Skillz - The Rap Up ‘05 [Thanks Howie]

I thought Skillz said The Rap Up series was out the window after the 2004 edition. This latest entry is sprinkled with witty one-liners about :

• Jay-Z and NaS reconciliation
• Hurricane Katrina
• Superhead (Karrine Steffans)
• Common’s BE
• Diddy vs The LOX
• Tookie
• The Roc-a-fella split
• Cam’ron shooting himself
• and Eve’s sex tape (which Skillz apparently watched).

I’m not impressed by his choice of beats (except the first one which jacked “Come Close”). I’m also worried that Skillz has been relegated to these comedic annual soap series, while heads (and ears) stay shut to his music skills. Whatever happened to Confessions of A Ghostwriter the album?

Quotes from The Rap Up 2005
“Ciara and Bow Wow, they started dating, right/I mean he’s three feet there’s no way that he’s laying the pipe//” (my point exactly)

“Eve had a porno, but if you blinked it was gone”

“Nas and Kelis said ‘I do’/Eddie Murphy got divorced but he was married to a dude//”

“I’m beefing with Mickey D’s man, y’all dead wrong/ talking about paying rappers to mention Big Mac’son a song// We do rap from the heart y’all better have some respect//Alright Big Mac, Big Mac, Big Mac, now where’s my check//”

On Cam’ron: “Botched car-jacking, nah fam that was wrong them dudes was trying to shoot themselves cause they liked ‘The Whistle Song’ “

Elsewhere:

• If you liked (or disliked) my Top 10 Songs of 2005 list, then check out my man O-dub’s Year End List.
• Pimp C Is Finally Home!

After much deliberation, disagree-ation, and termination of some unseen Rap Up staff, and consultation with Hip Hop honchos, we came to the following conclusion:

10. Geto Boys – The G Code: Although Scarface has been spreading the same I Never Snitch -and-if-you-snitch-I’ll-bitch-slap-yo-momma message for the past 100 years but it still sounds so good to hear him say it again. Even if that would mean locking up Willie D and Bushwick in the basement so he can do the song solo

9. Young Jeezy ft Akon – Soul Survivor: Ex drug-dealer meets ex car-jacker. Who the hell said crime doesn’t pay?

8. Kanye West ft Adam Levine – Heard ‘Em Say: One of the reasons, Kanye vowed to break down and cry on prime time TV if anyone other than himself is awarded a Grammy next year.

7. Jay-Z – Dear Summer: The re-invention of he “murdered you on your own joint” with Jigga supplying the best track on Bleek’s slept-on disastrous album.

6. Fat Joe – Safe 2 Say (The Incredible): A piece of advice to Fat Joe – If you’re serious about losing weight, try working out to this song three times a week.

5. Aasim – Hip Hop 101: Before all you mainstream enthusiasts burst out: “Aa-who?” peep Bad Boy’s official roster. Please believe!

4. The Game ft 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It: Who was the genius behind the title of this song? They definitely have some questions to answer.

3. Common – Be: “From the land of the frozen sun, where drunk nights get remembered more than sober ones”. This title track/album opener/Nike commercial jam is evidence that Common returned to making classic cuts on Be. Who would a thunk it!?

2. Styles P – I’m Black: The post-Public Enemy anthem for negroes everywhere.

1. Zion I ft Talib Kweli – Temperature(mp3): Yay area favorites solicit Kweli’s lyrics of fury for an octane-fueled classic.

So there you have it, feel free to throw microwaves and refrigerators my way for leaving out your favorites.

Stylus Magazine just ran their Top 50 Albums of 05 (featuring my Top 20). If you have ample patience, scroll down to see my list - the first on the staff/individual picks section of the page.

20. Livin Legends – Classic
19. Self-Scientific – Change
18. CunningLynguists – A piece of Strange
17. Amel Larrieux – Bravebird
16. M.I.A. – Arular
15. Sean Price – Monkey Barz
14. Damian Marley - Welcome To Jamrock
13. The Game – The Documentary
12. One.Be.Lo. – SONOGRAM
11. Little Brother – The Minstrel Show
10. GZA/Genius vs DJ Muggs – The Grandmasters
9. Quasimoto – The Further Adventures of Lord Quasimoto [did this
really drop in 05?]
8. Slum Village – Slum Village
7. Depeche Mode – Playing The Angel
6. John Legend – Get Lifted
5. The Perceptionists – Black Dialogue
4. Common – BE
3. Gorillaz – Demon Days
2. Kayne[sp] West - Late Registration
1. Stevie “I featured Aisha on my album” Wonder - A Time 2
Love

I’ve just realized that I left out some note-worthy albums like The B.Coming, DangerDoom, Chain Letters ,and True and Livin’ (one of the reasons I hate lists like these). But, hey I get a second chance next week.

So, tell me, What are your Top 5 albums of 2005? I’ll gather your answers to create a T.R.U. Album of the Year post sometime next week.

Pharell Williams - Angel(mp3)
Pharrell Williams-Angel(Instrumental)
Factoids: Length - 2:45/Album - In My Mind(Star Trak/Interscope)

If this is what the rest of Pharrell’s In My Mind album sounds like, then I don’t want no parts of it. Alas, Skateboard P’s faux-crooning takes a backseat to the Neptunes’ nostalgic production. P’s mid-tempo romps often work when another artist (preferably a rapper) is present just in case his not-so-exquisite singing needs some drowning off. But, for now, you just have to make do with 100% Pharrell. Feel free to fall back on the instrumental for sonic relief.

Benzino Voicemail Assault(mp3)

Grandad Benzino is at it again. After seeing the above article on Ozone Magazine, the most innovative gangsta rapper the Black community has left called up Ozone publisher/H.C.I.C., Julia Beverly to express his angst…in not so friendly words. I mean words like: %^$#*, $#&%?!, and words like &*(!^$*))_!!?! - if you get my drift. Take heart JB, undiluted in-your-face journalism is an uncharted terrtory, and a risky ground to tread on. Just ask Hater. And if Ray-Ray decides to seek out your residence for a retaliation, i’ll hide you in my closet (if Matt’s place is full and over-flowing that is).

But, I’m sure it was the Paul Wall “Realest Nigga Award” (supposedly a joke) that really got Granpa riled up. Is this even the right platform for such a joke?

Just like Usher does not care about gay people (or Burt Bacharach for that matter), my boy does not care about Hip-Hop, even though his dad writes, drinks, eats, and sleeps Hip-Hop, and capitalizes both H’s when spelling Hip-Hop. Maybe it’s too early to tell whether my 2-week old would grow to love the music that brought so much fun, friendship (and fame?) to his old man. (Being a dad makes you feel old, folks…really).

What Henry jr. does care about is Jazz. My ‘Cannonball and Coltrane’ playlist Itunes puts him to sleep faster than a bedrock(whatever that is). Miles Davis’ Tutu and Mazzy Star’s So Tonight That I Might See also have the same charming effect on Lil’ Riz, after hours of rocking him in aching arms, lullabying(beware: this has a counteractive effect if your singing voice is more Macy Gray than Enya!), and other baby-soothing rituals. You know the drill.

I’m inclined to point out that he also cares about some other genres which I wouldn’t dare categorize (to keep the politically incorrect boogey in me from jumping out of this screen).

I don’t intend to follow in the footsteps of GZA and Peter Gunz, by handing him a rhymebook way before he can lift his head on his own, but I hope that one day he’ll grow to learn and appreciate the ubiquitous Hip-Hop culture that is damn near inevitable in every Black man’s lifestyle nowadays. Presto, KRS-One!

[props to Spine Magazine for the update]

Worth reading:

• Excellent Richard Pryor article , and tribute
• How the hell did Aretha Franklin go from nice to nine hundred pounds?
• Speaking of overweight women, what the f#&k is Diddy doing here?
• Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at Vibe Magazine

Tookie dies tonight at 1:00 am. Arnorld Schwarzeneggar, the only one who can play God in this case has said NO to clemency for the crips founder, who allegedly killed more humans than satan himself.

Question of The Week: Would You Spare Tookie Williams’ life if it was up to you?






Caption this!

I’ve been sitting on this review for a minute. But here’s my 2 cents (since everyone’s been writing and asking me to review Bun’s solo joint)…
By the way , if you’ve been cajoled into viewing Trill as a southern classic, stop reading right now!

The sudden explosion of southern rappers in 2005 has helped buoy the reputation (and of course sales) of Houston artists. The formula is simple: flash your grill and you’re certified platinum. Or if you’re a little more daring, repeat yourself as often as possible and you’ve got yourself a multi-million dollar contract. So what does Bun B who’s got nothing but a UGK legacy to die for have to offer to the southern rap scene?

That’s a question the introductory ” Inauguration” attempts to answer as Bun declares himself president of the south: “From this moment I run the south and everything down here” over marching keys and anthemic drum rolls. But as president, Bun does nothing to address his most thriving problems; he allows a plethora of guest artists to relegate him to a sidekick on the Jay-Z and Jeezy-blessed posse cut “Get Throwed”; Mannie Fresh, Trey Songz and Mike Jones - featured “Hold You Down”, and eleven other songs.

As the album progresses, overwhelming odes to flossin’ and guilty pleasures make way for introspection and occasional storytelling. Young Jeezy reappears alongside Scarface on “Pushin” as all three trade rhymes about clandestine street activities. (You’d think Jeezy’s paid more just for his adlibs: yeeeaahh). On “The Story”, which is a soulful ‘audiobiography’ of UGK, Bun recounts the up’s and down’s of his crew complete with shady managers, cold shoulders from Jive Records, and the commercial success of “Big Pimpin”. The unnerving organ arrangement and revving 808 on “Trill Recognize Trill” sprinkled with amusing one-liners courtesy of Ludacris help restore faith, if only for a short while.

Forgettable songs like “I’m Fresh” produced by [surprise,surprise, Mannie Fresh] and “I’m Ballin” both reveal sonic similarities and lack of content. Things plunge downwards sonically, as the Ying Yang Twins-featured “Git It” is an embarrassing rehash of “The Whisper Song”.
While it’s definitely going to take more than “Free Pimp C” gears to actually let the incarcerated Pimp loose, Bun B’s attempt to rewrite the UGK recipe may require his potna’s physical presence to do it convincingly. You know what I’m talmn’bout?

3/5

Richard Pryor, arguably the greatest comedian of all time(and I aint just saying that cause he dead) has passed away gracefully.Classic Quote:

“God blessed me,” he said. “There were shows I never remember, towns Inever knew
I was in. Somehow I was always able to perform. I respect performingtoo much
ever to do a bad show.” - Richard Pryor

It’ll only be a couple of days before rappers start rocking Richard’s picture shirts. And if you’ve never heard of Richard “I Aint Dead Yet” Pryor then you’re either:

· A-living under a rock for the past two decades
· B-not a Jay-Z/Hip Hop fan
· C-too coked up to remember that you’ve heard of him before.