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The Jay-Z that we now know â the one who makes shady and feeble NFL deals, the one who is essentially a house husband to Beyonceâs breadwinner, the one who looks like Basquiat if he had a 401K â pales in comparison to the Jay-Z that my older brother, older cousin, and I were obsessed with growing up. Shawn Carter was once a force of nature on the mic, and transformative as a rap star. No one knew much about his personal life that wasnât in the music, but they knew he came out with a crew of dogs ready to unleash at a momentâs notice. (This Diary of Jay-Z from MTV is a good example). He was adept at making you feel the snark and the bite in his music, lifestyle, and persona, but also being in control of his behavior and narrative. Thereâs never a time, except when he struggled with a Mannie Fresh beat, where Jay-Z isnât in control while he is rapping; itâs arresting to listen to him jab and swing with his flow and words without ever losing the rap pocket. For example, a song like âStreets Is Watchingâ, when he says âitâs like a full time job not to kill niggasâ, is so raw to me. He truly means that. He wishes he could smoke everyone. It is hard for him to keep control of himself when he wants to lash out. But he has to do it anyway because violence costs too much. For any Black kids in NYC, and especially ones who are outgoing and enjoy the limelight like me, who are trying to make it happen, listen to late 90âs Jay-Z. Itâll make you more focused, stronger (notice how Jay-Z is never focused on women, in fact he rejects them if they annoy him) â and more aware of the possible snakes around you.
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But itâs College Dropout. I know I know and I agree that guy we donât speak of is off his shit, but as a kid nothing had ever hit me like that. My mom and Dad played nothing but R&B, Gospel and Rock. My older brother loved Rap music but it was the typical early 2000s 50 cent, Jay Z etc. I still remember the first time I ever heard a Ye song. My older brother and Dad picked me up from school and my brother pulls out this cd. He always had the newest album and he asked my Dad and I âyo can I play this, itâs so goodâ. I saw the bear and the cover and proceeded to clown my brother. Who wants to listen to this? its a bear bro you crazy put that back in your pocket. He ignored me and popped it in the cd player First skit, funny. Made me laugh. Once We Donât Care began to play I legit froze. Had NEVER heard something like that. For all the people who werenât around at that time YE was for real different. We had never heard a rapper that was mainstream rapping about kinda normal shit. That was strictly underground rap territory and for it to be soul sampled out and really good and not overly preachy and lame. It changed my view of what rap could be. I was obsessed with researching every producer on the album every sample every feature. It was just the first album I loved and obsessed over. Hate that bro is just beyond redemption because he really opened my eyes to where music could go
5d ago
So youâre telling me that the legendary Run-DMC turntablist, role model and man who actually recorded a âsay no to drugsâ spot was also leading a double life for years as a drugs middleman killed by his childhood friend and godson for cutting them out of a deal? Whoa. Sounds like an episode of The Wire. Reality > fiction, it really IS tricky.
Feb 21, 2024
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While Hip-Hop aficionados laud Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) as one of the most talented MCs the genre has ever seen, Bey has seen little appreciation among PEOPLE I KNOW IN REAL LIFE. I chose to EXCLAIM that because I know that Mos Def still remains firmly ingrained in the minds of many people to this day; however, for as much critical and fan attention as this man gets, I simply do not think it is enough!
Why am I bouncing on Beyâs balls so brazenly? Thereâs not many albums that I consider to be genuine 10/10s. Many come close, but the weird little Anton Ego goblin inside of my head who tells me that everything in the entire world is garbage always has something to bring up that often ends up in whatever album Iâm listening to falling short of the fabled Ratatouille Realm.
And then there was Black on Both Sides.
Almost everyone Iâve met that has listened to this album in full has great things to say about it. So many back-to-back bangers that youâd think you were watching Human Centipede. Fresh production combined with witty lyricism and more flows than a leaky diaper make this album truly one of a kind. Actually, I suppose every album is truly one of a kind so this doesnât really mean anything. How about I just say that this album is a masterclass in Hip-Hop as a poetic art form? Delivering powerful political messages in a way that doesnât bore the listener or feel overly preachy is always a difficult task, but Bey steps up to plate and knocks that shit into the stratosphere. Itâs not just stuffy politics either; Mos Def knows how to have fun. Itâs rare to see such a blend of characteristics in one rapper, especially during a time in which many Hip-Hop artists drew from a limited pool of subject material and remained confined to the styles of their predecessors (aside from notable mavericks such as Kanye West and MF DOOM).
If you call yourself a Hip-Hop enjoyer or just want to find a new album to listen to, please consider checking out Black on Both Sides by Mos Def.
Jan 27, 2025
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I'm often accused of being an "old soul", a categorization I vehemently dislike because it pretends as if my taste is because of nostalgia, as opposed to what is actually cool and compelling. (If something cool comes out now, I enjoy it, but we're in a down period when it comes to culture). But, something old about me, is that I do not care at all about TikTok ending, if does happen. If Elon takes it over from the Chinese, you might as well leave anyway, but I'm just worried at why this is a huge deal for people. It's just an app. Another one will be made. TikTok is not culture, it directly flattens culture into these ten second clips that take music, movies --- things that you need to process --- into something that is now consumed by everyone at a rapid pace, not allowing for the nuances, the style, the aesthetics to sit with us.
I have never watched something on TikTok and thought that this is something in that pushing American culture to deeper heights. I am sorry. Now I am sure they're good stuff on the app, but it's not really a necessity. Whenever I hear the words "it's blowing up on TikTok", my mind immediately growls.
I understood why X becoming overrun with Elon bots and right wingers is a big deal; X actually created things, made careers, made American life, and American events available to be seen by everyone. However, TikTok is a corrupt fantasy, chopping at the wires that make physical connection important.
Read a book! Go to the movies! Go to the restaurant of a cuisine that is unheralded, go to a baseball game. Who cares about TikTok?
Jan 14, 2025
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There's something quite startling about Martin Scorsese's 1980's period compared to the rest of his decades as one of America's greatest filmmakers. In the 80's, he was weird, strange, and making weirdly manic films that feel more New York than even some of his movies about the mob. They're movies about characters who aren't glamarous people that they want to be, but rather, are losers who can't seem to correctly fucntion in normal society. They're non-violent sociopaths. I saw The King of Comedy at Metrograph recently, and it's exhilarating, hilarious, manic, and scary. With Jerry Lewis, Bobby De Niro and Sandra Bernhard, Scorsese was able to create a world where incels who are bad at comedy are wishing for fame. Sound familiar?
This is a great movie. In 1983, it was a box office flop. But in 2025, it is magical in how it's telling the future. A future of scam artists who don't want to work to get there, and don't want to sit in their mediocrity: they want to steal to get their fifteen seconds. Go watch this masterpiece.
Jan 28, 2025
It's a perfect movie. It's almost too perfect. The fashion, the look on Cate's face when Theresa (Rooney Mara) is walking to her at the end, the line reading of "ask me things, please"; the fact that men are the joke throughout the movie.
It makes me wonder about representation and the limits of it because of how womanly and queer this movie is, despite the fact that it never feels like a movie made for women. It's just a great movie.
Feb 13, 2025