Used to be obsessed with this song…forgot about it, but decided to post the song cause it is great and the video is a funny play on Myspace, which was more popular than facebook at the time. Not to mention the three piece group is solid and not to be slept on.

“We Be”

Exclusive Interviews on Haze

First person to write “I want HAZE” on the Hiptics Wall will get a free copy of R Prince’s Haze: Hip-Hop’s Underground Stash. Prince filmed interviews with 50 Cent, Young Berg, Hurricane Chris, and Gorilla Zoe. There is also exclusive concert footage of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Swizz Beats. I watched it last and thought I liked the exclusive/underground feel of the interviews. The rappers are a lot more open and honest than they would be on MTV, BET, etc.

If you want a free copy — become a fan of the Hiptics facebook page and write “I want Haze” on the wall. First person to do it wins. I’ll message you for your mailing information.

Click HERE to become a fan.

War: What is it good for?

There was a drug raid in Ohio. SWAT officers entered the home of the suspect drug dealer, shot and killed his dogs, then fired blind shots into the other bedroom. A woman holding her baby (and ducking down) was shot and killed. Her baby was injured. The officer was acquitted. Read full story HERE.

It also shows how layer upon layer of flawed arguments can allow something as unjustifiable as the shooting death of an unarmed woman and the near-killing of her infant son to be dismissed as mere collateral damage. The initial argument is that we need to prohibit drugs to protect people from the harm they cause. That’s followed by the argument that we need to use aggressive, paramilitary raids to apprehend drug dealers, because they might dispose of evidence or shoot cops were drug warrants to be served by less confrontational means. That’s followed by the argument that we have to forgive cops who kill innocent people in these raids because the raids themselves are incredibly volatile and dangerous. Never mind that the police created the danger and volatility in the first place.

The Dream Team

I’ve been waiting on Detox since 2006.

Perhaps a sign of things to come, more and more artists are speaking about their role in Dr. Dre’s alleged upcoming album, Detox. Possibly the most anticipated album in Hip Hop history, the latest artist to speak on the long-awaited album, which is to be released in November or December [click to read], is none other than 50 Cent.

“I recorded material with Dr. Dre for the Detox,” said 50 to MTV News. “It’s great. I want it back. I want the records back,” joked Fif.

50 did indicate, however, that he wants leftover material Dre has. “He has the music. It’s right there in the computer. I stop by [his studio] every time and get something that adds something significant to my project each time [I'm about to put a record out]. And I spend three or four days there. To me, he’s the best producer in the game.

“When I walk in the studio, I record the first [beat] that comes on regardless if I think it’s a hit record or not,” 50 continued. “We get in work mode, get comfortable and go through the material that’s in the computer. Dre always has hit records. Sometimes, artists that need producers, they need someone to create a direction for them musically. I need the jewels he’s just got laying around. He don’t gotta tell me what to do with it. All he has to do is say, ‘Track six.’ Or, ‘Go to track eight.’ He’ll have hits playing there. You just have to get in and get them.”

It’s 50’s guess – just as it is anyone else’s – as to when Dre will finally deem the album ready for release. “Hopefully he’ll get it done and put it out,” he said. “I’m waiting for the Detox. All I can say is, Dr. Dre is the best producer in my eyes. Just the consistency over the years. … He knows what he wants. He’s such a perfectionist that it becomes difficult for him to put it out.“

Crafting a Classic

Found article HERE.

T.I.'s Gun Collection

I say NO. Societal problems are present before rap songs are created. Rap songs are reflections of reality. Many rap stars come from low-income communities where violence is a way of life. It’s not their fault for talking about what they know.

In 2007, Sean “Jay-Z” Carter released a song entitled “Ignorant [expletive]” on his “American Gangster” album, which highlights numerous inconsistencies in society. Jay-Z discusses how people criticize him for his thought-provoking songs but praise his songs about trivial subjects. He also discusses how the themes in rap music are no different from objectionable themes on television or in movies.

The musician Nas also addresses this contradiction on a song entitled “Sly Fox” on his new album “Untitled” (“They say I’m all about murder murder and kill kill, but what about Grindhouse and Kill Bill?”). Recent developments indicate that Jay-Z and Nas may have been on to something.

Atlanta rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges made national headlines last week for a new song he released entitled “Politics (Obama Is Here).” The song has lyrics that criticize Hillary Clinton, Jesse Jackson, John McCain and George Bush. Simultaneously, the movie “Dark Knight,” which depicts the Joker as a terrorist who goes on mass-killing sprees and blows up buildings, continues to shatter movie records.

Are Jay-Z, Nas and I the only people who see a problem with this picture? Why is it that no one questions the Moral Police’s arbitrary and capricious enforcement of its laws? It seems as though critics unfairly target the hip-hop community.

It should be the case that if you do not support violence or profanity, you should not support violence or profanity in any medium. I do not see the difference between violent rap lyrics and the movie “Wanted,” about a fraternity of assassins.

The recent controversy takes away from the fact that Ludacris was recently inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (and the first rapper to be inducted). He also participated in a reality TV competition with Tommy Lee entitled “Battleground Earth” to promote green initiatives.

I in no way justify the song by Ludacris. It would have been much more tactful to release a pro-Obama song without including anti-McCain rhetoric.

Nevertheless, the song is not that bad. At least he’s trying to reach out to and instill civic duty in constituents who often feel marginalized by the political process. He must be motivated by something other than profit, because he will not receive any money from the song (the song was released on a free mixtape).

If you do not support profanity, then do not support any art form containing profanity. And if you do not support rap music, then do not support any form of rap music. But bear in mind that, in the words of Jay-Z, “it’s only entertainment.”

I found this HERE. It was written by A. Jarrod Jenkins for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A problem or a product of the problem?

Don't worry if I write rhymes...

I found this great article HERE.

Nas might have recently topped the US Billboard charts with his “untitled” album, but his most successful project remains (and will probably always remain) penning Will Smith’s Getting Jiggy With It. Maybe you knew that, maybe you didn’t, but what’s for sure is that Nas isn’t alone in the ghostwriting business.

Undoubtedly inspired by Roland Barthes’ seminal paper The Death of the Author, Sean Diddy Combs’ reflects succinctly on the relationship of the rapper to his craft, on his 2001 hit Bad Boy 4 Life:

We still here, you rockin with the best / Don’t worry if I write rhymes, I write cheques

For Diddy, creating music is a straightforward process – pay the best writers and producers to collaborate, rap someone else’s words with mild competence, and before you know it you’ll have a hit record. But is it right for rappers to have their lyrics written for them?

In pop music, we’re used to this casual detachment of musical acts from the music itself – the idea of an artist as a brand rather than a creative force. But when we turn to hip-hop, the importance of authenticity is more difficult to dismiss. “Keeping it real” is the credo valued above all others (far above “being nice to women” and “being modest”). How is it that popular rappers like Diddy can be just as detached from the music as a bubblegum-pop cipher like Britney Spears and her prerogative to cover or purchase her entire repertoire?

A report by BBC radio station 1xtra has claimed that as much as 40% of all rap lyrics are ghostwritten. As the art is shrouded in secrecy, we may never really know what goes on. The inclusion of other MCs in liner notes can be a clue, but more often than not the process is kept completely under wraps. Jay-Z told Vibe magazine in an interview that he is “paid a lot of money to not tell you who [he] writes for”. Unfortunately for his employers, in this internet age his contributions to the likes of Amil, Foxy Brown and, most notably, Dr Dre’s Still DRE. have become an open secret.

Hip-hop is borne of copying, sampling, remixing – particularly where instrumentation and beats are concerned. In terms of vocals too, many rappers have copied each others’ flows, reworked quotable verses; it’s all part and parcel of a genre that’s inherently self reflexive.

Nevertheless, there’s something strangely hollow about listening to a ghostwritten rap. Pop-rap like Gettin’ Jiggy With It can perhaps be excused – it’s a fun track, who’s only sentiments are “I’m Will Smith, I’m successful”. But when it comes to supposedly personal tracks, like Diddy’s ode to Notorious BIG or Dr Dre’s The Message, dedicated to his late brother (written by Sauce Money and Royce Da 5′9″ respectively), you can’t help but feel somewhat cheated.

Kanye West’s Jesus Walks – co-written with Rhymefest – is just as difficult to stomach given the size of Kanye’s ego. Consistently mentioning himself as a “Top 5 MC”, you have to ask whether Common or Talib Kweli would ever spit someone else’s rhymes.

Admittedly, there’s more to being a rapper than just lyrics. Charisma, timing, the timbre of your voice, stage presence, how “hard” you seem; all are important ingredients. Snoop Dogg may not write a great deal of his own lyrics, but he has his own inimitable style. Also, perhaps it’s unfair that talented lyricists/songwriters without marketable voices (such as The DOC, who penned much of Dr Dre’s earlier work) should never have their talents put on wax.

Most current rap artists are under pressure to generate reams of meticulously honed lyrics for mixtapes, guest spots, remixes and so on. Even lyrical greats such as Lil’ Wayne and Notorious BIG have succumbed to using a ghostwriter to help with the odd verse or two. In these instances, the practice is easier to accept – laziness rather than lack of talent – but still, the lack of credit where it’s due is difficult to understand. Considering so much of the lyrical content of rap consists of boasting about your skills on the mic, using an uncredited ghostwriter seems deeply dishonest.

The problem lies with what we expect from the artist. If Diddy continues “writing cheques” to get the best producers and rappers to help him create enjoyable music then fair enough – especially as he’s open about the small part he plays in the creative process. Indeed, his last album, 2007’s Press Play was one of the most enjoyable records of the year. Dr Dre’s 2001, a similarly collaborative effort, is an all time classic, and his role overseeing the writing and production undoubtedly stamped his personality on the work.

But when we find out that rappers who constantly assert their authenticity have a writing team, or that personal, emotive lyrics in fact owe little to the person conveying them to you, you wonder what you’re really listening to. Surely if you can’t come up with decent lyrics, you should be doing something else?

I write checks!