Thursday, October 30, 2008

Throwback Thursdays: AZ feat. Daddy Rose - I'm Back (2002)


I got up on AZ pretty late, which is surprising, since I'm such a Nas stan. But dude is pretty dope, and I remember this song, especially considering the addictive horns and the insane soul sample.

The first thing I can remember hearing from AZ was this gem from Nas' second album. The Firm, which was comprised of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown & Nature, was not only a great group of lyricists, they were a bunch of New Yorkers who made an album with the West Coast's most prolific producer, Dr. Dre. This was particularly significant at the time, considering all the East Coast-West Coast beef that was going on at the time.

AZ dropped a pretty good album earlier this year, and I'm sad to admit that it's the first album of his that I own. But I'm up on game now, and dude is definitely a legit rhyme spitter. The way he puts words together is almost unparalleled.

Nas, of course, was supposed to put out an album called "Nigger", but the rich white people said there was no way in hell they were gonna let that happen. He then decided to just call it "Untitled". AZ, who was inspired by his homey's movement, put together a little mixtape of his own called "N.4.L.", short for Nigger 4 Life. I would tell you to download it, but you could just check the goodness for yourself.

Oden, Mopeds & The Light


Does this look like a 20-year-old kid to you? Yeah, me neither. I'm gonna need to see some ID...

Discussion on Oden's (second) injury, the beginning of the NBA season, and the significance of the Phillies' World Series win.

Also, the fourth official Bonehead Athlete of the Week. You really can't makes this stuff up, people.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Murders, Psychos & Shones


I'm sure most of you have heard by now about the tragic deaths of Jennifer Hudson's family members. Some further details on that situation are discussed, and I also share my opinion on a few things.

Also, I think it's time we talk about hoes. Or shones. Or sluts or smeazes or...well, you get the point.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Throwback Thursdays: Jay-Z feat. Amil & Big Jaz - Jigga What, Jigga Who (Originator 99) (1999)


...Or "Nigga What, Nigga Who", if you prefer the album version. Memorable song, considering that Jay-Z started his career with Jaz waayyyy back in the day. Also, this is the one of the first songs that Hova ever made with Timbaland. It's possible that this song is responsible for starting a producer/rapper relationship that garnered a number of hits for Jay-Z in the future.

One thing you automatically notice is that he raps a lot faster on this record than he does on the rest of the album. When you look at how Jay-Z used to rap, it seems as though this song may have been a tribute to his old days. Not only in Jaz on it, he called it Originator 99, which shouts out one of their songs from 1990.

As far as Amil goes, she's pretty much worthless. When Memphis Bleek even makes you look like you're not holding your weight, well, you've got problems. I remember when they had that one song off the Dynasty album with Jay, Beans, Bleek and Amil. The three dudes went in, and then they gave her like six bars at the very end. Just pathetic.

Where is Amil now, you ask? Well, she hasn't dropped an album since 2000, and the last thing I heard from her is this. I know the beat has been overdone, but with a name like "Amil", she really couldn't pass that up.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

DUIs, The Juice & The Scale


Seriously, there were so many candidates for Bonehead Athlete of the Week, I almost spent the whole time discussing them.

Of course, I still found some time to talk about an age-old pastime amongst American males: The 10 Scale.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Colin, Palin & Tampa Bay


Well, I stand corrected. I salute you, Tampa Bay, and thanks for proving me wrong.

Also, commentary on Palin's appearance on SNL, McCain's appearance on Letterman, and Colin Powell's shocking new endorsement.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Red Sox, Alcohol & Pacman


Happy Friday, y'all. I know I came kinda late with Throwback Thursdays last night; my apologies on that. But what better way to make up for it than a new post to usher in the weekend??

Today's post discusses the Red Sox's amazing win last night, my opinion on Pacman Jones' supposed alcohol problems, and a few short notes on Tuesday's Presidential debate.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Throwback Thursdays: Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Pt. II (1995)


Whenever I hear this song, it make me feel some sort of way. When the beat drops, it's just so gangsta. It's so street. It's so New York.

Frankly, I can't think of too many songs that are more representative of that New York feel than this one here. The only song that I can think of that even comes close would be, of course, this classic.

One interesting note about Shook Ones is that although it was Mobb Deep's first official single, it was undoubtedly their biggest song. In other words, the rest of their career never compared to their first record. Kinda sad, when you think about it.

To be honest, it would be hard for anyone to live up to this song. It's really a great record. The beat knocks crazy, and the lyrics contain gems like "Rock you in your face, stab your brain wit your nosebone." I can remember how amped I got when I was watching 8 Mile and this beat dropped for Rabbit's final freestyle.

So where are they now? Well, last I heard of Mobb Deep, they had signed with G-Unit in a last-minute attempt to sell records. That, of course, didn't work. Havoc supposedly dropped a solo album called "The Kush" in 2007, but I never heard any singles for it. And as for Prodigy, he got locked up for some gun possession charges, and claims the police tried to get him to frame 50 Cent.

He still managed to drop an album this past April, though. And if you don't know what H.N.I.C. means, step your game up.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Heroin, Americans & Bad-Ass Kids



For whatever reason, I felt compelled to address an age-old problem that Americans everywhere have come into contact with: bad-ass kids.

Also, I crown the second official Bonehead Athlete of the Week.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Throwback Thursdays: Busta Rhymes - What's It Gonna Be?! (1999)



Featuring Janet Jackson. Busta Rhymes crossed my mind recently, and I thought it would be a good look to include him in Throwback Thursdays. I was originally going to use the video for "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See," but enough has already been said about that one. This video right here, on the other hand, happens to be a song that a lot of people tend to forget about when they remember Busta's past work.

Personally, I loved both this song and this video. The graphics were really cool, the beat was amazing, Busta killed it, and, most importantly, Janet Jackson is in the video. I'm not sure if the closeup at the 2:17 mark was necessary, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

You know, everyone is familiar with Busta Rhymes, but for whatever reason, he isn't usually mentioned among the legends of the game. I think maybe he should be, since he's been around since 1996 and he's getting ready to drop his eighth solo album this December. Over the past 12 years, he's evolved from basically an eccentric goofball to someone with legitimate lyrical skill.

Although, it seems he may be headed back to the old Busta. I love the guy either way.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Murder, Karma & Gay Dudes

History is being made on an already historic blog. Yes, you guessed it; the first ever Bonehead Athlete of the Week. Also, some discussion on Kimbo Slice's first MMA loss.



P.S. I made a technical error while taping, which will probably become evident once you click on the link and hear the crackling sounds. Sorry about the poor audio, people. But my voice still sounds pretty good, though.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Debates, Wingmen & Swag



I know Mondays suck. But I'm here to help. Late commentary on the VP debate, advice on the intricacies of the wingman, and my struggle to understand the importance of "swag".

Also, all this talk about wingmen reminds me of an essay I read a few years ago about the rules one should employ when entering the "talking" period. Hmm, I wonder who wrote that...

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Throwback Thursdays: The Notorious B.I.G. feat. 112 - Sky's The Limit (1997)


I recently got (see: downloaded) 112's debut album, so I thought it would be appropriate to use their song with Biggie as today's Throwback Thursday video. I'm not crazy about this song, but I like this video a lot. To have everyone in the video played by a younger version of themselves is a genius concept. They got everyone in here, from Biggie to Puffy to 112 to Faith Evans.

Although, I must admit I'm
somewhat surprised Puffy agreed to this. You know how much he loves being in front of the camera. Every time I watch this video, a part of me expects him to make a cameo.

Oh yeah, and the little kid version of Busta Rhymes is hilarious.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Informants, Nightclubs & New Friends


Happy hump day. Tonight, I talk about what to look before moving into a new city, and seek advice regarding how to go about finding new friends.

Oh yeah, and another bonehead move. It's getting hard to keep up, honestly.