer?'" I wanted to ask him about his inspirations and why It Was Written was so influential, and when will he finally lace a track with Nasty Nas? I wanted to ask him what if felt like immediately after 'Presure' was complete and that moment he realized that he roasted Jay-Z?? I wanted to know if he ever thinks about how he'll handle the first time a credible rapper challenges him publicly? It happens to every Emcee. Is he battle ready???
And more personally, I wanted to tell him that the reason this site even exists is because of his music. I wanted to tell him how my back-in-the-day-daily email blasts to everyone in my address book exhaulting the lyrical genius from the Westside of Chicago evolved into The Quotable. And that those conversations helped me realize that journalism is what I want to do when I grow up.
I wanted to press 'Rewind' and run it all back to the beginning. I wanted a 'do-over.'
But it was too late.
I was already half a block away. Turning around now and running up to him again would have felt awkward and dry-stalkish.
So I kept it moving - right past the CBS building on my right and that fly, Laura London-looking shorty in the black camise and black ruffled skirt twirking by on my left.
Matter of fact...It was Summer.
And I left my suit coat in the office.
Carry on..
Resolution #16: Stop Comparing Other Rappers to Lupe Fiasco
I had to do it.
It had to be done.
You see, ever since he forced me to guess 'who's on third?,' my intrigue and admiration for L-U-P-Emperor sprinted past 'homie's nice' straight to 'Homie's the greatest!' at break-neck-speed. I don't remember exactly when it happened. All I know is somewhere between "Can't see me like B.I.G. on CMT" and those perfectly delivered, boxing/shoplifting analogies on the sublime "Much More," I had a brand new best-to-ever-do-it.
From then on, my iPod was pretty much all Lupe all the time. Relating to him. Learning from his content. Looking for flaws. Deciphering metaphors. Admiring the dexterity, the originality. I even started putting him into head-to-head playlist battles with lyrical greats and legendary albums. F&L vs It Was Written. Fahrenheit 115 vs The Blueprint. The Cool vs Capital Punishment. No matter the combination, like Mike in his prime, Lu couldn't be beat.
My cousin Sha calls it a "corner" - that point in time when everyone is doing one thing, then something powerful comes along, and everyone changes direction and follows the leader. Rakim was a corner. Nas was a corner. Before them, heads didn't rhyme like them. They were what he is, "something new, something fresh, something different." After them, everyone was forced to build their skills. Lupe is that next corner...and not-so-coincidentally rap is moving back to the lyrics.
But problems emerged when I realized that I was so immersed in this murk that I couldn't appreciate other artists in the same way.
Great artists.
Former favorite artists.
No matter who it was, no one was exempt. If "Dear Summer" came on, I wished it was "Dear Fall." If "Diamonds are Forever" played, I rapped the words to "Conflict Diamonds." "Thief's Theme," "Hip Hop is Dead?" - give me "Twilight Zone." Biggie didn't feel as BIG. Jay's flow wasn't as effortless. Nas sounded surpassed. It got so bad that even when I heard a track that Lupe wasn't on and never remixed, I still wondered how he would've approached it (think about what Lu couldve done with "I Get Money"). No one compared. Nothing could compete. Oddly enough, for me, the ultimate Emcee was killing the art of MCing.
So I dropped Resolution #16 in early 2008 in an attempt to regain some semblance of balance to the force. And although the galaxy is still grossly tilted in favor of Mr. Cornell Westside, at least I'm back to appreciating other artists.
Who cares if they're only fighting for second place?
Carry on...
It had to be done.
You see, ever since he forced me to guess 'who's on third?,' my intrigue and admiration for L-U-P-Emperor sprinted past 'homie's nice' straight to 'Homie's the greatest!' at break-neck-speed. I don't remember exactly when it happened. All I know is somewhere between "Can't see me like B.I.G. on CMT" and those perfectly delivered, boxing/shoplifting analogies on the sublime "Much More," I had a brand new best-to-ever-do-it.
From then on, my iPod was pretty much all Lupe all the time. Relating to him. Learning from his content. Looking for flaws. Deciphering metaphors. Admiring the dexterity, the originality. I even started putting him into head-to-head playlist battles with lyrical greats and legendary albums. F&L vs It Was Written. Fahrenheit 115 vs The Blueprint. The Cool vs Capital Punishment. No matter the combination, like Mike in his prime, Lu couldn't be beat.
My cousin Sha calls it a "corner" - that point in time when everyone is doing one thing, then something powerful comes along, and everyone changes direction and follows the leader. Rakim was a corner. Nas was a corner. Before them, heads didn't rhyme like them. They were what he is, "something new, something fresh, something different." After them, everyone was forced to build their skills. Lupe is that next corner...and not-so-coincidentally rap is moving back to the lyrics.
But problems emerged when I realized that I was so immersed in this murk that I couldn't appreciate other artists in the same way.
Great artists.
Former favorite artists.
No matter who it was, no one was exempt. If "Dear Summer" came on, I wished it was "Dear Fall." If "Diamonds are Forever" played, I rapped the words to "Conflict Diamonds." "Thief's Theme," "Hip Hop is Dead?" - give me "Twilight Zone." Biggie didn't feel as BIG. Jay's flow wasn't as effortless. Nas sounded surpassed. It got so bad that even when I heard a track that Lupe wasn't on and never remixed, I still wondered how he would've approached it (think about what Lu couldve done with "I Get Money"). No one compared. Nothing could compete. Oddly enough, for me, the ultimate Emcee was killing the art of MCing.
So I dropped Resolution #16 in early 2008 in an attempt to regain some semblance of balance to the force. And although the galaxy is still grossly tilted in favor of Mr. Cornell Westside, at least I'm back to appreciating other artists.
Who cares if they're only fighting for second place?
Carry on...
iBanker
"Like a broke stock broker on the side walk, / Ya'll n***** ain't as fly as me." - Lupe Fiasco
Just thought this was funny. Thanks Andrea.
Carry on...
The Upside to the 1st Quarter
Something unexpected happened while in the midst of another 1st Quarter inexplicably void of major Hip Hop album releases (click here for The Quotable's 1Q 2007 rant) - I stumbled into a Big-Pun-load-of-upside.
Upside - an encouraging positive aspect (dictionary.com)
Since there weren't any major (read: highly anticipated) album releases to sink into, analyze, and internally debate whether or not they lived up to the build up, I was forced to raid record stores and dig into the e-crates in hopes of discovering something new...something fresh...something different. And what do you know, I did - ill ish in all mediums. So rather than hoard all of this dopeness for myself, leaving heads in ignorance; The Company Man steps back from hiatus with that ish for Quotable Nation to savor.
INTRODUCING THE COMPANY MAN'S UPSIDE TOP 6 UPSIDES TO THE DOWN QUARTER...and other randomness.
6. Celebrity Connect Four might not be as retarded as it sounds
I ran into this clip of Kanye West and Superbad's Jonah Hill playing Connect Four. Honestly...those two muttaskuttas made "chess for dump people" supringly entertaining. Check it out:
2 things stand out: (1) Kanye's remix of Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop" is for real for real. Like, like that, like that. And honestly, the self-proclaimed Best Rapper Alive should smack himself in his tatooed eye-lids every time he even thinks of jumping on a track with the Louis Vuitton Don if he wants to keep the illusion of holding that title entact. For the second time in 9 months, 'Ye roasted Wayne mic to mic (don't forget the shalacking he laid on Wayne on Graduation's "Barry Bonds"). This verse here negates every bar Weezy laid on that track. Don't get me wrong, Wayne more-than-did-his-thing...its just that Kanye did his better.
And (2) Celebrity Connect Four might not be as retarded as it sounds. Given the right personalities in the right setting with the right amount of drugs and alcohol (for both contestants and viewers alike) - you never know what kinds of entertaining-ignorocity might spill out. Imagine Mike Tyson vs. Vince Vaughn. I think I'd pay to see that matchup.
On another note, aren't we about 4 years late on a Mike Tyson reality show?? When is that ish coming out? Seriously, I'd watch Mike Tyson do anything. And the show wouldn't have to be about the once-Iron-Mike struggling to make a potential comeback. Oh no, no, no. We need to keep this based in reality. It would only have to follow Mike on a day-to-day-basis and people would tune in. Imagine the terrified expression on the face of a reporter during an interview as Mike threatens to stomp on her children's testicals. Picture him eating cereal and talking to himself. Or rolling with him and his entourage making it rain in the strip club followed by the shook look on a stripper's grill as she leads Kid Dynamite back for a private dance (does he even have an entourage? I don't know. But these are things we'd learn about Mike on the show). The potential unintentional comedy is off the charts! Tell me I'm lying...
5. Just because music television stations no longer play music videos, it doesn't mean that great videos aren't still being made.
3 quick exaples:
A. Kanye West released the video for the Chris Martin assisted "Homecoming" dropped relatively on low, but honestly might be video of the year. Its simple and perfectly portrays the song itself. Even the cuts to Chris Martin (who, judging by the missing Chi-City in the background of his clips) fit. Check it for yourself:
B. "Rising Up" by The Roots featuring Wale (pronouced Wah-Lay) and my baby Chrisette Michelle (homegirl has the perfect voice. I think I'm in love with Chrisette Michelle) might be video of the year runnerup. The beauty shop backgrop is dope, and Wale came correct when Black Thought passed him the mic. Homie's been making some noise on the underground for a while now, but my boy Sean P introduced me to the DC Emcee's music a couple of months ago. What I heard then was nice...but not on point like this verse. The rhyme scheme is dope and the content is fresh. Tightest line: "So good rappers ain't eatin. / They Olsen-twinin'".
C. My man L-U-P-Emperor dropped, not one, but two videos off his chart-topping album, The Cool. I know I already posted these, but bump that, I'm posting them again, muttaskuttas. Because thats whats poppin in 2008! And congrats to Lupe for officially going gold with his sophomore album. 500,000 copies in 4 months in this economy is an accomplishment.
"Hip Hop Saved My Life"
"Paris, Tokyo"
Both videos are Cool (pun intended), but for some reason I don't completely trust Lu' without his specs. Its just feels awkward - like watching Snoop Dogg and his wife interact on his clearly-scripted reality show, "Father Hood." Theres something missing.
4. New Hip Hop-esque experiences
My homegirl Enid P over at All About Style convinced me to check out the Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, and the ish was tight. Murakami is a Japanese artist slash designer that does a lot of work for Louis Vuitton. He also designed the album cover for Kanye West's third album, Graduation. Check out EP's illegal pics from the visit:
I don't whats more sad - the fact that someone old-school bootlegged a museum exhibit, or the fact that I posted a bottlegged museum exhibit on The Quotable. Either way, the video was animated by Murakami, just to give you a sample of his style.
Check out All About Styles coverage here.
3. Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar" Remix featuring Young Jeezey and T.I.
Of couse Lupe's verse is ridiculous, but whats shocking is Young Jeezey's performance. I mean, for someone with a chronic case of lyrical deficiency, homeboy came correct.
2. Catching up on albums that you mightve missed
I bought a good amount of music this past quarter; following up on albums that I've heard about, but haven't had a chance to hear. Devin the Dudes's album Waitin to Inhale (probably the funniest/raunchiest album I've bought in years), Black Milk's Caltroit, MF Doom's Mmm...Food, Guilty Simpson's Ode to the Ghetto, Matt Costa's Unfamiliar Faces, and most notably Blu & Exiles Below the Heavens (review coming soon), all have a lot to offer - all definitely kept me fed during the annual 1st quarter famine. Some of these will get reviewed here at TQ, and some won't. But either way, all of which are quality.
And the number 1 upside to the down quarter...
1. Each passing day is one day closer to the 2nd Quarter.
Now the second quarter is the beginning of prime time new music season. Artists and record labels finally get it together and finally release new ish in the 2nd Quarter. Concert season opens in the 2nd Quarter. On the horizon in 2008: Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark Tour" featuring Pharell, Rhianna, and Lupe Fiasco, Lil' Wayne's habitually delayed The Carter III, Nas's controversial Nigger, Kidz in the Hall's The In Crowd, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige tour, The Roots' anticipated Rising Down, Common's Invincible Summer, west coast beast, Crooked I's B.O.S.S. (definitely check that one. freestyle below), The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, Foxy Brown's comeback attempt Black Star Diva, Bun B's first album sans the passing of partner in rhyme, Pimp C - II Trill, Usher's Here I Stand, Nelly's Brass Knuckles...well maybe Nelly isn't the best example...but you see where I'm going with it.
Now meet Crooked I. Gone.
Carry on...
Upside - an encouraging positive aspect (dictionary.com)
Since there weren't any major (read: highly anticipated) album releases to sink into, analyze, and internally debate whether or not they lived up to the build up, I was forced to raid record stores and dig into the e-crates in hopes of discovering something new...something fresh...something different. And what do you know, I did - ill ish in all mediums. So rather than hoard all of this dopeness for myself, leaving heads in ignorance; The Company Man steps back from hiatus with that ish for Quotable Nation to savor.
INTRODUCING THE COMPANY MAN'S UPSIDE TOP 6 UPSIDES TO THE DOWN QUARTER...and other randomness.
6. Celebrity Connect Four might not be as retarded as it sounds
I ran into this clip of Kanye West and Superbad's Jonah Hill playing Connect Four. Honestly...those two muttaskuttas made "chess for dump people" supringly entertaining. Check it out:
2 things stand out: (1) Kanye's remix of Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop" is for real for real. Like, like that, like that. And honestly, the self-proclaimed Best Rapper Alive should smack himself in his tatooed eye-lids every time he even thinks of jumping on a track with the Louis Vuitton Don if he wants to keep the illusion of holding that title entact. For the second time in 9 months, 'Ye roasted Wayne mic to mic (don't forget the shalacking he laid on Wayne on Graduation's "Barry Bonds"). This verse here negates every bar Weezy laid on that track. Don't get me wrong, Wayne more-than-did-his-thing...its just that Kanye did his better.
And (2) Celebrity Connect Four might not be as retarded as it sounds. Given the right personalities in the right setting with the right amount of drugs and alcohol (for both contestants and viewers alike) - you never know what kinds of entertaining-ignorocity might spill out. Imagine Mike Tyson vs. Vince Vaughn. I think I'd pay to see that matchup.
On another note, aren't we about 4 years late on a Mike Tyson reality show?? When is that ish coming out? Seriously, I'd watch Mike Tyson do anything. And the show wouldn't have to be about the once-Iron-Mike struggling to make a potential comeback. Oh no, no, no. We need to keep this based in reality. It would only have to follow Mike on a day-to-day-basis and people would tune in. Imagine the terrified expression on the face of a reporter during an interview as Mike threatens to stomp on her children's testicals. Picture him eating cereal and talking to himself. Or rolling with him and his entourage making it rain in the strip club followed by the shook look on a stripper's grill as she leads Kid Dynamite back for a private dance (does he even have an entourage? I don't know. But these are things we'd learn about Mike on the show). The potential unintentional comedy is off the charts! Tell me I'm lying...
5. Just because music television stations no longer play music videos, it doesn't mean that great videos aren't still being made.
3 quick exaples:
A. Kanye West released the video for the Chris Martin assisted "Homecoming" dropped relatively on low, but honestly might be video of the year. Its simple and perfectly portrays the song itself. Even the cuts to Chris Martin (who, judging by the missing Chi-City in the background of his clips) fit. Check it for yourself:
B. "Rising Up" by The Roots featuring Wale (pronouced Wah-Lay) and my baby Chrisette Michelle (homegirl has the perfect voice. I think I'm in love with Chrisette Michelle) might be video of the year runnerup. The beauty shop backgrop is dope, and Wale came correct when Black Thought passed him the mic. Homie's been making some noise on the underground for a while now, but my boy Sean P introduced me to the DC Emcee's music a couple of months ago. What I heard then was nice...but not on point like this verse. The rhyme scheme is dope and the content is fresh. Tightest line: "So good rappers ain't eatin. / They Olsen-twinin'".
C. My man L-U-P-Emperor dropped, not one, but two videos off his chart-topping album, The Cool. I know I already posted these, but bump that, I'm posting them again, muttaskuttas. Because thats whats poppin in 2008! And congrats to Lupe for officially going gold with his sophomore album. 500,000 copies in 4 months in this economy is an accomplishment.
"Hip Hop Saved My Life"
"Paris, Tokyo"
Both videos are Cool (pun intended), but for some reason I don't completely trust Lu' without his specs. Its just feels awkward - like watching Snoop Dogg and his wife interact on his clearly-scripted reality show, "Father Hood." Theres something missing.
4. New Hip Hop-esque experiences
My homegirl Enid P over at All About Style convinced me to check out the Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, and the ish was tight. Murakami is a Japanese artist slash designer that does a lot of work for Louis Vuitton. He also designed the album cover for Kanye West's third album, Graduation. Check out EP's illegal pics from the visit:
I don't whats more sad - the fact that someone old-school bootlegged a museum exhibit, or the fact that I posted a bottlegged museum exhibit on The Quotable. Either way, the video was animated by Murakami, just to give you a sample of his style.
Check out All About Styles coverage here.
3. Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar" Remix featuring Young Jeezey and T.I.
Of couse Lupe's verse is ridiculous, but whats shocking is Young Jeezey's performance. I mean, for someone with a chronic case of lyrical deficiency, homeboy came correct.
2. Catching up on albums that you mightve missed
I bought a good amount of music this past quarter; following up on albums that I've heard about, but haven't had a chance to hear. Devin the Dudes's album Waitin to Inhale (probably the funniest/raunchiest album I've bought in years), Black Milk's Caltroit, MF Doom's Mmm...Food, Guilty Simpson's Ode to the Ghetto, Matt Costa's Unfamiliar Faces, and most notably Blu & Exiles Below the Heavens (review coming soon), all have a lot to offer - all definitely kept me fed during the annual 1st quarter famine. Some of these will get reviewed here at TQ, and some won't. But either way, all of which are quality.
And the number 1 upside to the down quarter...
1. Each passing day is one day closer to the 2nd Quarter.
Now the second quarter is the beginning of prime time new music season. Artists and record labels finally get it together and finally release new ish in the 2nd Quarter. Concert season opens in the 2nd Quarter. On the horizon in 2008: Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark Tour" featuring Pharell, Rhianna, and Lupe Fiasco, Lil' Wayne's habitually delayed The Carter III, Nas's controversial Nigger, Kidz in the Hall's The In Crowd, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige tour, The Roots' anticipated Rising Down, Common's Invincible Summer, west coast beast, Crooked I's B.O.S.S. (definitely check that one. freestyle below), The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, Foxy Brown's comeback attempt Black Star Diva, Bun B's first album sans the passing of partner in rhyme, Pimp C - II Trill, Usher's Here I Stand, Nelly's Brass Knuckles...well maybe Nelly isn't the best example...but you see where I'm going with it.
Now meet Crooked I. Gone.
Carry on...
The Quotable Resolutions Report: Top 5 Albums Great Albums of All Time
"Read at least 1 book each month. To me, reading is like exercising...I hate doing it, but I love how I feel at the end. Gotta do more of it."
The Company Man's Resolutions: 2008 in High Definition - The Company Man
Yep, I just quoted myself.
But for good reason. Today I finished reading my first book of the year - The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Off to an aight start. True, this is February, but I decided to give myself a pass since I didn't drop my resolutions until half way through the January. Gotta start on a round number. Anyway, the Tipping Point discusses the factors necessary to start a social epidemic - the reasons TV shows connect with the audience, crime rates rise, styles become hot, whatever. For real, I couldn't have read it at a better time. Not only because its directly applicable with what we're trying to do here at The Quotable, but also because it should help with a project I'm launching on my nine-to-five (or better yet, my 8ish-to-whenever-the-hell-time-of-nite-the-pimp-hand-of-corporate-america-slaps-my-ass-off-the-strole. Thats right: Wall Street, Hip Hop. Maybe I should change my name to The Company Renaissance Man. Ya'll don't want to see me on Wii Sports. Trust).
Win-win.
So this mini-milestone made me check to see how I'm progressing on the rest of The Company Man's 2008 Resolutions (Here). Not bad. 1 book down. 15 Quotables strong so far. 4 tickets in hand for a New Orleans Hornet's game (they're playing at The Garden on Monday...which technically makes it a Knicks game. But I don't want to see the Knicks. I want to see Chris Paul ball live. 21 ppg, 11 assists, 3 steals, the Hornets in third place in the Western Conference - the kid is ill. Check that, I'm going to see a Chris Paul game. Another tangent. Carry on). It feels like I'm smoking and drinking less. Pretty good, pretty good. I mean, I haven't gone to church with Will yet, but I've got all year to do that.
But the one resolution I do need to get a jump on is "Write More Top 'Whatever' Lists."
[Pauses to debate procrastination]
Eff it. No time like the present. Lets start with the basics. In the era of the single, The Company Man is an album dude. No matter how tight it might be, one great song will never feed you like one great album. A great song is like a snack when you're starving - you're still hungry at the end. A great album is like Thanksgiving - you need to take a nap just to digest it all. These albums are like that:
INTRODUCING THE COMPANY MAN'S TOP 5 GREAT ALBUMS OF ALL TIME!
[And Quotable Nation goes wild! "As if Holyfield just won the fight"]
5. The College Dropout - Kanye West 2004
On the real, Kanye West is the first rapper that I ever directly related to (other than Will Smith...his parents didn't understand, mine didn't either). FACT. Not through his message, but through his lifestyle. Homeboy grew up as a middle class kid working at the GAP, chasing his dreams. Yup, The Company Man grew up a middle class kid working at the GAP (you can't beat 50% off). I'd never heard my story on wax until The College Dropout. But not only did Mr. West's debut album directly speak to me...but it was also crazy dope. Littered with sped up soul-samples (produced entirely by Kanye himself), Hip Hop violinists, and outside the box collaborations (Freeway and Mos Def on "Two Words", Jamie Fox (before the Oscar and the R&B album) and Twista on "Slow Jamz"), TCD showcased 'Ye's work-in-progress delivery (sounding like a more animated Mase circa 1997), diverse subject matter (who else was rapping about social consciousness, self consciousness, internet-hook-ups, and Jesus all on the same Lp???), and witty content ("Got a light-skinned friend who looks like Michael Jackson/Got a dark-skinned friend who looks like Michael Jackson"). The College Dropout is loaded with honesty and replay value. Its classic and progressive at the same time. "And if this is your first time hearing this/you are now about to experience something so cold."
Rating: QQQQQ
4. Lupe Fiasco's: Food & Liquor - Lupe Fiasco 2006
"And so it seems that I'm sewing jeans. / And First & 15th is just a sewing machine. / So I cut the pattern and I sew its seams / and button in this hustlin and publicly I'm Buddy Lee. / Theres no bustin' him and cuffin' him is like ushering in a regime. / They want me to make Prince pants / but I withstand. I ain't gotten in to that. / A little BIG in the waist / 2Pac-ets on the back. / Call them LuVy's - OGs covered in blue dye." - "Pressure": Lupe Fiasco: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
What can I say that hasn't already been said? Read review HERE.
3. The Blueprint - Jay-Z 2001
So it was a typical September day in Amsterdam. I Bounced from class and headed over to The Grey Area (our favorite coffee shop...best greenery on the Prinsegraght) for an after school lift. Then over to the local record store (can't remember the name, but picture a European FYE) to cop Jay-Z's latest: The Blueprint. Up until then, I wasn't really a Jay-Z fan (my boy Sean P was ahead of the game on that one. Jay's been his dude since Reasonable Doubt). Honestly I thought his music was fairly one-dimensional; baller raps, club music, tracks for the chicks...the usual late nineties-bling-bling-era rhymes. But I was used to buying his CDs and I bumped "H to the Izzo" all summer long, so picking it up that day it dropped was a no-brainer. I bought the album, popped it into the trusty Sony CDWalkman, hopped on my bike (err...bicycle) and headed on my way.
About 1:52 seconds into the first track I was forced to bring that beat back!! A sign of something special. The Blueprint's combination of lyrical exercise and soulful soundscape forced me to recognize Jay-Z's superior skillset. I mean, after six albums Hova finally put together the complete package (at least for me anyway) - in depth personal stories ("Song Cry"), ill cypher rhymes ("All I Need", "The Rulers Back"), lean track listing (only 13 songs in length; enough to leave you wanting more), one killer guest appearance (maybe too killer - Eminem slayed Jay on "Renegade"), cohesive sound (Kanye and Just Blaze produced the lionshare of the Lp), witty wordplay ("Girls, Girls, Girls"). Big Homie delivered on all counts, and even found time to end a couple of careers (sorry for ya Mobb Deep) and resurrect another (for the record, Jay won that battle for a lot of reasons. But most specifically because he made Nas relevant by calling his slumping ass out)! Jay snatched Hip Hop's crown, tilted it like his Yankee fitted, and made you think (if only for a second) "if he's not better than BIG...he's the closest one." Classic.
I made it back to my flat around 1:30pm that day and laid down to take a nap. About 30 minutes later, my roommates annoyingly eccentric guest from Chicago came running into the room screaming "THEY'RE ATTACKING AMERICA!! THEY'RE ATTACKING AMERICA!!!" I awoke from my weed-nap skeptical...only to find out that two hijacked planes just crashed into the World Trade towers...
Rating: QQQQQ
2. All Eyez On Me - 2Pac 1996
All Eyez On Me was the first album to make me think. I mean really think. Loaded with angst injected rhymes targeted at politicians ("Delores Tucker yous a muthafucka/instead of trying to help a n**** you destroy your brother/worse than the others./Bill Clinton, Mr. Bob Dole/You too old to understand the way the game told"), followed by ubiquitous party tracks ("California Love", "Check Out Time") followed by cypher tracks with ill guest appearances ("Got My Mind Made Up" featuring Kurupt, Method Man, Redman), cuts that make you wanna f*ck somebody up ("No More Pain", "All Eyez On Me", "Ambitionz Az A Ridah") - I didn't know whether to riot or start a revolution. Pac spit with such energy and emotion and somehow never sounded contradictory. Arguably the greatest double-disk album of all time. Tweleve years later and this one is still in heavy rotation.
Rating: QQQQQ
1. E. 1999 Eternal - Bone Thugs N Harmony 1995
As much as I'd like to say that "I had to think long and hard about the number 1 Great Album of All Time" and that I did countless soul-searching and proceeses of elimination to come to to this conclusion - the truth is Bone Thugs N Harmony's E.99 Eternal has been The Company Man's favorite album since...well...since 1995. Easy choice. First, Bone is the first group I've ever loved. Not in a Brokeback-bathroom-stall-toe-tapping kind of way. But in a "these-dudes-are-killing-every-track-and-I-need-to-play-back-the-entire-album-again" kind of way. The irony is that Krazy, Lazy, Bizzy, Wish (and damn-sure not Flesh-N-Bone) weren't dropping crazy metaphors and allusions like Lupe, nor were they spitting political minded, socially conscious rhymes like Pac or Ye. And they didn't come close to matching Jay-Z's diversity. The thing about E.99 is that its cohesive from beginning to end, telling the story of a couple St. Claire thugs hustling, getting arrested, breaking of jail only to head back onto the block, collect their ends, budasmoke, then ride off into the murda-mo-murda sunset. I know I know, at surface level it sounds like 93% of the other indistinguishable rap music out today. But Bone's melodic-tongue-twister-flow (each similar in style but distinctly different in delivery), and detailed story telling, combined with DJ Uneek's horroresque soundtrack (complete with high keys and heavy snare) overshadows any potential cliches (and back then, todays cliches werent yet cliche). All four members rip through all 17 tracks like fat kids through britches. 13 years later and every song is still dope. Now thats what I mean by replay value. Bone's innovative/stylistic delivery, energy, and storytelling are what put this album a top of this list. "See you at the Crossroads..."
Rating: QQQQQ
Thats all I got for yall tonight, Quotable Nation. Let me know what you think. What albums are on your Top 5? Hit me in the comments section.
Carry on....
The Company Man's Resolutions: 2008 in High Definition - The Company Man
Yep, I just quoted myself.
But for good reason. Today I finished reading my first book of the year - The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Off to an aight start. True, this is February, but I decided to give myself a pass since I didn't drop my resolutions until half way through the January. Gotta start on a round number. Anyway, the Tipping Point discusses the factors necessary to start a social epidemic - the reasons TV shows connect with the audience, crime rates rise, styles become hot, whatever. For real, I couldn't have read it at a better time. Not only because its directly applicable with what we're trying to do here at The Quotable, but also because it should help with a project I'm launching on my nine-to-five (or better yet, my 8ish-to-whenever-the-hell-time-of-nite-the-pimp-hand-of-corporate-america-slaps-my-ass-off-the-strole. Thats right: Wall Street, Hip Hop. Maybe I should change my name to The Company Renaissance Man. Ya'll don't want to see me on Wii Sports. Trust).
Win-win.
So this mini-milestone made me check to see how I'm progressing on the rest of The Company Man's 2008 Resolutions (Here). Not bad. 1 book down. 15 Quotables strong so far. 4 tickets in hand for a New Orleans Hornet's game (they're playing at The Garden on Monday...which technically makes it a Knicks game. But I don't want to see the Knicks. I want to see Chris Paul ball live. 21 ppg, 11 assists, 3 steals, the Hornets in third place in the Western Conference - the kid is ill. Check that, I'm going to see a Chris Paul game. Another tangent. Carry on). It feels like I'm smoking and drinking less. Pretty good, pretty good. I mean, I haven't gone to church with Will yet, but I've got all year to do that.
But the one resolution I do need to get a jump on is "Write More Top 'Whatever' Lists."
[Pauses to debate procrastination]
Eff it. No time like the present. Lets start with the basics. In the era of the single, The Company Man is an album dude. No matter how tight it might be, one great song will never feed you like one great album. A great song is like a snack when you're starving - you're still hungry at the end. A great album is like Thanksgiving - you need to take a nap just to digest it all. These albums are like that:
INTRODUCING THE COMPANY MAN'S TOP 5 GREAT ALBUMS OF ALL TIME!
[And Quotable Nation goes wild! "As if Holyfield just won the fight"]
5. The College Dropout - Kanye West 2004
On the real, Kanye West is the first rapper that I ever directly related to (other than Will Smith...his parents didn't understand, mine didn't either). FACT. Not through his message, but through his lifestyle. Homeboy grew up as a middle class kid working at the GAP, chasing his dreams. Yup, The Company Man grew up a middle class kid working at the GAP (you can't beat 50% off). I'd never heard my story on wax until The College Dropout. But not only did Mr. West's debut album directly speak to me...but it was also crazy dope. Littered with sped up soul-samples (produced entirely by Kanye himself), Hip Hop violinists, and outside the box collaborations (Freeway and Mos Def on "Two Words", Jamie Fox (before the Oscar and the R&B album) and Twista on "Slow Jamz"), TCD showcased 'Ye's work-in-progress delivery (sounding like a more animated Mase circa 1997), diverse subject matter (who else was rapping about social consciousness, self consciousness, internet-hook-ups, and Jesus all on the same Lp???), and witty content ("Got a light-skinned friend who looks like Michael Jackson/Got a dark-skinned friend who looks like Michael Jackson"). The College Dropout is loaded with honesty and replay value. Its classic and progressive at the same time. "And if this is your first time hearing this/you are now about to experience something so cold."
Rating: QQQQQ
4. Lupe Fiasco's: Food & Liquor - Lupe Fiasco 2006
"And so it seems that I'm sewing jeans. / And First & 15th is just a sewing machine. / So I cut the pattern and I sew its seams / and button in this hustlin and publicly I'm Buddy Lee. / Theres no bustin' him and cuffin' him is like ushering in a regime. / They want me to make Prince pants / but I withstand. I ain't gotten in to that. / A little BIG in the waist / 2Pac-ets on the back. / Call them LuVy's - OGs covered in blue dye." - "Pressure": Lupe Fiasco: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
What can I say that hasn't already been said? Read review HERE.
Rating: QQQQQ
3. The Blueprint - Jay-Z 2001
So it was a typical September day in Amsterdam. I Bounced from class and headed over to The Grey Area (our favorite coffee shop...best greenery on the Prinsegraght) for an after school lift. Then over to the local record store (can't remember the name, but picture a European FYE) to cop Jay-Z's latest: The Blueprint. Up until then, I wasn't really a Jay-Z fan (my boy Sean P was ahead of the game on that one. Jay's been his dude since Reasonable Doubt). Honestly I thought his music was fairly one-dimensional; baller raps, club music, tracks for the chicks...the usual late nineties-bling-bling-era rhymes. But I was used to buying his CDs and I bumped "H to the Izzo" all summer long, so picking it up that day it dropped was a no-brainer. I bought the album, popped it into the trusty Sony CDWalkman, hopped on my bike (err...bicycle) and headed on my way.
About 1:52 seconds into the first track I was forced to bring that beat back!! A sign of something special. The Blueprint's combination of lyrical exercise and soulful soundscape forced me to recognize Jay-Z's superior skillset. I mean, after six albums Hova finally put together the complete package (at least for me anyway) - in depth personal stories ("Song Cry"), ill cypher rhymes ("All I Need", "The Rulers Back"), lean track listing (only 13 songs in length; enough to leave you wanting more), one killer guest appearance (maybe too killer - Eminem slayed Jay on "Renegade"), cohesive sound (Kanye and Just Blaze produced the lionshare of the Lp), witty wordplay ("Girls, Girls, Girls"). Big Homie delivered on all counts, and even found time to end a couple of careers (sorry for ya Mobb Deep) and resurrect another (for the record, Jay won that battle for a lot of reasons. But most specifically because he made Nas relevant by calling his slumping ass out)! Jay snatched Hip Hop's crown, tilted it like his Yankee fitted, and made you think (if only for a second) "if he's not better than BIG...he's the closest one." Classic.
I made it back to my flat around 1:30pm that day and laid down to take a nap. About 30 minutes later, my roommates annoyingly eccentric guest from Chicago came running into the room screaming "THEY'RE ATTACKING AMERICA!! THEY'RE ATTACKING AMERICA!!!" I awoke from my weed-nap skeptical...only to find out that two hijacked planes just crashed into the World Trade towers...
Rating: QQQQQ
2. All Eyez On Me - 2Pac 1996
All Eyez On Me was the first album to make me think. I mean really think. Loaded with angst injected rhymes targeted at politicians ("Delores Tucker yous a muthafucka/instead of trying to help a n**** you destroy your brother/worse than the others./Bill Clinton, Mr. Bob Dole/You too old to understand the way the game told"), followed by ubiquitous party tracks ("California Love", "Check Out Time") followed by cypher tracks with ill guest appearances ("Got My Mind Made Up" featuring Kurupt, Method Man, Redman), cuts that make you wanna f*ck somebody up ("No More Pain", "All Eyez On Me", "Ambitionz Az A Ridah") - I didn't know whether to riot or start a revolution. Pac spit with such energy and emotion and somehow never sounded contradictory. Arguably the greatest double-disk album of all time. Tweleve years later and this one is still in heavy rotation.
Rating: QQQQQ
1. E. 1999 Eternal - Bone Thugs N Harmony 1995
As much as I'd like to say that "I had to think long and hard about the number 1 Great Album of All Time" and that I did countless soul-searching and proceeses of elimination to come to to this conclusion - the truth is Bone Thugs N Harmony's E.99 Eternal has been The Company Man's favorite album since...well...since 1995. Easy choice. First, Bone is the first group I've ever loved. Not in a Brokeback-bathroom-stall-toe-tapping kind of way. But in a "these-dudes-are-killing-every-track-and-I-need-to-play-back-the-entire-album-again" kind of way. The irony is that Krazy, Lazy, Bizzy, Wish (and damn-sure not Flesh-N-Bone) weren't dropping crazy metaphors and allusions like Lupe, nor were they spitting political minded, socially conscious rhymes like Pac or Ye. And they didn't come close to matching Jay-Z's diversity. The thing about E.99 is that its cohesive from beginning to end, telling the story of a couple St. Claire thugs hustling, getting arrested, breaking of jail only to head back onto the block, collect their ends, budasmoke, then ride off into the murda-mo-murda sunset. I know I know, at surface level it sounds like 93% of the other indistinguishable rap music out today. But Bone's melodic-tongue-twister-flow (each similar in style but distinctly different in delivery), and detailed story telling, combined with DJ Uneek's horroresque soundtrack (complete with high keys and heavy snare) overshadows any potential cliches (and back then, todays cliches werent yet cliche). All four members rip through all 17 tracks like fat kids through britches. 13 years later and every song is still dope. Now thats what I mean by replay value. Bone's innovative/stylistic delivery, energy, and storytelling are what put this album a top of this list. "See you at the Crossroads..."
Rating: QQQQQ
Thats all I got for yall tonight, Quotable Nation. Let me know what you think. What albums are on your Top 5? Hit me in the comments section.
Carry on....
Glow In The Dark Tour Schedule
Kanye West has released the complete list of tour dates for his highly-anticipated Glow In The Dark Tour, co-starring Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, and N.E.R.D. "So go ahead, go nuts...go apeshit." Sheeeeet, I know where I'll be this Saturday at noon...on the Ticketmaster website copping mine before they sell out. Thats right Quotable Nation...The Company Man is still BUYING tickets. But its cool though - gotta walk before you run. Media passes will be on the way. Someday. Hopefully....Please.
Either way, I can't wait to see Graduation performed live (read review HERE). The entire album was designed for the stadium show. Simply anthemic. That 5/13 Madison Square Garden looks like the one.
4/16 Seattle, WA - Key Arena
4/18 Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
4/19 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
4/20 San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena
4/21 Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theatre
4/22 Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theater
4/24 Tucson, AZ - McKale Memorial Center at University of Arizona
4/25 Las Vegas, NV - Red Rock
4/26 Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
4/27 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
4/29 Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
4/30 Austin, TX - Frank Irwin Center
5/01 Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
5/02 Woodlands, TX - Woodlands Pavilion
5/04 Atlanta, GA - Gwinnett Center Arena
5/05 Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheater
5/06 West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheater
5/08 Charlotte, NC - Verizon Amphitheater
5/09 Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
5/10 Washington, DC - Nisson Pavilion
5/11 Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
5/13 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
5/15 Boston, MA - Tweeter Center
5/16 Hartford, CT - Meadows Music Theatre
5/17 Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
5/18 Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
5/20 Montreal, Quebec - Bell Center
5/21 Toronto, Ontario - Molson Center
5/22 Detroit, MI - The Palace
5/23 Chicago, IL - United Center
5/24 Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
5/27 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre
5/29 Edmonton, Rexall Place
5/30 Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
6/12 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo (only with Lupe Fiasco)
Either way, I can't wait to see Graduation performed live (read review HERE). The entire album was designed for the stadium show. Simply anthemic. That 5/13 Madison Square Garden looks like the one.
4/16 Seattle, WA - Key Arena
4/18 Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
4/19 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
4/20 San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena
4/21 Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theatre
4/22 Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theater
4/24 Tucson, AZ - McKale Memorial Center at University of Arizona
4/25 Las Vegas, NV - Red Rock
4/26 Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
4/27 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
4/29 Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
4/30 Austin, TX - Frank Irwin Center
5/01 Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
5/02 Woodlands, TX - Woodlands Pavilion
5/04 Atlanta, GA - Gwinnett Center Arena
5/05 Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheater
5/06 West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheater
5/08 Charlotte, NC - Verizon Amphitheater
5/09 Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
5/10 Washington, DC - Nisson Pavilion
5/11 Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
5/13 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
5/15 Boston, MA - Tweeter Center
5/16 Hartford, CT - Meadows Music Theatre
5/17 Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
5/18 Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
5/20 Montreal, Quebec - Bell Center
5/21 Toronto, Ontario - Molson Center
5/22 Detroit, MI - The Palace
5/23 Chicago, IL - United Center
5/24 Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
5/27 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre
5/29 Edmonton, Rexall Place
5/30 Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
6/12 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo (only with Lupe Fiasco)
And here's another hit...We outta here, baby!
Carry on...
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