Stringer Bell wanted to become “The Bank.”
The economic mind behind The Wire’s, Barksdale crime family wanted to expunge the violence from the Baltimore drug trade. He wanted to expand into real estate -- trading the risky day-to-day operations for a financier-only post high above the destruction going down on the ground below. He wanted to be detached from that tragic reality while still profiting from it. He wanted to be Too Big To Fail. He had other aspirations.
In this extended interview on Real Time With Bill Maher, Jay-Z described his brand of Hip Hop as “aspirational.”
“Whether it be for a young guy aspirational, or for an older guy, something that they can relate to...” said Forbes’ reigning Cash King. “...once you draw on a true emotion, I think the integrity of that will carry you through to now.”
Blinded by the mesmerizing glare of Watch The Throne’s jubilant jet-setting kneels a frustrated population weathering the results of the Great Recession: homes lost, wealth gone.
A Pew Research Center study reported the “median Hispanic household lost 66 percent of it’s wealth from 2005 to 2009.” Black Americans watched their wealth evaporate by 53 percent. Asians households lost 54 percent of their wealth. In total, 33 percent of US citizens lost an average of 58 percent of their wealth. White Americans, by contrast, lost only 16 percent over that duration.
These declines have led to the largest wealth disparities in the 25 years that the bureau has collected data.
Under this sobering umbrella, gratuitous forays by n**** in Paris revel in their detachment from a tragic reality while still profiting from it. Aspirational Hip Hop now comes littered with lines like “N***** hate ballers these days,” blind to the economic destruction going down on the ground below. Even in the polarizing critical wake of throne watching, expectedly, the album broke sales records. Sean Carter became “The Bank” immediately after expunging Dame and Biggs. Now he’s fully accomplished Stringer Bell’s dream. He’s Too Big To Fail.
"Respect to you two heroes...,” says Chuck D on his own, Otis Redding sampled release, “Notice (Know This),” addressing Ye' and Jay directly in response to "Otis."
“...but trickle down got us less than zero."
Watch:
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Showing posts with label Watch The Throne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Watch The Throne. Show all posts
The Company Man Show Debut, Watch The Throne Live Album Review
For a year and some months, The Company Man has had the honor of hosting Brooklyn Bodega Radio (every Friday from 1-4PM on PNCRadio.fm). It's been awesome, really. An unintended bi-product of merely seeking a financially viable life writing about rap music. Who knew it would lead to radio...and now video...and now show hosting.
Big thank you to Wes Jackson for trusting me to steer #BodegaRadio.
Big thank you to @JonnyWalkerSF for the initial co-sign and continued support.
Big thank you to @Navani, @KelliNikole, @Nikon, and @EbonyPeace for rocking with me while I figured out what the hell I was doing.
Big thank you to @Laureluxe for showing me the power of Twitter. Hosting a radio show is a lot more fun when you actually have listeners.
Big thank you @Run_P, my weekly co-host. My favorite DJ. My brother.
And after a year and some months, The Company Man has been blessed with his own show on PNCRadio.fm: The Company Man Show (or #TCMS in Twitter speak), airing every Monday through Thursday from 4PM to 6PM.
Big thank you to Alex and A King for this next opportunity.
#BodegaRadio has been successful by embracing the values of it's parent organization, Brooklyn Bodega. #BodegaRadio a true champion of the mobilizing power of Hip Hop, tackling under-discussed topics from a critical stand point while providing a platform for hundreds of independent artists to showcase their craft; to share their journey.
We launched the #InboxSessions (where we spin music by cats on the come up) to mirror Brooklyn Bodega's Show And Prove underground competition series. We're the picture of consistency and progression (never missing an airing) to reflect the consistency and progression of Brooklyn Bodega's, Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. We enjoy ourselves live on air every Friday because building something extraordinary based around something you love is infinitely more rewarding when it's also fun. We learned that from watching our parent company, Brooklyn Bodega. We've gotten better every Friday because we do the two things that consistently equate to success: show up and ask questions.
Everything I've learned from Brooklyn Bodega has afforded me the opportunity to expand on this happy accident with my own show, #TCMS. And although the format will be much more mainstream; much more accessible to those more familiar with Hova than Homeboy Sandman, #TCMS will carry those same core values embodied in #BodegaRadio.
Here's how it's going down:
Every Monday, I will guide each of you through a live album review of one new mainstream release. We'll dig into the liner notes and the quotable bars. We'll compare and contrast and diss and debate the pros and cons of each project while playing each album in it's entirety. Keeping it Honest and Unmerciful as always. Yesterday, during our debut, we dug into Jay-Z and Kanye West's, Watch The Throne. Listen below.
Every Tuesday, we'll dig into a different Top 20 list. Anything from Snoop Dogg's Top 20 Songs of all time to The Top 20 Songs of August 2001 (as we did on today's edition, which you can listen to on the next post).
Every Wednesday, we're going to run through the current Billboard Top 20 and keep tabs on what's happening in the mainstream industry. Which we'll do tomorrow, from 4 to 6PM.
Every Thursday, we'll do a live album review of a selected independent release. We'll provide critical feedback to artists most have never heard of but are talented enough to share with #TCMSGlobal.
I can't express how truly excited I am about this next challenge. I'm comfortable on air (finally), that much I know. I love talking about rap music, that much I know too. The rest will be revealed as I continue to get my reps in (word to Malcolm Gladwell).
Thank you all for rocking with The-Quotable and following my continued progression. Y'all been rocking with TCM since 2006, back when I was an actual company man slaving away for other peoples tax breaks. I am forever grateful.
Oh...don't get it confused, by no means am I stepping away from Brooklyn Bodega or #BodegaRadio. The organization means too much to me personally. The email chain that started this all -- Lupe Fiasco's Daily Quotable -- is forever tied to Brooklyn Bodega. There's still plenty of unfinished business. I'm just increasing my workload.
"Life is good. Life is sho'nuff good" -- De La Soul
#TCMS Debut: Watch The Throne Live Album Review
#TCMS AIRS EVERY MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY FROM 4PM TO 6PM ON PNCRADIO.FM. YOU CAN ALSO TUNE IN ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE HERE: MOBILE LINK http://j.mp/fKwNRq
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