Quotable Videos: U-N-I

While clickin' through my daily Hip Hop site routine, I stumbled across this blog (peace to A.H.L.O.T over at HHDX) on U-N-I, a duo out of Inglewood, CA. I don't know much about them right now, but from what I've heard they've got a smooth sound - kinda throwback-meets-new-skool. Once I get my hands on their mixtape (Fried Chicken and Watermelon), I'll report back to yall.

In the meantime, check their video K.R.E.A.M (Kicks Rule Everything Around Me). I'm feelin' the Wu-Tang sameple mixed with the "Kick Push" cut.

Check U-N-I's myspace page if you like what you hear.



Let me know what yall think.

Carry On...

Quotable Videos: Today Was A Good Day

"Today I didn't even have to use my AK..." - Ice Cube

The Company Man's Resolutions: 2008 in High Definition

(in my best Leon Phelps lisp)...and I read:

- Deliver at least 1 Quotable each week. 2007 flew by in a blink and by years end I only had 26 posts. Piss poor. I mean, its not like I didn't have anything to say...its just that sometimes I get stuck on that n**** ish (procrastinating 'til its time to worry) and productivity suffers. Daily posts seems a bit much for a non-writer like myself. Weekly posts feels like the right number so I'm going with that.

- Attend at least 3 services at my roommate DJ WillsofSteel's church. Just about every sunday morning I migrate from my bed to the living room couch, catch a solid 90 minutes of VH1 re-runs/Sportscenter highlights, fall back asleep only to be re-awakened by my homeboy getting ready to go receive the good word. And every Sunday morning I have the same exact thought: 'Maybe I should go with him...' Then like clockwork, I get off the living room couch, migrate onto the office couch, and proceed to have a smokin' good time wasting the day watching OVGuide. It never fails. Its not that I feel guilty for spending my Sunday's the way I do (I honestly believe the Lord doesn't judge me by the way I use HIS day), its just that Will's church seems like a lot of fun. Everyone I've met from their is hella cool and its another avenue to meet new peeps. Gotta expand my network in '08.

- Write more Top 'Whatever' Lists. I always read Top 'Whatever' lists online, in magazines, wherever - regardless of whether or not I'm actually interested in the subject. The Quotable should have a few too.

- "Smoke and Drink Less" I jacked this one from my boy Sean P. The beauty is in its vagueness. Truthfully I like smoking and drinking and don't feel its a problem in my life. But since neither is exactly healthy, dialing it back a bit is probably a decent idea. But seeing as there is no true measure for success here, I'll just have to go with how I feel. I'm not drinking right now as I write this...so it feels like I'm off to a promising start.

- 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.

- Follow up on 'Writers Wanted' ads. My homegirl MM has been great about keeping in the loop on various industry happenings, and writing opportunities. I've checked out several events, but have yet to follow up on any of the 'Writers Wanted' opportunities. I guess inside I've doubted my skills and never wanted to put myself out there like that. Fear of rejection is so 2007.

- Be impeccable with my word. "Why shoot the breeze about it when you can be about it" - Nas

- Work out at least 1 time each week. To me, excercising is like reading...I hate doing it, but I love how I feel at the end. Gotta do more of it before end up looking like Larry Holms - flabby and sick.

- Take an NYC vacation. I can't front, I'm blessed to have the job I have...in the industry I'm in...in the city in which I live. NYC is a dope dope place, but I get so caught up in my own routines that I fail to appreciate it often enough. Therefore, in 2008, I'm going to take at least 1 week long vacation and stay in The City. It'll give me a chance to catch up on the world I've been missing.

- Buy a condo/co-op...or at least come closer to it. I started saving in early 2007 and can actually accomplish this one (in certain neighborhoods) now, but not the way I want to. All the fly spots are just outside of my range. Rather than settle...I'll just keep saving.

- Interview at least 1 MC, 1 DJ, 1 Graphiti artist who makes their living in The Culture.

- Do something BIG for my parents. My mom's been talking about turning the deck into a sun room...maybe thats a good place to start. Gotta give back to the people who gave me everything.

- Make at least 1 Youtube video. I dunno...this just looks like something fun to do.

- Go to a New Orleans Hornets game. Chris Paul is doing some amazing things on the hardwood these days. Homie looks like a young Isaiah Thomas (the baller...not the team/league wrecker) out there and his stats are on par with best point guards in NBA history! I haven't been this intrigued by a player since I hung up my kicks. Which brings me to my next resolution...

- Start hoopin' again. I haven't played ball consistently since '06. Thats the longest hiatus I've taken from my first true love. Its time to end the streak in '08. Enough time has passed.

- Stop comparing other rappers to Lupe Fiasco. Cornell Westside is waaaay too far ahead of the game...Its just not fair to the rest of 'em.

- Carpet the stairs and get a front door for the apartment. It seems like my landlord is constantly renovating this brownstone. His last makeover has gone on for 6 months! No doubt that the place will be off the chain when he's finished, but right now we don't have a door to our floor and no carpet on the stairs. How do you keep a spot looking fresh if you track saw dust inside everytime you walk in?

On second thought, maybe that should be my Landlord's resolution.

Carry on...

Quotable Videos: C.R.S. (US Placers)

Just a dope video...thanks CMB.



http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshh4IpLgXF8zx-

Carry On...

The Quotable Reviews: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

I'm only a year and a semester late with this review.

No excuse.

I mean, how do I explain not reviewing the album that I damn near spent 3 months personally hyping leading up to its September 2006 release? Lupe Fiasco's mixtapes and underground releases were so impactful on The Company Man that it became urgent for me to spread the good word like a sidewalk preacher on a soap-box, just so all (who I encountered in my little world) would have the opportunity to hear this spectacle-wearing-emcee-from-the-Chi. Just to make them aware. In fact, Lu-Emperor is the reason you're even reading this review right now. The Quotable is the direct descendant of "Lupe Fiasco's Daily Quotable" - my back-in-the-day, daily blast email to the world containing Lupe's latest dope lyric.

Its like that.

So 9 month's and one leak later, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor finally drops, and The Company Man was floored. I couldn't believe my ears. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I couldn't believe what he was saying. And I couldn't describe it. Literally. I mean everytime I listened to the album I heard something different - something more - and I couldn't put it into words.

So I waited.

I waited until when I felt like I adequately consumed all of its intentions, and intricacies, and similes, and metaphors and could actually convey them to Quotable Nation without sounding like a rambling stan. I waited and waited and that day never came.

Now. Here we are, 2 days before the release of Lupe's sophomore Lp, The Cool (cop that on Tuesday, December 18th. Its a moral imperative), The Company Man still has the review outstanding...and its time to put somethin' on it. Whether or not it turns out the way I think it should is another story. The point is...if any album deserves my attention (as fleeting as its been lately...notice the extended gaps between posts. Apologies to Quotable Nation. The Company Man just got promoted on his 9-5 and is (unfortunately) turning into an actual company man. Another of life's irony) its this one. So without further adieu...

The Quotable Reviews: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

"I mean, I had a dream that God gave me flight. / Too fly for my own good, so God gave me plight." - "Real": Lupe Fiasco; Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

The "Intro" to Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor is a spoken word poem by Lupe's sister, Iesha Jaco (at least I think its his sister. Wikipedia doesn't list her name, and someone jacked me for my actual CD so I don't have the album book in front of me. Initially I was pissed about getting got for my ish, but then I realized that if I had to I'd steal this album too. Its that good). Lupe then steps in and introduces the album's premise ("I think the world and everything in it is made up of a mix of two things: You got your good and your bad. You got your food and your liquor."), setting the stage for whats to come.

From there its on to "Real," where Lupe opines on people wanting substance in their lives, while subtly alluding to organizations (governments, gang-related, or otherwise) distorting reality as a means for control. "The Game is not to give them nothin real. / Nothin' that they can use, nothin' that they can feel. / Give 'em a bunch of lies and teach 'em that its real. / So thats all they'll know. So thats all they will feel" he kicks over Soundtrakk's (First & 15th's in house beat-maker) hopping snare drums and bass-heavy production.

The anthemic "Just Might Be OK" follows, where Lupe abstractly paints a picture of the environment and circumstances that led him to become the Emcee he is today:

"Then he leaves the house that love built, / that HUD renovated, / that section 8 pays for. / Well lets pray for him. / Let the beat play for him. / Put his struggles on display for them. / Cause he gotta go and face the drama / with a different from the one that he use to face his mama. / If you look close, you will see it consists of a smile that hurts an ice-grill and a trace of trauma. / Little bit of his father / and other criterian thats no different from a young Liberian."

On "Kick Push", Lupe simplistically delivers an in-depth story about a kid finding love, friendship, and acceptance through skateboarding - all over Soundtrakk's horns and bass drums. This is the type of song that just makes you feel good. F&L's second single "I Gotcha," comes next; where Lupe rides The Neptunes bouncing snare and piano keys to perfection. The Emcee's cleverness is front and center here, using nothing but soap and cologne analogies to describe how fresh he is on the mic:

"They call me Lupe. / I'll be your new day. / They wanna smell like me, they want my bouquet. / But they can't. / They accented like the UK. / Turn that Ode Lupe into Pepe' Lepieu spray. / Flagrantly fragrant / and they can't escape it. / My perfume pursued them everywhere that they went. / You don't wanna loan, leave my cologne alone. / Its a little too strong for you to be puttin' on. / Trust me. / I say this justly. / I went from musty to musky and yall can't mush me. / I warned yall corn-balls / I hush puppies. / The swan's in the pond called my duck ugly. / But now they hug me / because its lovely. / They love the aroma of a roamer of the world. / Got the shakers, and the skaters, and the players, and the girls. / Keep the fakers, and the flakers, and the haters in a twirl."

There's so much going on in that verse its mind numbing! Its so simple yet so complex at the same time. From the over-arching concept of how fresh he is, to the running cologne analogy, to the Pepe' Lepieu reference from Looney Toons, to the ugly duckling example, to the alliteration of "aroma of the roamer of the world" - Lupe corners the concept and owns the square. Seriously, whats the rapper whos next in the cypher suppose to say to top that level of simple complexity? This muttaskutta is on a-whole-nother-level. Think about it, we're only 4 tracks into F&L, and so far he's delivered (lyrically, and sonically) on a social-leaning track, a personal track, a 3rd person story, and a cypher cut...thats crazy diversity! Most rappers today can't reach that range of subject matter over an entire album! Think about that the next time you listen to Curtis. Back to the review.

Linkin Park keyboardist/Hip Hop Head Mike Shinoda lends the beat for "The Instrumental" - another simplistically complex cut from Lupe. This time, Lu kicks a narrative about a man who is obsessed with a "box." The box is a metaphor for TV, or iPods, or computers, or any of today's media controlled avenue's for communication and the song's protagonist just "sits and watches the people in the boxes. / Everything he sees he absorbs and adopts it. / He mimics and he mocks it. / Really hates the box but he can't remember how to stop it" all while "the doctors jot it all down with their pens and pencils / the same ones that took away his voice..." Making The Band season 1 vet, Sarah Green and First & 15th crooner, Gemini, provide background vocals on "He Say She Say" - where he tells the story of a mother and a son talking to the absentee father. More simple complexity abounds as Lu spits the same verse for both perspectives, changing only the pronouns ("he" for the mother, "I" for the son). Lu-Emperor shows some love to the ladies on "Sunshine", a first person narrative of his first encounter with a beautiful girl. The songs outcome? He gets her number. Not head. Not some wild-West-Coast-Productions-style-threesome. Just her number. The outcome of most first encounters for most of us most of the time.

F&L's third single "Daydreamin" catches Lupe day dreaming about a project building robot coming to life:

"Now theres hoes selling holes like right around the toes. / And the crack heads beg at about the lower leg. / Theres crooked police thats stationed at the knees / and they do drive-bys like up and down the thighs. / And theres a car chase going on at the waist. / Keep a vest on my chest. / I'm sittin in my room as I'm lookin out the face. / Somethin' to write about. / I still got some damage from fighting the White House."

Fellow Chi City Emcee Kanye West is enlisted for production on "The Cool." Arguably the most visual song on the album, "The Cool" is the story of a dead hustler who digs himself out of his own grave and gets back into The Game. Ye's suspenseful sound scape provides the perfect backdrop for Lu's imagery:

"Not at all nervous as he dug to the surface. / Tarnished gold chain is what he loosened up the earth with. / He used his mouth as shovel to try and hollow it. / And when he couldn't dirt spit, he swallowed it. / Working like a...hmm? / Reverse archaeologist / except his buried treasure was sunshine. / So when some shined through a hole that he had drove it reflected off the gold and almost made son blind. / He grabbed onto some grass and climbed. / Pulled himself up out of his own grave and looked at the time / on the watch that had stopped 6 months after the shots that had got him in the box / raining Henney out his socks. / Figured it was hours because he wasn't older. / Used the flowers to brush the dirt up off his shoulders. / So with a right hand that was all bones and no reason to stay / he decided to walk home."

(Oh yeah, yall are getting the full Quotable today baby!)

That verse is so intricate, so detailed, and there is no question as to what the character is doing. The over-arching theme is more complex ("hustler for death, no heaven for a gangster") while the basics of the story are so direct (a hustler digs himself out of his grave and gets back on the block). The language is small; he's not using obscure, 6 syllable words or anything. But at the same time the similes are big ("working like a reverse archaeologist accept his buried treasure was sunshine") and perfectly timed. The song itself "The Cool" is the setup for Lupe's sophmore Lp, Lupe Fiasco's: The Cool, as it is loosely based on the main character (along with the little boy from "He Say She Say" and The Streets and The Game from the F&L bonus track "The Pills", or "Real Recognize Real" if you copped the leaked version of F&L). Lu puts so much thought into every detail and as a result the songs become more cinematic. I'm gettin' chills right now.

"Hurt Me Soul" is the most introspective track on the album. The artist recounts his initial issues with Hip Hop ("I used to hate Hip Hop because the women [were] degraded. / But Too Short made me laugh [and] like a hypocrite I played it") only to fall in love with genre and start writing himself ("Gangster rap based films became the building blocks for children with leaking ceilings, catching drippings with pots. / Coupled with compositions from Pac, Nas' It Was Written, intermixed with my realities and feelings / Livin conditions, religion, ignorant wisdom, and autistic vision / I began to jot").

Then the unexpected happened.

Lupe outshines arguably the greatest rapper of all time, Jay-Z on a track together. "Pressure" finds Lu using a mean sewing analogy to describe his rhyme style:

"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."

I could write a thesis on this track alone, but the first half of the first verse is enough to analyze. Again, more simple complexity; this time using sewing as the analogy. Yes, he's sewing a pair of jeans, but whats impressive about them is the detail put into the picture. I mean, not only is Jay on the track so you know Lupe has to bring it (as should every MC everytime they're on a track with anyone else) because he knows Jay always brings it. So he uses this sewing analogy as if he's putting together the pieces of fabric that make up a dope MC ("button in this hustlin' / and publicly I'm Buddy Lee / theres no bustin' him" (allusion to the Lee Jeans commercials)), leaving out the bull-ish that most rappers feel forced to do and say in order to gain commercial success ("They want me to make Prince pants / but I withstand I ain't gotten into that" - translation: "I'm not showin' my ass to succeed"). Then he gets into the finished product - "A little B.I.G. in the waist / 2Pac-ets on the back. / Call 'em LuVy's / OGs covered in blue dye" (a little Biggie Smalls and 2Pac in his style). Finally the point is made clear once you sit back and look at it from a higher level - Lu's on a track with Jay Z, CEO of Def Jam Records and owner of Roc-a-fella records and clothing line Roc-a-wear. He spends the first half of the first verse making a pair of jeans playing off Jay-Z's Roc-a-wear association on a track with Jay-Z while comparing his own style to Biggie and 2Pac! So simple yet so complex! He goes in even deeper later in the song by bringing in pirates, rocks, Wheel O Fortune, and Sly and The Family Stone references to play off of the presence off the "Roc" on the cut. Too much for any one guest appearance to follow.

Don't get me wrong, Jay-Z certainly doesn't disappoint ("So the pen is mightier than the sword my lord. / My first picture was on a line up, now I'm on the Forbes. / And I still remain an artist through this all. / If you force my hand I'll be forced to draw"). Its just that Lupe seized his moment to shine. He recognized the opportunity and went for his. He spits the perfect verse with the perfect flow and used a 2-verse-to-1 advantage to snatch the W. Bravo.

Lupe then introduces soon-to-be-in-demand-crooner Mathew Santos on "American Terrorist", the most overtly political track on F&L. Over Prolyfic's (another First and 15th in house producer) bass beat and calypso-esque horns, Lu speaks on terrorism's two-way street ("Now if a muslim woman with a bomb on a bus with the seconds running gives you the jitters, / Just imagine an American based Christian organization planning to poison water supplies to bring the second-coming quicker"). "The Emperor's Soundtrack" is another ill cypher rhyme over more anthemic Soundtrakk production. "Kick Push II" follows in the same vein as its predecessor, but this time painting the picture of what happens when you kick push down that other block ("A little hurt from the rail that he took into the ribs. / Right past the pushers who couldn't under dig. / 'Whats the use in pushin' if you ain't pushin' none of this? / 'If I kick it wit yall I'm just pushin' for a bid"). And F&L wraps with "Outro", a 9-minute long shout-out (to what seems like everyone he's ever met in his life) over the same Chris & Drop beat from "Intro". Initially ending the album this way seemed like an overkill. I mean, a 9-minute long shout out??? Is that ever necessary? But then I realized that this track acts as the 'Thank Yous' since there were none included in the album booklet. Plus the beat is on point. And ironically the track as a whole grows less offensive after repeated listens (I can still clean the house to it without running to skip to the next song). It feels like his victory lap (he even interjects "Its mad long right?" with a chuckle). And after putting together an album like F&L, he's certainly deserving of it.


There are three bonus tracks at the end of F&L ("Tilted", "Carrera Lu", and "What It Do") but by this point homie is just braggin'. F&L's biggest disappointments are the tracks that didn't make the final released album. The leaked version of Food & Liquor contained some of Lupe's best material to-date (most notably "Make Sure", "Game Time" and "The Intro"). But honestly thats a great problem to have. So it doesn't count as a flaw. Furthermore, Lupe detractor's biggest qualm is that sometimes he goes too deep into his songs. That sometimes he makes too many obscure references, linked with too many allusions, running inside too many analogies back-to-back-to-back and ends up loosing his audience.

And I hear ya.

Carrera Lu is not the average, easily-digestable, Emcee. I mean, I listened to F&L in some form or another for nearly two years now and I still stumble across new meanings and metaphors hidden inside his narratives. If you're looking looking for an album (or an artist) that you can swallow on first (..or fourteenth...or forty-ith?) listen, then look elsewhere. Lupe is playing games, within games, within games on this album and you have to pay attention to it to just to keep up. I guess most people don't like thinking while listening to their music...

...But The Company Man is not most people. And when he hears something this creative - this on-point-on-all-levels-with-this-much-replay-value - he must acknowledge it. Attention Quotable Nation, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor is The Quotable's first classic album!

Peace. And much love to ya.

Rating: QQQQQ

Carry On...

If You Are What You Say You Are...

I ran into Lupe Fiasco (the inspiration for The Quotable) the other day coming out of FYE over on 6th ave.

Cool cat. (More to come on that later).

He told me to remind yall that his sophmore LP The Cool will be in stores on 12.18.07.

Better cop that.



Check the video for his debut single "SuperStar" (featuring Mathew Santos - that ill crooner from "American Terrorist") here:

Leaders of the New School

Next month's XXL cover!



Carry on...

The Tale of the Tape

The results are in: Graduation - 957k, Curtis - 691k.

So KanYeezy busts Fiddy's ass - outselling Mr. "I got shot 9 times" by nearly 300 thousand albums.


No shocker here at The Quotable.

Billed as the underdog going into this much over-hyped match-up, Kanye West snatched Hip Hop's album sales crown by a wide margin. But was Mr. West ever really the underdog?

According to My Cousin Sha; "No."

And he's right.

Although both MCs remain two of the most commercially viable artists in today's slumping Rap industry, 'Ye and 50 were at opposite ends of the bell curve once momentum is factored into the equation.

Fiddy dropped the gauntlet on the industry with Get Rich Or Die Tryin', selling over 10 million albums domestically. His follow-up Lp, The Massacre, moved over 5 million units, but was panned by critics and fans alike. Since then, his once platinum G-Unit label mates (Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, et cetera, et cetera) have received luke warm responses from critics with their sophomore albums (Rotten Apple and Buck the World, respectively) and have struggled to go Gold (500,000 units). G-Unit isn't poppin' like it was in 2004-05. Plus, with rumored dissension in the clique (5-0 allegedly cut all funding for his label mates citing an overall lack of hustle from his crew[1]) and the recent recession in the music industry as a whole, its clear the tide changed. 50 Cent's stock price was on the decline, and for the first time since GRODT dropped - Curtis has had to deal with calamity.

The exact opposite can be said for Kanye.

Since his 2004 debut, 'Ye has solidified his fan base by going left of the commercial mainstream and found success in the process. The College Dropout didn't break any sales records, but certainly left a mark on The Culture with its soulful beats and diverse subject matter. Tracks like "Jesus Walks" and "All Falls Down" were hits because they tapped into the common man psyche - discussing self-consciousness and ones relationship with God). His sophomore set, Late Registration, provided more of the same type diversity, but with improved delivery and production. The cocky Kanye West even enlisted help from Jon Brion (Fiona Apple's producer) and Adam Levine (Maroon 5 front man) along with several of Hip Hop's notables (Lupe Fiasco, Jay-Z, Paul Wall, Nas) helping expand his fan base. Moreover, his G.O.O.D. Music record label released platinum selling albums by Common and John Legend which furthered his momentum going into Graduation's release. 'Ye's stock price continued to rise because he continued to put out G.O.O.D music.

Momentum was clearly on Kanye's side going into to D-Day 9/11 and in the end he delivered a better product (see reviews for Graduation and Curtis). So it shouldn't come as a shock to anyone that 'Ye massacred Fiddy this week. Along with being a better artist, Mr. West was simply in a better position leading into the much ballyhooed release date. But as the smoke clears and the dust settles, do you want to know who the BIG winner really is in the end?

Universal Music Group[2].

Corporate America wins again.

[1] Yeah...I can't find the link right now, but I promise you I read that on one of these Hip Hop sites somewhere. Just trust me on this one. 'preciate.

[2] Universal Group is the parent company for both Def Jam and Interscope - the record labels Kanye West and 50 Cent are signed to, respectively. How you like 'dem apples?

Carry On...

The Quotable Reviews: Curtis

"You can hate this / but face it / BIG and 2Pac just ain't around" - 50 Cent: Fire; Curtis

When it comes to this rap shit, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has 2 defaults: love songs[1] and gun music.

All wrapped in club beats.

Since erupting on the scene with his colossal debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003), Curtis Jackson has become more Industry than Emcee. Sure, he's sold over 21 million records world wide (not to be discounted by any means), and his now infamous, one-man dismantling of Ja-Rule's rap career is forever ingrained in Hip Hop history - but his uncanny business acumen is what is most impressive about the Jamaica, Queens native. 50 Cent's name and G-Unit brand have expanded from 9s, beats and rhymes to books, movies, clothes, video games, and Vitamin Water (straight up, Formula 50 is The Company Man's favorite flavor. Pause. No brokeback). Fiddy's successfully wanksta'd his way off the block and onto Wall Street. He's the rare individual who sees the forest and the trees. He's a businessman and a Business, Man.

But is 50 Cent still an artist?

Hate it or Love it, Get Rich or Die Tryin', for all its gun-blazing bravado was one of the most artistic, angst injected, balls-to-the-wall albums since the birth of Gangsta Rap. It earnestly embodied the spirit of the hustler and made you wanna get on some ass at the same time. It was classic. It is a Classic - a perfect storm of sound, energy, and timing.

An impossible height to surpass.

50's 2005 follow-up Lp, The Massacre, underwhelmed critics but still proved to be a commercial success (to the tune of 11 million records sold worldwide). Once again using beef to fuel public interest (this time going to war with one of his own G-Unit soldiers, The Game), The Massacre showcased Fiddy falling back on the familiar (love songs[1] and gun music) while still expanding his reach as an Emcee (tracks like "In My Hood" and "Gatman and Robin" proved that 5-0 had more than one delivery in his arsenal, and "Baltimore Love Thing" (where he tells a the story of a sordid love affair between the drug and the drug addict all from the perspective of a bag of heroin) is arguably the most creative song he's ever released). The album definitely contained more good than garbage - but compared to GRODT, The Massacre was suspect. And a significant step down sonically.

Since then the music industry has fallen in the isher and even the most notable Hip Hop artists are having trouble moving units (for example, Atlanta rapper T.I. was the only the artist to go platinum through much of 2006, only to be joined by Jay-Z in November of the same year - a fact unthinkable during Hip Hop's boom of the late 90s to early 00s). Fickle rap fans aren't turning out in droves to cop the latest rap releases like they used to. Is Hip Hop's buying public famished or fatigued? Patiently waiting or worn out from the same played-out sound? Let Fiddy tell it, and they're all waiting for his third studio release, Curtis. What does he have to feed the masses? Lets take a listen.

"The old-timers told me 'slow dow.' / They shoulda known now / I wont hesitate to make shit hot." - 50 Cent: "Movin' On Up"; Curtis

Sonically and content wise, Curtis has 2 defaults: love songs[1] and gun music. The first 3 tracks on the album ("My Gun Go Off", "Man Down", and "I'll Still Kill") find the same gun-blazing bravado we've grown accustomed to from 50 over the past 4 years. The DJ Khalil produced "I'll Still Kill" is by far the freshest of the three from a production standpoint and Akon makes a notable return to his "Locked Up" days, croonin' "Fiddy don't make me ride on these n***** / cause I will kill, dip, and hide on these n*****." From there the album hits its groove with the undeniable, Audio Two sampled "I Get Money" and the head-knockin', Dr. Dre produced "Come & Go." Fiddy's lyrically at his best on the latter track spittin' "the drama I'm wit it. / I get biz, you get it? / I beez on that shit-it. / I'll splitcho wig-ig. / Thats why a n**** bit it. / I said I didn't do it. / Witnesses said I did it" while ridin' the beat to perfection.

"Lets get it poppin' shawty / we can switch positions. / From the couch to the counters in my kitchen." - 50 Cent: "Ayo Technology"; Curtis

From there its straight to the love songs. The Justin Timberlake assisted "Ayo Technology" boasts another addictive Timbaland beat (in my best Mugatu voice: Timbaland is so hot right now) and the corniest hook of the season "Ayo, I'm tired of usin' technology. / Why don't you come sit on top of me?[2]" Ghetto-pass-accredited-white-boy-number-2 Robin Thicke shows up on the smooth, 21 Questions-esque "Follow My Lead". Produced by The Bizness (who?), this track is the next song to be released, further appeasing 50's buying fan base.

The softest part of the album follows with the the base heavy yet lyrically deficient "Movin' on Up," the under performing "Straight to the Bank", and the audience-disrespecting, AKA: "Magic Stick" meets "Candy Shop" re-tread "Amusement Park." "Straight to the Bank" and "Amusement Park" are only significant because of their inability to create a buzz when initially released earlier this year - the first 50 Cent releases to prove to be commercial failures (foreshadowing?). The disappointment continues, surprisingly, on the Eminem assisted "Peep Show" - another stale, club love song. The staggered, bouncing beat keeps this track listenable, but even Marshall Mathers sounds stale - rhyming "I shouldnt have to tell you shawty you should know / I hope you're really getting into my creep show. / And let me shit on your chest and if some pee comes out / just guzzle it down. Just guzzle it down." I mean, I'm a HUGE Em fan, but he sounds like he's aiming more for shock value rather than significance.

There are a few more tracks left on Curtis (Young Buck and Tony Yayo show up here and there...and that chick from The PussyCat Dolls sings the hook on "Fire" - where I'm sure the video will be better than the actual song) but by this point in the album they all sound the same (with the exception of "All of Me" featuring Mary J. Blige; easily the best song on the Lp. Too bad its buried in the album's anus). And at 17 tracks in length, Curtis is entirely too long for its lack of diversity. Gun song. Gun song. Gun song. Gun song. Love song. Love song. Love song. Gun song. Its repetitive and severely lacking replay value. Curtis doesn't sound hungry on Curtis. He doesn't sound like he's having fun (which is probably why he looks so stressed on the album cover. Gone are the days of bullet-proof 50 standing tall "like he's got an "S" on his chest"). And unfortunately he doesn't have much left to say. At best, Curtis is a passable Lp loaded with generic love songs and gun music. At worst? At worst its the last grasp for commercial viability from a soon-to-be fallen album sales titan[3], and theres nothing any of his enlisted pop-star guest appearances (Akon, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, that chick from The Pussycat Dolls, Eminem) can do to save him[4].

Man Down.

Rating: QQ


[1] Love songs = songs for the ladies. Club-ready beat optional.
[2] Really? Your tired of usin' technology? Why don't you come give me a lap dance? Word? Good thing Golden Boy Timberlake is singing that part or it would've never made it out the studio.
[3] Just watch Kanye West outsell him when tomorrow's week 1 sales report is released.
[4] I'm just glad I didn't buy this album.

Carry on...

The Quotable Reviews: Graduation

"This is my dissertation. / Homie this shit is basic. / Welcome to Graduation. Good Morning" - Kanye West: "Good Morning"; Graduation

Kanye West is the most arrogant, most big-headed, most self-righteous, most self-confident, most creative, most hard-working Emcee in mainstream hip-hop today.

Word.

The brash producer slash rapper has etched a lasting impression on The Culture as whole not only through his music, but through his outspokenness. Never one to hold his tongue[1], Kanye has received (justifiable?) criticism for everything from throwing public fits after not winning awards, to ranting on Hip-Hop's homophobia over public airwaves, and most notably for stating "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a nationally televised fund-raiser for Hurricane Katrina victims. Homie speaks from his soul and no matter how you feel about him...you definitely know where he stands. You have to respect that.

You also have to respect that, hate him or love, he's created some of Hip Hop's best music since his 2004 debut album, The College Dropout. The gifted artist has sold over 7 million albums worldwide with largely positive content (an anomaly considering rap radio is dominated by pimps, and hoes, and needles, and guns, and drug filled subject matter) ranging from self-consciousness ("All Falls Down"), to spirituality ("Jesus Walks"), to reaching for your dreams ("Touch The Sky"). On his first Lp (The College Dropout) he proved he truly is an MC and not just another producer-turned-rapper dropping a compilation album. On his sophomore set, Late Registration, 'Ye proved his success wasn't a fluke - that he's an impactful MC who can sell records while still growing as an artist.

Thats 2 for 2 people.

Round 3 brings perhaps his biggest challenge yet. Not only does the polarizing Emcee face unparalleled criticism should Graduation suck. But this time around he will box it out with the raining champion (of album sales. Only. Period.) 50 Cent; who's' dropping his highly anticipated third studio album, Curtis, on the same day (September 11, 2007). Billed as the Showdown for Hip Hop's throne (peep the cover of Rollingstone's September issue below), Kanye has much at stake (though not as much as Fiddy). Is Graduation up to the bout? Lets listen.

Cue the Michael Buffer entry...

"Good Morning. On this day we become legendary, / everything we dreamed of. / I'm like the fly Malcom X, buy any jeans necessary." - Kanye West; "Good Morning"; Graduation

Graduation kicks in perfectly with the bass-heavy, subdued, Kanye West produced , "Good Morning" where its apparent immediately that 'Ye has lyrically stepped up his game. This is how you're suppose to start the potentially defining album of your career(Common...take note). "Good Morning. Look at the Valedictorian. / Scared of the future while I hop in the Delorian. / Scared to face the world, complacent, career student. / Some people graduate but be still stupid." (this track has that quiet-before-the-storm vibe...like its the buildup to something anthemic; something epic). "Champion" feels like the proto-typical Kanye track, infectious hook and melody with a chopped-in, sped-up soul sample. Inspirational in nature, fun, short and to the point, this is a great song too. The Daft Punk sampled, Timbaland assisted "Stronger" feels like one of those classic 80's songs that will lodge itself in your dome forever. Here 'Ye drops one of the illest lines of his career: "You know long I been on ya. / Since Prince was on Apollonia. / Since OJ had Isotoners. Don't act like I never told ya." That line is up there with his Michael Jackson line from "Slow Jamz." Fresh.

Mr. West showcases his slow flow on the soulful, laid-back "I Wonder" and then seamlessly transitions into the soon-to-be hottest song of the fall, "Good Life". This upbeat, party cut is unquestionably Graduation's standout track (he even coyly borrows an old 50 Cent line at the end of each verse. Coincidence?). Lyrically dope, infectious beat, and T-Pain fits perfectly. It doesn't get much better than this, people! From there, 'Ye gets introspective on the DJ Toomp produced, "Can't Tell Me Nothing" spittin' "How he move in a room full of Nos? / How he stay faithful in a room full of hoes?" Lil Wayne grabs the mic on "Barry Bonds," an ill cypher track that hits right at the right time on the album. Heads will appreciate this one, despite Lil' Weezy's lazy guest appearance (I hope he laid his verse without hearing Kanye's first. 'Ye dominated the self-proclaimed "Greatest-Rapper-Alive." Hands down). "Drunk and Hot Girls" is the album's riskiest song. Using a melodic flow that comes 50-Cent close to singing the lyrics, 'Ye enlists Mos Def for back up vocals on this woozy cut about the "bullshit we go through just to mess with these Drunk and Hot girls." I'm not sure if the replay value is there and maybe its a bit ahead of its time...but hey, its funny so at least its entertaining.

"Flashing Lights" sounds like something borrowed from Timbaland's play book with a beat reminiscent of those on Justin Timberlake's Future Sex / Love Sounds or Nelly Furtado's Loose. More witty storytelling here. "Everything I Am" is another introspective track that makes you wanna sit back and smoke something. "The Glory" reminds my cousin Sha of Jay-Z's "Encore" (The Black Album. Also produced by Kanye) - upbeat and celebratory in nature but with a sped up soul sample that feels like a Jackson 5 song. Coldplay's Chris Martin drops the hook on "Homecoming," an ode to Chicago that 'Ye wrote in the early 2000s that finally made it onto a studio release (finally a Chris Martin collabo that doesn't sound forced...sorry Jay, but "Beachair" was...yawn...underwhelming). Graduation wraps-up with "Big Brother" an honest anthemic salute to his boss and mentor, Jay-Z. "Big Brother saw me at the bottom of the totem. / Now I'm on top and everybodys on the scrotum." A suitable close to the album.

"People talkin' shit but when the shit hit the fan. / Now everything I'm not made me everything I am." - Kanye West: "Everything I Am"; Graduation

At 13 tracks in length, Graduation is sleak and to-the-point. No interludes, no filler cuts, and only one rapping guest appearance. Its clear he's learned from previous mistakes while continuing to push himself. Lyrically and style-wise he's leaped ahead of even his own expectations ("I can't even explain it / I surprised myself too" - Kanye West: "Barry Bonds"; Graduation) and its refreshing. Sonically, the majority album has a stadium vibe to it - like its meant to be heard in the Georgia Dome or in Giants Stadium...or in...I dunno...someplace huge. Its one of those albums that gets better the more you listen to it (2 weeks and counting...crazy replay value). Aside from a subpar bar here and there ("Damn, no way. / Translate, espanol - no way Jose"? Thats just weak in any language) and the fact that he's not the most graceful MC to pick up the mic, Graduation is the complete Lp.

"Hey Mama, they can't hate 'em. / Cause after all of the drama, K' slayed 'em." - Kanye West: "Can't Tell Me Nothing (Remix)"; Graduation

Now theres no telling which way Hip Hop's fickle buying public will lean come D-Day on 9/11 (No doubt Fiddy nation will come out in droves to pick up Curtis), and we here at The Quotable aren't in the business of making predictions. We deal in content, and creativity, and progressive Hip Hop pushing The Culture into the future. We deal in reality. And the reality is that the brash, winy, arrogant College Dropout has takin' cats to school for the third straight album[2]. FACT. "And here's another hit...Barry Bonds. We outta here baby."

Rating: QQQQ.5

[1] Mr. West is sure to catch more flack for his Britney bashing during the VMAs...click here to read.

[2]My cousin Sha and I tried to figure out which other rapper has dropped three straight near perfect albums at the beginning of their careers...after much debate, we landed on Ice Cube. Pretty exclusive company.

Carry On...

The Quotable Reviews: Finding Forever

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the C-O-Double-M-O-N. / Synonym for "Fresh." Truth is the emblem" - Common: "Start The Show"; Finding Forever

I can't front - as soon as the release date was announced for Common's 7th studio album, Finding Forever, The Company Man was amped.

And for good reason.

Over the past 15 years since the artist formerly known as Common Sense kicked in Hip Hop's door with his debut album, Can I Borrow A Dollar?, "Chi-Town's Nas" has continued to evolve - showcasing carniverous lyricism ("Communism"), vivid storytelling ("Testify"), and a trunk load of love raps all along the way (even if you don't know Common by name, chances are you've grooved to one of his now staple "baby-I-love-you" rhymes vibin' through your factory speakers). Never one to fall victim to creative complacency, Comm always pushed the envelope to the brink of breach with each studio release. But it wasn't until 2005's, critically acclaimed Lp, BE, that Common proved (with the aid of uber-producer/emcee Kanye West) that he could in fact create a complete album. Concise, commanding, and loaded with break-neck beats, BE, was the near-perfect combination of production and proverbs (its almost as if 'Ye and Comm were trying to one-up each other the entire time - to see who would shine more - the artist or the producer. In the end it was a draw...and one helluvan album). BE was so good in fact, that in some circles Comm's name found its way into several whose-the-greatest-of-all-time? conversations. Justified or not, Common finally made it mainstream. His stock price was at an all-time high. And one more solid album could be enough to lock him in with exclusive company. Would Finding Forever be that key? Lets take a listen.

Finding Forever opens with whispy flutes, and corny keys totalling 1 minute and 17 seconds of wasted space. No rhymes. No beats. No point. (On the plus side, this in a way serves as the albums only interlude. Silver lining). The show finally starts with (appropriately) "Start the Show." Showcasing live string recordings (violas, violins, cellos...the works) over knocking drums and snare, this cut contains some of the albums coldest rhymes ("with 12 monkeys on stage its hard to see whose a gorilla. / You was better as a drug dealer. / Feel the passion of this B-Boy rationale. / Half is what you say, and half is style. Guess its time for you start cashin' out"). "The People" picks up where "The Corner" (BE) left off - funky Kanye West produced bass-line + Common's flawless delivery = (you guessed it) lead single. 'Ye carries the hook here...once again. The Lily Allen assisted "Drivin' Me Wild" is undoubtedly the album's brightest track. Comm is at his best here, spittin' three blazin' verses opining on the lure of acceptance and the extent people will go to obtain it. Storytelling at its finest. Will.I.Am makes a notable appearance on "I Want You" (production and hook by the Black Eyed Pea himself) while Common delivers more detailed relationship rhymes. 'Ye steps from behind the boards and joins Comm in the booth on "Southside" where the duo dual 8 bars at a time in an ill cypher session showcasing both Chicago lyricist head-to-head (this is what Hip Hop is all about, muttaskuttas!). Both Emcees bring the ruckus on this one ("ain't nothin' wrong with that!"). DJ premiere shows up on "The Game" adding his classic scratches over more Kanye boom-bap production. Another stand-out track.

"I said I got my SAG card baby. I'm an actor." - Common: "Break My Heart"; Finding Forever

Unfortunately, the second half of Finding Forever veers into mundane teritory. Don't get me wrong, Comm's content is still ever present. "Black Maybe's" discussion on the fate of the "black man, woman, and child" is a beautiful song, and definitely needed in today's Hip Hop landscape (especially from a newly-mainstream-artist...too bad you'll never hear it on the radio), and D'Angelo's rehabilitated guest appearance on "So Far To Go" mashes perfectly with (more) Common relationship rhymes. Not to mention that both Devo Springstein and Kanye West straight decimate the boards on "Misunderstood" and "Break My Heart" respectively. Its just that the whole vibe of the second half of the Lp crawls itself to sleep. The combination of heavy content (dope as it may be) and mello production back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back wears on a muttaskutta. Its like getting stuck watchin' white-church on TV (ironically enough) - you don't know whether to switch tracks, or take a nap. You can't even clean the crib when listenin' to the back half of Finding Forever. And if you're driving at night, you better pump the A/C, roll the windows down, and grab a Mountain Dew or you just might fall asleep at the wheel. FACT. All you want to do is sit. Not that thats a bad thing.

(The album is better when rocked on random, though).

Overall, Finding Forever is undoubtedly one of the best albums released in 2007. I can't deny it. Common's flawless delivery and common man sensibilities over Kanye West's stellar production is enough to appease nearly anyone with ears. And at a lean 11 tracks in length, its juuust short enough to stay fresh.

With that being said...

There are certain qualities that I've come to admire about the artist formerly known as Common Sense. Most notably - his drive to continue to grow and progress as an artist. Everytime a Common album dropped you knew it was gonna be Fresh...and a different kind of Fresh than his previous album. He always gave you something different without ever slacking lyrically (even his most eccentric album, Electric Circus, (during the Erykah-Badu-voodoo'd era of his career) was packed with dope rhymes despite the questionable soundtrack. No doubt). Com consistently pushed himself with every release - which is why a lot of heads started raising his name in whose-the-greatest-of-all-time? debates. He's been doin' it at a very high level for a very long time.

But Finding Forever sounds less fresh-and-new and more like BE-part-2...just not as good. The similarities are eyebrow-raising. "The People" sounds just like "The Corner" and was marketed in the same fashion. "Southside" is an ill cypher rhyme about Chicago. "Chi-City" is an ill cypher rhyme about Chicago. And both albums end with a poem from his father, Lonnie "Pops" Lynn (I know its a moving gesture and all, but still an overkill. Slap him somewhere in the middle of the album at least. Mix it up a bit). Ironically the beginning of the poem starts with "...well, well, well / here we are back in the studio again." I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP.

Through all its dopeness it feels like a re-tread. Its like Comm and 'Ye gathered up all of BE's leftover tracks, re-worked a few, added some guest appearances, and sold it like new. I mean...technically its still new, but its like the new generic brand. Its like the Voit version of Air Jordans. Its like Chucks without the Converse logo. You know what its trying to be... but its not official.

"I said I got my SAG card baby. I'm an actor." - Common: "Break My Heart"; Finding Forever

Comm definitely phoned-in this one. I know he has a burgeoning film career ahead of him[1] and a lifetime supply of "basics" from his GAP sponsorship, and thats great. Get your money, Jo. Theres a recession in the music industry right now anyway. But let me know now if making albums has taken a back seat to other ventures. I mean, you'll still get my $10 bucks...but next time it'll be a movie ticket.

Rating: QQQ

[1] I haven't seen Smoking Aces, but my man Denell says he "was good...almost like a convincing actor." With that kind of review I'm sure he as bright future in Hollywood)

Carry on...

WHO YOU GOT?

Update: Ignant on 60 Minutes - Cam'ron Apologizes

It was bound to happen...

Cam'ron issues an apology for his ignant appearance on 60 Minutes last Sunday. (Courtesy of SOHH.com)

"In 2005, I was a victim of a violent crime. I was shot multiple times without provocation by two armed men who attempted to carjack my vehicle. Although I was a crime victim, I didn't feel like I could cooperate with the police investigation. Where I come from, once word gets out that you've cooperated with the police that only makes you a bigger target of criminal violence. That is a dark reality in so many neighborhoods like mine across America. I'm not saying its right, but its reality. And it's not unfounded. There's a harsh reality around violence and criminal justice in our inner cities," Cam'ron said via statement.

"But my experience in no way justifies what I said. Looking back now, I can see how those comments could be viewed as offensive, especially to those who have suffered their own personal tragedies or to those who put their lives on the line to protect our citizens from crime. Please understand that I was expressing my own personal frustration at my own personal circumstances. I in no way was intending to be malicious or harmful. I apologize deeply for this error in judgment."

So...he's basically apologizing for being himself, right? Because thats how it sounds to me.

Read the original article on The Quotable here.

Something To Think About...

"Rap is really funny...But if you don't see that its funny, it will scare the shit out of you."
- Ice T; Rolling Stone, August 1992

This lady I work with bum-rushed my desk today, militantly declaring that I needed to "delete all the rap music from my iPod because Hip Hop is going down!" She apparently watched Oprah's Hip Hop Townhall last week and feels all the "booty shakin'" and "b*tches" and "hoes" is "out of line" and "has gone too far" and "Hip Hop is to blame and should be shut down!"

"Word?"

Look, "bitches", "n*****", and "nappy-headed hoes" being common-place in today's society is not Hip Hop's fault.

FACT. Simple and plain.

Hip Hop itself is too vast to lump into one bucket. The 4 (primary) elements (B-Boying, Grafitti, DJing, and MCing) aside, rap music alone is too diverse to point a blame laced finger at. The problem is that the most controversial/offensive/destructive forms of rap music dominate the airwaves.

And Hip Hop doesn't control the airwaves. Media companies do.

Remember when there used to be a balance? Remember when Ice Cube, and Digable Planets, and Bone Thugs and A Tribe Called Quest would play back-to-back on your FM dial and it wasn't a big deal - it was the norm? Remember how C. Delores Tucker, Tipper Gore and the rest tried to shut down "Gangsta Rap" back the mid-90s (pioneering the same tactics Rev. Al Sharpton plans to use during his crusade), but failed because - Gangsta Rap included - Hip Hop's message was too apparent, too tangible...too relevant?

Now? There's too many "b*tches" and "hoes" - and subsequently (like Chris Rock said) "its too hard to defend."

There are thousands of different artists out there with thousands of different perspectives who aren't bangin' the on radio, or knockin' on Mtv, or BET. And the reason they aren't is because the industry (media companies, record labels, program directors, and the like) consciously selects what will and will not be heard.

Its not that people (overall) prefer b*tches and hoes and gang culture over their own relateable lives (Kanye and Outkast are testiments to that; both multi-platinum artists with largely positive messages). It is because in the end - like my boy Will says - people like what they know (as long as the beats hot). Everyday-people will continue to say what they want to say. You can't stop a regular cat walking down the Ave from objectifying women and degrading himself. Its a losing battle. But media companies can stop offensive behavior from appearing over public airwaves - just like they stopped Don Imus.

If rap on the radio is truly too vulgar, spin more Lupe Fiasco. If thre are too many b*tches and hoes in different area codes, rock some Little Brother. If there's too much ass-shakin' on the TV station, throw a Sean Price video into the rotation.

My point is, Hip Hop is too broad to pigeon-hole. A variety of options are out there - just like they were in the 80s and 90s. The real question is, why are they no longer on radio, and video?

Just something to think about.

Carry on...

Ignant on 60 Minutes

"Even in our finest hour we got a crack-head on stage!"
- Chris Rock

To be fair, Cam'ron is not an actual crack-head (and this certainly isn't Hip Hop's finest hour) - he just makes crackish comments far too frequently (my homie Sean P's personal fav: "Call the girl poultry cause she smells like fish").

Here's his latest (courtesy of cbsnews.com). Good lookin' Khalilah.

(CBS) Rap star Cam'ron says there's no situation — including a serial killer
living next door — that would cause him to help police in any way, because to do
so would hurt his music sales and violate his "code of ethics."

Cam'ron,
whose real name is Cameron Giles, talks to Anderson Cooper for a report on how
the hip-hop culture's message to shun the police has undermined efforts to solve
murders across the country.

Cooper's report will be broadcast on 60
Minutes this Sunday, April 22, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"If I knew the serial
killer was living next door to me?" Giles responds to a hypothetical question
posed by Cooper. "I wouldn't call and tell anybody on him — but I'd probably
move. But I'm not going to call and be like, 'The serial killer's in 4E.' "

Giles' "code of ethics" also extends to crimes committed against him.
After being shot and wounded by gunmen, Giles refused to cooperate with police.
Why?

"Because … it would definitely hurt my business, and the way I was
raised, I just don't do that," says Giles.

Pressed by Cooper, who says
had he been the victim, he would want his attacker to be caught, Giles explains
further: "But then again, you're not going to be on the stage tonight in the
middle of, say, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, with people with gold and
platinum teeth and dreadlocks jumping up and down singing your songs, either.
We're in two different lines of business."

"So for you, it's really
about business?" Cooper asks.

"It's about business," Giles says, "but
it's still also a code of ethics."

Read full article here.

Wow...I didn't realize "Stop Snitching" protected "serial killers" as well. How much more ignant can things get? This muttaskutta is seriously saying that if he lived next door to a dude who eats peoples faces for fun - all he'd do is move??? He wouldn't tell the authorities???? Worst off, he'd still sell his place to someone else KNOWING that dude next door neighbor eats faces for fun???? Attention Quotable Nation: Cam'ron Giles has officially failed as a human being.

And another thing...

First, Don Imus blames Hip Hop for his 'nappy-headed hoe' comment. Then, Oprah hosts a Hip Hop Townhall meeting to discuss b*tches and hoes and everything else wrong with rap music. And now Cam'ron (of all MCs) is representing Hip Hop on 60 Minutes?!

Sign of the apocalypse?

Speak on it...