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Laid back; chilled out.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

“It’s The Roc!”

Those of y’all who really know me know I’m a real music buff. If I had a dime for every time my friends stole my CDs I’d give Bill Gates a run for his money. Not only that but I’m real anal, if that’s the right word, about the quality of my sound, especially while driving. Since I don’t have any expensive vices I spare no expense when it comes to improving on my sound. The rule of thumb to go by is to always remember that when it comes to electronics, you really do get what you pay for. But that’s beside the point.

Interestingly, I used to be an R&B guy through and through. Not that I don’t like R&B – I love it. I’m only saying I used to listen to it [almost] exclusively. I even tried to mimic all those R&B crooners and sounded pretty good – in the shower anyway. Then I discovered rap and the rest was history. I give credit to a few rappers that really reeled me in but I’ll only talk about one of them right now:
Jay / Jay Z / Jigga / Hova / Ho [?] / Shawn Carter.

Like he says, and he couldn’t have said it any better:

….is he the best ever that's the argu-a-ment
I don't make the list don't be mad at me
I just make the hits like a factory..

Jigga is straight sick with his lyrics. He may not quite be the storyteller that Nas is but he knows how to play with words. Not only that but he memorizes everything; you’ll never see him in the booth wielding a notepad. Not only that, but dude can do an entire song in one take. I realize that can and have are two different things, but in any case it’s damn near impossible.

The Durrrttty South rap is good, but few Southern artists talk about much else besides the usual money, women, the hustle, cars and clothes. New York rap, in my opinion, is where it’s at. I especially like the so-called liberated rappers who rap about real life issues like The Roots, Talib, Nas, Common and more recently, that refreshing Lupe Fiasco. Still, Jigga’s the man in many ways coz he can switch up and rap about something you didn’t see coming. Like, he can hit you with:

“Everybody's like "He's no item! Please don't like him!
He don't wife 'em, he one nights 'em!"
Now she don't like him, she never met him
Groupies try to take advantage of him, he won't let 'em
He don't need 'em, so he treats 'em like he treats 'em
Better them than me, she don't agree with him
She's mad at that, he's not havi’n that
So those opposites attract like mag-a-nets
She sees more than the Benz wagon, the friends taggin’ along
with a flashy nigga braggin’ on a song
She gets a glimpse of Shawn and she likes that
He 2-ways her, so she writes back
Smiley faces after all of her phrases
Either she the one or I'm caught in "The Matrix"
But fukkit, let the +Fish-burne+
Red or green pill, you live and you learn. C'mon!”

Then come right back with:

It's true high society don't want me to move
into the penthouse building with spectacular views
They're like uhh, He's a menace he could never be a tenant
I'm like ooh, what's a young nigga to do?
I bring the brothers to the building give a feeling

that I don't give a fuck we just chillin’ watchin’ chandelier ceilings
High as fuck; Old lady, don't blow my high
'specially if you don't know my life
Don't make me bring Sharpton in it cause I'm dark-skinneded or
Dude with the 'fro and the Rainbow Coalition
I'm a victim of a single parent household, born in a mouse hole
Mousetrap, niggaz wanna know how so
How Jay get up out that, here, yeah
I snatched purses I per-se-vered, yeah
I had work, fiends purchased, it was clear
I was out there sellin’ hope for despair, but stop there
I swear, I only make good from my mouth to God's ears
Had to get out the hood
And I can't justify genocide
But I was born in the city where the skinny niggaz die
Born in the city where the skinny niggaz ride
And as a skinny nigga I had beef with high size.

And after that, blindside you with this:

On repeat, the CD of BIG's "Me and My B*tch"
Watchin’ Bonnie and Clyde, pretending to be that sh*t
Empty gun in your hand sayin’, "Let me see that clip"
Shoppin sprees, pulled out your Visa quick
Nigga had very bad credit, you helped me lease that whip
You helped me get the keys to that V dot 6
We was so happy poor but when we got rich
That's when our signals got crossed, and we got flipped
Rather mine, I don't know what made me leave that sh*t
Made me speed that quick, let me see - that's it
It was the cheese helped them bitches get amnesia quick
I used to cut up their buddies, now they saying they love me
Used to tell they friends I was ugly and wouldn't touch me
Then I showed up in that dubbed out buggy
And then it got fuzzy and they don't remember that
And I don't remember you…

What more can I say?

8 comments:

Msanii_XL said...

My diamonds is thrown up...been diggin cat since I heard "can't knock the hustle'

Gems....most his intro's are sick but this off the dynasty dope...

The theme song to +The Sopranos+
plays in the key of life on my, mental piano
Got a strange way of seein life like
I'm Stevie Wonder with, beads under the doo-rag
Intuition is there even when my vision's impaired, yeah
Knowin I can go, just switchin a spare
On the highway of life, nigga it's sharp in my sight
Oh! Keen senses ever since I was a, teen on the benches
everytime somebody like Enus was mentioned
I would turn green, me, bein in the trenches
Him, livin adventureous not worryin about expenditures
I'm bravin temperatures below zero, no hero
No father figure, you gotta pardon a nigga
But I'm starvin my niggaz, and the weight loss in my figure
is startin to darken my heart, bout to get to my liver
Watch it my niggaz, I'm tryin to be calm but I'm gon' get richer
through any means, with that thing that Malcolm palmed in the picture
Never read the Qu'ran or Islamic scriptures
Only psalms I read was on the arms of my niggaz
Tattooed so I carry on like I'm non-religious
Clap whoever stand between Shawn and figures
Niggaz, say it's the dawn/Don but I'm superstitious
Shit is as dark as it's been, nothin is goin as you predicted
I move with biscuits, stop the harder niggaz actin too suspicious
This is, food for thought, you do the dishes

a line that i missed when i had the song first

"y'all niggas truly ain't ready for this "Dynasty" thing
Y'all thinkin "Blake Carrington", I'm thinkin more like "Ming"

|d®| said...

Ahh, it's refreshing u know your music, 4 real. Yeah, Jigga's been my mans-n-em from back in the day; he's sick with it. Like, from 'Izzo':

Hov is back, life story sold through rap
Niggas acting like I sold you crack
Like I told you sell drugs, no
Hov did that so hopefully you wouldn't have to go through that
I was raised in the projects roaches and rats
Smokers out back, selling they momma sofa
Lookouts on the corner, focused on the ave
Ladies in the window focused on the kinfolk
Me under a lamp post, why I got my hand closed?
Crack's in my palm, watching the long arm of the law
So you know I seen it all before
I seen hoop dreams deflate like a true fiend's weight
The try and the fail, the two things I hate
Succeed in this rap game the two things that's great..

Adrian said...

yeeep, he's definately the man!

though i wonder how things would be if 2pac was still alive (not mentioning biggie, since i'm not a big fan)...

Msanii_XL said...

yup..about to make this jay week..lol one more

If you riff on ya EP ya gonna need a MD/
so you gots to chill cause I kill at will like solid water dude/
ya'll n!ggas don't get it/
kill at will, solid water, ice cube/

Anonymous said...

See what you did... Now you have me diggin' into the archives for Jigga CDs at this hour. I was banned from quoting his lyrics coz I went a whole week carrying out regular conversations in Jigga-izms!

Remember this....

There is a whole lot before this from the Dynasty.

Can't call this a comeback, I run rap, the fu* is y'all sayin?
Five million I done that, and I come back, to do it again (uh-huh)
Ex-sinner, Grammy award winner
Ballin repeatedly, highlights on Sportscenter
Please repeat after me - there's only one rule
I WILL NOT, LOSE!

|d®| said...

>Adrian: Yeah, the rap game would probably be a lot different if those 2 cats were still breathing.
Pac was definitely the 'deeper' of the two, tho BIG was the ultimate lyricist. I mean, dude would say stuff like:
"And my jam knock in the Mitsubishi
Girls pee pee when they see me
Navajos creep me in they tee pee.."


>Msanii: Yo, that solid water line right there from that cut with Ray Cash had me sooo hype when I first heard it! I didn't get it at first, like he says, but then I was like Aha; solid water=ice cube!

I must confess I was listening to jigga all day long yesterday!

>CK: I see I'm not the only insomniac, except for last night; got knocked out real early, for once!
Ha ha, that cut had me and my boy cracking up when we first heard it. I mean, these cats are having a conversation while rapping:

Jigga: Y'all hear nothing? Who that? Mac?
Beanie: No dawg, that's M Bleek coming
Bleek: Who the f* want what
Catch Bleek in South Beach Out of the reach of the police

Funny stuff!

CiikuMrsBabes said...

One word: TUPAC!


And I am out!!

Ok not really... you would get along with someone I know. His first initial starts with two and his second, one. [Figure it out!]

|d®| said...

>Buff: I deciphered your subtle hint! :)

I'm not sure there's one rapper that's the greatest of all time - yet. They keep getting better & better anyway. Pac was the man tho, I can't lie.