Check Yo Self

Gang Starr

cruz124 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:51:59 +0000

Gang Starr was probably one of the most influential hip-hop groups to date and almost every song they made were hits. I like listening to them because since they were underground they were able to talk about topics and subjects that

(To the left Guru, to the right DJ Premier)

mainstream rappers don’t talk about. Guru was able to throw down his cunning lyrics over DJ Premier’s infectious beats. I like them because they are really east coast in their sounds (more specifically New York) and east coast rappers are usually recognized for their lyricism. Together Gang Starr was a great hip-hop group, who (even though they were together for almost 20 years) broke up way before their time because they were still releasing great tracks and cd’s.

Currently the group is in a state of confusion, but I’m hopeing that they get back together soon. DJ Premier keeps saying that the groups togther then he says they are taking a break then Guru is barley speaking about the subject, but he’s saying they are through. It sounds like DJ Premier upsettted Guru and they are still fueding over it. I think that they should just get back together and make great music, since most of the hip-hop music coming out lately is garbage.

Here’s a list of some of there good songs they have:

Mass Appeal
Skillz
Moment Of Truth
Above The Clouds
Right Where You Stand

Personally, I like Right Where You Stand the most, here’s a video and a link to the lyrics of it.

Posted in Hip-Hop Tagged: DJ Premier, East Coast Rap, Gang Starr, Guru, Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Group, Music, New York

Like A Jedi

cruz124 — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:35:43 +0000

Jedi Mind Tricks have to be one of my favorite hip-hop groups that are currently releasing music.

Vinnie Paz

Their MC Vinnie Paz is a monster on the mic, and their producer DJ Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind is great at producing their tracks and he has his own

DJ Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind

distinctive style which helps make the group original. I can’t really comment on their other MC Jus Allah because even though he is own two of their six albums (Violent By Design, and the most recent A History of Violence) I havent’ heard enough of him know if he is good or bad. I like this group because the rhymes that Vinnie Paz come up with are original, the beats are recognizable as their own, and Vinnie Paz’s delivery is undeniable. The content in the rhymes speak about topics that mainstream rappers don’t discuss or the mainstream rappers don’t go to the degree that JMT goes to like the war, the conflict between Islam and Christianinty, and the problems that are corrupting the government and past governments. I recommend the album Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell, it’s content touches a lot of subjects and

Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell

the majority of the album is hits compared to most albums where they are only a few good songs and it’s a whole bunch of misses. If anyone likes witty lyrics, and infectious beats then Jedi Mind Tricks is a great hip-hop group ro listen to.

Here’s are some bars from Vinnie Paz some of JMT’s songs.

“You a heathan that rely on the beast
I’m a demon at the fire crucifyin’ the priest
I shine over beats
a motherf****n beast on the mic
I’m a lion out the jungle, raw meat what I like” – Heavy Metal Kings

“Human life only worth three cents an hour
All human right laws loose sense of power
What did four hundred years in the grave passes?
Only the improved cleverness of slave masters.” – Shadow Business

“Jedi swordsmen give rappers a foul furtune
what shines slippin torches in your body into a coffin” – Heavenly Divine

“Enraged With A Knife, I Don’t Care Who I Slice
I Could Walk Into The Woods And Kill A Bear With My Mic” – Serenity In Murder

This song is possibly their best song they have

Posted in Hip-Hop Tagged: DJ Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Group, Jedi Mind Tricks, Jus Allah, Music, Vinnie Paz

A Good Relapse

cruz124 — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:34:36 +0000

Merriam Webster defines a relapse as a - “a recurrence of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement”. I think that this is the perfect name for Eminem’s new album. Which comes out today MAY 19 2009, I’m planning on buying it sometime this day or week. I usually don’t buy cd’s, but I respect Eminem as an artist enough that I think that he should be getting the money that he worked so hard to get. His music has influenced millions of people through out the years, and a lot of people who don’t even like rap or hip-hop admire his work. He has done so much by: creating a respectability for upcoming white rappers, solidifying his position as probably one of the top MC’s to touch the mic, and gaining enough respect and fans worldwide that he’s that point where he can mentor the next great thing.

Coming back to his album, it comes out today, again. I don’t want to sound like I’m just someone who works for him and who’s trying to just promote his album, but I know it’s going to be a great album. People were talking about all last year how “Lil’ Wayne is so amazing”, ” The Carter 3 is the best album of the year”, “He’s a genius”. To tell the truth, the album was over hyped, I admit a couple of the songs were original and good, but most of the songs were generic Lil’ Wayne. But with Eminem I know that this won’t happen, and if his album wasn’t delayed and came out at the end of December like it suppose to, then his album would’ve been the best album of 2008. But it’s okay because I know that Eminem’s new album will the best album of 2009. This album will be a great album because he wrote all of the lyrics for this album during his 4 year hiatus. He took his break because he was struggling with drug problems and depression because 4 years ago one of his best friends Proof was shot to death. I think that this album will be great because the problems that he has had to deal with in the last 4 years will be heard in every song on his new album. So again, I’m predicting that this album will win lots of Grammy’s and will probably be named album of the year.

Remember, it comes out today, May 19, 2009

We Made You

Crack A Bottle

Posted in Hip-Hop Tagged: Eminem, Hip-Hop, Music, New Album, Relapse, White Rapper

Brother Ali

cruz124 — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:48:16 +0000

I was told about this underground rapper from my friend and I have been listening to him more often lately. He is a great MC and his some of his songs are very infectious. He writes about a lot of different topics and has been out for 10 years. One of my favorite songs from him is a song about the country and all the problems in it. He points out all of the problems that we have in today’s society. The beat he uses for the song is very relaxed, a slowed tempo, a lot of bass (if you bump it in a car), and the song creates an atmosphere of almost a southern influence. I’m pretty sure it’s his most popular song among his fans and it’s very obvious why a lot of different people like the song. He is a great wordsmith, and here are a couple of lines from his song that I thought that stood out the most in the whole song.

Brother Ali

“Imported and tortured the work force
They never healed the wounds or shook the curse off
Now the grown up goliath nation
Holdin open auditions for the part of david, can you feel?”

………………….And one thing that I didn’t point out is he is a WHITE RAPPER, this is good news because it points out that there are still white rappers out there besides Eminem that are making great music and a very lyrical.

His a link to his lyrics for the rest of the song and I was able to get a video for the song that includes the lyrics over a picture of him.

Posted in Hip-Hop Tagged: Brother Ali, Music, Underground, White Rapper

Day N’ Nite

cruz124 — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:20:26 +0000

I remember hearing about this song back in September, but I never paid much attention to it. Then in January I was in my friend’s car and they started playing the song. I asked my friend “What song is this?” because it sounded familiar. He told me it was Day N’ Nite by Kid Cudi. Then it instantly popped into my head how I listened to this back in September, but didn’t really give it a chance. Once I got home I got the rest of his mixtape and I found out he has a lot of other great songs too. I believe that if Kid Cudi plays his cards right then he will be able to be the next Kanye West. He has had high profiled guests on his songs like Common and even Kanye. He’s even had Jim Jones get on his track and make his own remix to the song (which is terrible, Jim Jones is a terrible rapper). Here’s the music video that just came out from his record label ( a little late), and below is a link to his lyrics (not Crookers remix).

Day N’ Nite Lyrics

Here are some other good songs from Kid Cudi that are better than Day N’ Nite

Embrace The Martian
The Prayer- Samples the song The Funeral from Band of Horses
T.G.I.F. Featuring Chip The Ripper
Maui Wowie
Down And Out
Also he has his own remix of Poker Face from Lady Gaga

“For even in hell, I still have faith
To one day be free with my father at the gates
But make no mistakes, I’ll show you what time takes
To be a success on earth, mixed with all the hate” – Down And Out

Posted in Hip-Hop Tagged: Day N' Nite, Hip-Hop, Kid Cudi, Music

The Classics

cruz124 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:11:11 +0000

I have been hearing a lot lately of rappers who are suppose to be “best rappers alive”, having the “greatest album of the year”, and a “future classic”. Then I look at my TV that is saying this and I realize that the rappers that they are speaking of can’t live up to their own hype. In order to have an album that can be viewed as a classic you have to break new ground, you have to have lyrics that are original, your album can’t dwell on the same topics, diversity is key, and the most important one, you need every song to be a hit or lyrically genius. I rarely see or hear this now from new artists and it’s been making me doubt them and their abilities. They must have some talent or else no record company would sign them to their label. Maybe its just the record labels who don’t recognize what an album should be sounding like from an artists and how to push an artist to bring out the best in them. I believe that these new artists that are coming out have the talent to become great artists, but if they keep on coming out with what they have been then they are just deciding their faith to just be “a rapper who just sold out for the money”.

After considering the situation with the new artists, I started listening to albums I thought were classics or albums I know are considered classics. I tried to figure out why these artists are so respected for these albums and why they are still respected from everybody in the hip-hop community. Then it occurred to me, they created albums that reflected the times in away that was innovated and by creating lyrics that when someone listens to it, they are left speechless. So here’s a small list of artists and albums that they created and that changed their lives, the lives of others, and changed the world in their own way.

The Chronic – Dr. Dre

Doggystyle – Snoop Dogg

All Eyez On Me

Ready To Die

Illmatic

The Blueprint

The Marshall Mathers LP

Posted in Hip-Hop Tagged: Classic Albums, Hip-Hop, Music