NEW PERSPECTIVE

So after a looong well deserved weekend in Las Vegas with the fam..I'm back in effect, fresh in the flesh with a new perspective. I consider myself a hip-hop connoisseur..with old school traditions right..I was never a djay, but I followed hip-hop from the 80's to the present, always paying attention to what was going on with the groups and artists I followed.
I became the anti-rap activist playa hating commercial rappers since the mid 90's to...let's say...last week lol. And I think I finally realized that, things aren't going to change. You must adapt to what's going on and realize that you can't go back into time. I remember a interview with Nas a couple years back..saying he won't do another "Illmatic" because he's not the same person he was back then..and life is a progression..you proceed forward not in reverse...he also rapped a verse about it on his new CD "They pray please God let him spit that Uzi in the army linen
That shorty doo-wop rolling oo-wop in the park reclining" (for those that don't get it he's saying that fans from the old school are praying that he takes it back to illmatic days with lines like that off his classic CD)..but those days are gone now. It is a reality that was very difficult for me to swallow but I think I have finally come to terms with it.
Now just to clarify..
I'm not saying that real hip-hop is dead..I'm saying that the music that I loved coming up as a youth hearing it on mainstream radio will never happen again on mainstream radio. Case in point..I was driving with my girl today who is 10 years younger than me..I had Sirius satellite radio on and all of a sudden Public Enemy's NIGHT OF THE LIVING BASEHEADS comes thru and my face lit up..getting goose bumps..remembering the feeling I got hearing Kool Dj Red Alert on 98.7 Kiss FM debuting those joints! or freakin Dj Chuck Chillout on WBL kickin S rockin those live ass joints. So my girl is looking at me like I'm crazy. Like how could they play this on mainstream radio back in the days and have a audience? (trust me she knows the deal with hip-hop..just from a newer perspective)And she's right..how could they have gotten away with this? Because it was new..rebellious music. Djays on the air eager to break new records with new artists coming out from all over the place. A time where you had to step your game up lyrically..had to have a dope beat to even be considered...now today..all of those old school traditions are deader than disco.
Now any dude with a computer is a rapper/producer..watching mtv,bet,vh1 as a influence as to what hip-hop is..not realizing that what is being played is the furthest from the truth. And the cats old school and new that have the format down as to doing hip-hop correctly are completely shunned because the big video shows and FM radio don't want any part of them.
So when you hear people say things like Soulja boy ,Lil Wayne etc are killing hip-hop..they essentially are..not like they're doing this on purpose, its because they are successful at hip-POP and sell millions of records. So as a result..if you make music in hip-hop that doesn't sound like that..your assed out homey straight up and down. that was my scattered rant for today that went all over the place but I think you will get the gist of it.
Final case in point..new records that have recently dropped or about to drop..
AZ "Undeniable" and GZA "Protools"
are new CD releases that are real hip-hop real talk straight talk..instead of following the same ol' wack trends..be a trend setter and check these dudes out!@

Ksph side note: AZ proves you can do marketable music correctly flippin ill vocab keeping street cred fully intact!

KRS-1 AND SOULJA BOY DISCUSS GENERATION GAP IN HIP-HOP

Now I must say..once again KRS-1 proves that he is arguably the best rapper in hip-hop. Now when I say the best rapper in hip-hop..I'm not only referencing his classic records, classic videos, trend setting abilities, live show experties, career ending tactics, the preservation of hip-hop,..(I can go on and on) he then takes a intelligent stance towards addressing the whole Soulja Boy issue and dropping knowledge to him at the same time giving him respect as a youngster coming up. I myself feel schooled in this being that I was very negative about this type of new rap killing the game..this cat needs to be mentored on things and KRS took that stance..enjoy the clip.

ICE-T VS SOULJA PART 2

INFO COURTESY OF SOHH.COM

Veteran gangsta rapper Ice-T has released another video aimed at Soulja Boy in response to the Southern rapper's YouTube clip, making no apologies for starting the beef with the 17 year-old hip-hopper.

In his latest video, Ice-T explains that his original comments were made only after being asked his feelings on the state of hip-hop and on Soulja Boy.



Ice-T admits that as a rap legend he shouldn't have talked down to the teen but says he still believes Soulja Boy's music is garbage.

"Hip-Hop has to last forever and it ain't gonna last with you doing that superman bullsh*t man," Ice-T said. "That sh*t is whack, trust me." [Watch Below]

He goes on to say Soulja Boy never should've responded.

"When I dissed you, there's no ramifications you know," he said. "You can't hurt my career cause I'm caked out, there's nothing you can do to hurt me."

The beef began after Ice-T blamed Soulja Boy for being responsible for the death of hip-hop.

Soulja Boy then made his own video response questioning Ice-T's career choices.

"This n*gga Ice-T old as f*ck!" Soulja Boy said as he laughed into his web cam. "This n*gga old enough to be my great grandfather. I Wikipedia'ed this n*gga, he was born in 1958. [He] claims he's from the West Coast, n*gga you were born in New Jersey, dawg. Who is Ice-T, dawg? How you gonna make a song called ["Cop Killer"] and 35 years later your ass playing the police on TV, 'Law and Order'. This ain't no beef."

Despite the criticism from Ice-T, hip-hop megastar Kanye West spoke out on his blog in support of Soulja Boy.

"Soulja boy is fresh ass hell and is actually the true meaning of what hip hop is supposed to be," he wrote. "He came from the hood, made his own beats, made up a new saying, new sound and a new dance with one song. He had all of America rapping this summer. If that ain't hip-hop then what is? N*ggas always talk about the golden age but for a 13 year-old kid, this is the golden age!!! Keep this sh*t fresh and original.... ain't no f*ckin' rules to this sh*t and that's what real hip hop is to me."
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NOW I CAN SEE SOUJA'S POSITION BEING YOUNG, BROKE, COMING UP TRYING TO GET PAID AND SUDDENLY GETTING SUCCESS..AND HATS OFF TO HIM. BUT I ALSO SEE ICE'S SIDE AS WELL WITH MORE MEANING. I DON'T THINK IT'S A ICE-T VS SOULJA BOY BEEF. IT'S A REAL HIP-HOP VS COMMERICAL POP BEEF. AND THE SAD THING IS SOUJA BOY IS CONSIDERED HIP-HOP BY THE NEWS MEDIA. I THINK THAT'S WHERE TO FRUSTRATION BEGINS. EVERYONE IN HIP-HOP MUSIC IS SCARED TO UNITE IN REGARDS TO BRINGING ACTUAL TALENT BACK TO THE GAME. ITS EITHER ONE OR TWO CATS THAT SPEAK THEIR MIND..THEN THE ISSUE QUICKLY DISAPPEARS. THEY SAY THINGS MOVE IN CYCLES..WELL I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE LEGIT HIP-HOP CYCLE TO COME AROUND FOR A DECADE NOW! I MEAN GZA VOICED HIS OPINION LIVE ON STAGE REGARDING SOUJA BOY AND 50 CENT. BOTH 50 AND SOUJA FIRED BACK. THEN............? NOTHING. WHERE'S WU @? NOBODY HAS EACH OTHERS BACK ANYMORE. NOW WE HAVE SOUJA LAUGHING IT OFF WITH A VIDEO RESPONSE TO ICE CALLING HIM OLD AND OUTDATED ETC. WE NEED UNITY IN HIP-HOP! EVERYBODY IS TOO SCARED TO SAY SOMETHING FEARING RECORD SALES WILL BE EFFECTED. I'M SEEING TIME AND TIME AGAIN OLD SCHOOL LEGENDS GETTING DISSED BY THE YOUNGER GENERATION AND EVERYBODY'S TOO SHOOK TO SAY SOMETHING! AND NOW WE GOT KANYE CO-SIGNING SOULJA AND A INTERNET BUZZ QUESTIONING ICE-T BEING A LEGEND. ARE YOU FUCKEN KIDDING ME!??? HERE'S A LITTLE HIP-HOP 101..ICE-T IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE A HIP-HOP LEGEND! TREND-SETTIN RHYME FLOWS, GANGSTA RAP STYLES,,AND THE CROSSOVER FROM RAPPING TO ACTING. GET IT TOGETHER YALL! SHIT..THIS SHIT CONTINUES I MAY HAVE TO GET UP IN THE BOOTH AND START REPRESENTIN FOR THE VETS WHO KEEP GETTIN SLEPT ON! TO BE CONTINUED!

REAL HIP-HOP -vs- HIP-POP COMMERCIAL RAP

NOW I'M SURE YALL HAVE HEARD ONE OF THE LATEST BEEFS THAT IS GETTING MEDIA COVERAGE..IT'S THE STATEMENTS MADE BY HIP-HOP VETERAN/LEGEND ICE-T AGAINST COMMERCIAL RAPPER SOULJA BOY. ICE RECENTLY WAS QUOTED IN THE MEDIA AS SAYING "FUCK SOULJA BOY EAT A DICK" WITH SOULJA RESPONDING CALLING ICE OLD AND OUTDATED. I ALSO REMEMBER THE SAME TYPE OF WORDS BEING SAID BETWEEN WU-TANG'S GZA AND SOULJA BOY EARLIER IN THE YEAR.
IN MY OPINION..SOUJA IS THE "POSTER BOY" FOR WHY HIP-HOP/RAP IS IN THE TOILET. NOW I CAN'T SPEAK ON IT TOO MUCH BEING THAT I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY OF SOULJA'S MUSIC. BUT IN THIS DAY IN AGE WITH HIT SONGS LIKE "EY BABY EY BABY" & CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP" RUNNING THE RADIO AND VIDEO CHANNELS..YOU CAN'T HELP BUT SYMPATHIZE WITH THESE DUDES VIEWS.

MY PERSONAL OPINION IS...I FEEL HIP-HOP HAS BEEN IN NEED OF HELP IN MASS MEDIA FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. FOR SOME ODD REASON THE MORE YOU ARE TRUE TO HIP-HOP CULTURE, THE MORE MASS MEDIA WILL IGNORE YOU. NOW IN 2008, HIP-HOP IS BEING RUN BY TEENAGERS WHO DON'T WANT TO HEAR A MESSAGE OR IN DEPTH LYRICS WITH BANGIN BEATS. THEY WANT TO DANCE AND SING LYRICS WITH A GIMMICK. IT'S A DIFFERENT TIME NOW AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. WHAT I'VE BEEN HOPING FOR YEARS..IS THAT SINCE HIP-HOP MUSIC (YOU KNOW WHAT I'M NOT GOING TO USE THE TERM "HIP-HOP" BECAUSE FOR THE MOST PART HIP-HOP IS DEAD SO I'LL CALL IT RAP) SINCE "RAP MUSIC" HAS BEEN SO HORRIBLE FOR SUCH A LONG TIME, THAT THE FANS WOULD FINALLY GET SICK OF THE CRAP RAP GOING DOWN AND DEMAND THAT REAL HIP-HOP TAKE BACK OVER THE GAME. WE'RE NOT QUITE THERE YET..BUT WE'RE SLOWLY GETTING CLOSE.

WE HAVE RAPPERS LIKE ICE-T, GZA, AND DON'T FORGET MONIE LOVE (TAKING A STAND AGAINST YUNG JEEZY A WHILE BACK SAYING HIP-HOP IS DEAD FOR THE MOST PART) STANDING UP FOR REAL HIP-HOP MUSIC REFUSING TO TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE. WE NEED MORE OF THIS TO HAPPEN! GETTING THE VETERANS BACK IN THE MEDIA, AND TAKING OVER HIP-HOP AGAIN IS ESSENTIAL!

TAKE A LOOK AT THE CD COVER OF ICE-T.."POWER"! SUCH A CLASSIC. I REMEMBER WHEN IT FIRST DROPPED..ME AND MY MAN COSE WE'RE ROCKING PIECES IN BLACKBOOKS BACK THEN LISTENING TO POWER OVER AND OVER AGAIN..GETTING US AMPED UP AND RECITING THE LYRICS AS WE WERE WRITING GRAFFITI. SUCH FOND MEMORIES OF THAT CD. I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST CAME OUT TO L.A...ME AND REPPOND(VERBAL THREAT)ROCKED A SHOW AT THE VIPER ROOM AND MET DJ EVIL E ICE-T'S DJAY (WHO IS ON THE COVER) MONEY GAVE US MAD LOVE FOR KEEPIN IT REAL AND STILL TO THIS DAY STAY IN CONTACT. THAT'S A FRIENDSHIP BUILT ON MUTUAL RESPECT FOR REAL HIP-HOP..REAL DUDES DOING REAL MUSIC.

IN CLOSING..PEACE TO THE MC'S AND DJAYS THAT REPRESENT REAL HIP-HOP STANDING UP FOR OUR CULTURE AND SPEAKING OUT!@ OBVIOUSLY NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO DO IT SO IT MIGHT AS WELL BE THE PIONEERS. NUFF RESPECT TO ICE-T,DJ EVIL E, RHYME SYNDICATE, GZA, MONIE LOVE, AND OF COURSE THE PRESIDENT OF HIP-HOP KRS-ONE! LET'S TAKE THE GAME BACK!
-KOOL SPHERE-