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A Detroit rapper flipping Jim Jones's "How G Is This?" like 20 years after it came out? Wonderful
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So you’re telling me that the legendary Run-DMC turntablist, role model and man who actually recorded a ‘say no to drugs’ 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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The Jay-Z that we now know — the one who makes shady and feeble NFL deals, the one who is essentially a house husband to Beyonce’s breadwinner, the one who looks like Basquiat if he had a 401K — 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 wasn’t in the music, but they knew he came out with a crew of dogs ready to unleash at a moment’s 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. There’s never a time, except when he struggled with a Mannie Fresh beat, where Jay-Z isn’t in control while he is rapping; it’s arresting to listen to him jab and swing with his flow and words without ever losing the rap pocket. For example, a song like “Streets Is Watching”, when he says “it’s like a full time job not to kill niggas”, 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 90’s Jay-Z. It’ll make you more focused, stronger (notice how Jay-Z is never focused on women, in fact he rejects them if they annoy him) — and more aware of the possible snakes around you.
Oct 16, 2023
HEAVY TRACK RIGHT HERE. JAY DEE SPITS THE REALEST. ONE OF HIS BEST. IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW HE RAPS WELL NOW YOU KNOW.
Feb 7, 2024
