Despite continued dominance of the mixtape market with titles like Return of the Body Snatchers and Elephant in the Sand, not to mention G-Unit’s Records least-promoted album to date, T.O.S., selling over 100,000 physical copies in its first week in stores, people on the internet love to hate G-Unit.

Lloyd Banks, G-Unit’s thorough lyricist, is back to remind the world why he won “Mixtape Artist of the Year” at Justo’s Mixtape Awards in 2003. Oh yea – and to remind the rap game that G-Unit cannot be touched.

The naysayers seemed to have sparked a new hunger in G-Unit’s resident punchline king, Lloyd Banks. Over a collection of classic, grimy New York city instrumentals, Banks makes his case for a spot in your Top 5 List.

I think Banks deserves consideration. Take “718 Nigga” as an example where Lloyd flexes his lyrical muscle and seemingly aims some of the industries biggest players.

“Your girl look like a gremlin and mine like a dime
In a stiletto or a Timberland she’ll pop up on your mind”

“I’m nothing like these other niggas, all my clothes fit
And I don’t walk around wearing bags like a chick”

“All these niggas want nice things Bentley and Range’d out
And I ain’t seen Lupe with his board since he came out
I bet he traded that in for some wheels
Cause the shapes change every couple years and they ill
It might not be necessary that’s just how I feel
Nigga you don’t like me die slow, pop a pill”

Bloggers aren’t even safe from Banks lyrical onslaught on Return of the PLK. On “It’s My Time:”

“Critic – my content happens every day where I grew up
Don’t be a dumb blogger, nigga are you high of what?

The punchlines come steady in every song and Banks effort to constantly switch flows is appreciated. That’s what makes such a threat. He can deliver witty punchlines and out-flow the majority of the industry.  His voice is distinct, too. I’ll leave you with some lyrics from “Finally:”

You don’t even ride right/and I’m a coach/
I put hands on you/Bob Knight
You fucking roach/I’m talking toast/I got my mind right
So don’t get close/You’ll overdose on this hard white

It’s crack! Check out Top 5 And Better Series: Return of the PLK and let me know what you think! You can download Lloyd Banks new mixtape for free at Thisis50.

Face unknown

I made this video on how I pictured the song in my mind. Mf Doom used the alter ego “king geedorah” when making this album.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Viqo_ForBL8]

Pitbull with lipstick

McCain and Co. have been hyping up Palin’s executive experience. See the example blow:

McCain cites her 12 years of “elected office experience” and her work as Alaska’s governor.

“I’m so proud that she has displayed the kind of judgment and she has the experience and judgment as an executive.  She has run a huge economy up there in the state of Alaska. Twenty percent of our energy comes from the state of Alaska, and energy is obviously one of the key issues for our nation’s security.”
Full article at CNN

Alaska’s total population is 683,478 (2007 est.) Again, Alaska’s total population is 683,478 — we’ll call it 700,000.

How does Vice President Palin sound to you?

Now assuming Senator McCain and Governor Palin get elected, Sarah Palin and her husband will be moving to the District of Columbia so she can fulfill her duties as Vice President. The total population of metro-D.C. is 5.3 million.

This is not to say Sarah Palin is not qualified because Alaska is smaller than say… Rhode Island. Rhode Island’s total population is actually 1,057,832 (2007 est.)

Rhode Island – Alaska = 374,354. Every single person living in Alaska (even babies) only amount to 64% of Rhode Island’s total population. I’m just saying.

Also:
-Gov. Palin has been Governor of Alaska for less than two years
-Her previous experience was Mayor of Wasilla (population 10,000).
-She tied Iraq to 9/11 as recently as September (2008).
-Her husband Todd was a member of a political party, for seven years, that supported separating Alaska from the rest of the United States. So much for the patriotism argument.
-She was interested in banning books from the library.
-As a politician newly national stage she already has a reputation for lying. She supported the Bridge to Nowhere.

Maybe it’s me, but I’m not comfortable with her. I agree with her position on guns. What else is good about Palin? Someone fill me in.

Dance!

In case you haven’t heard — Hiptics blatantly supports Wale. Why? Cause he’s the future of hip-hop! Anyway, so today I went through a lot of old concert footage and realized I left some Wale gems untouched. Here’s the first of many new videos coming to HipticsTV.

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rjxGGxk8mM8]

McCain the Economist

Looks like the Democrats and Republicans are trading punches again as politics has impacted the bail-out plan.  The republicans are against excessive spending and McCain said he was needed in Washington.  Bush invited both candidates to the white house where they talked about the process.  It’s not easy to say if this was consequential in the final plan because the talks were heavily politicized.  Democratic leaders in the Senate including Obama aren’t giving McCain any credit for his part in the process.  We are suffering to maintain our jobs, getting hammered by high gas prices, and still don’t have any answer for the energy shortage.  

Which candidate is going to balance these concerns with foreign affairs with more skill and good judgment? 

Top lawmakers in Washington disagreed Sunday about the role Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama played in reaching an agreement on the government’s $700 billion bailout proposal.

Did Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama help or hurt bailout negotiations?

“I actually think Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama were one of the catalysts of this effort,” Republican Sen. Judd Gregg told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Sunday. “Having them here in Washington highlighted dramatically for the American people just how dangerous this situation was to folks on Main Street.”

Not everyone is in agreement with Gregg. Also appearing on CNN, Sen. Chris Dodd echoed a line from many of his Democratic colleagues, saying their presence had the opposite effect.

“Will all due respect,” Dodd said, the candidates’ presence “delayed and slowed down this process. I think we would have gotten closer to an agreement” had they not come “parachuting in.”

He added, “Respectfully, John McCain did not help. In my view, that was a political stunt.”

McCain, who suspended his presidential campaign last week to focus on the financial crisis, said Sunday he was not looking for credit. He said Congress and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson are the ones who deserve all the credit for the bailout negotiations.

“I’m never going to not get engaged when the taxpayers and middle class of America are in danger of losing everything, literally, that they’ve worked all their lives for,” McCain told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. Adding, “I won’t claim a bit of credit.”

Source

 

Luda's back November 11

While it may seem to some as if Ludacris has abandoned rap in favor of his thespian endeavors (he’s in no less than two films this fall: Max Payne and RocknRolla), the artist insists that this isn’t the case.

To prove his point the Atlanta bred MC will be dropping Theater Of The Mind on November 11th.

“Music is still No. 1,” says Luda. “Theater Of The Mind should showcase that.”

The album will be preceded by the single “I Know What Them Girls Like”, which features Chris Brown and Sean Garrett.

Additional guest on the album will include T.I., T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Jamie Foxx, The Game, Plies, Rick Ross, Playaz Circle And Willy Northpole.

“I wanted an album where you could listen to it from beginning to end and it would put you in an imaginative state,” Ludacris says of his sixth major label album. “Ice Cube, Scarface, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., they paved the way for me. I feel like they’re some of the greatest of all time and they lyrically and conceptually put you in this place. I want my fans to feel like they’re part of the music. That’s what Theater Of The Mind is all about, drawing people in.”

Source

Luda's A Boss

J.E.E.Z.Y.

Young Jeezy was recently interviewed on CNN shortly after The Recession debuted at #1. The interview is really positive and makes Jeezy look good. CNN actually called The Recession “socially conscious.” The CNN reporter also calls Jeezy’s music “self empowering” and mentions how it motivated Michael Phelps.

Here’s what Jeezy, an Obama supporter, had to say about meeting John McCain:

I met McCain. Cool dude, but I wouldn’t vote for him.

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WXx8IrZ9RDA]

McCain says US economy is "fundamentally strong"

Simple question.

I’d also like to know how you would feel if third party candidates were included in the next debate. Get at me in the comment section!

Obama is ready for round 2

Lil Wayne's ESPN Blog Will Continue

Lil Wayne just started a series of articles on sports for ESPN.com. Sounds like a great idea. Wayne can obviously write and he’s got an interesting perspective that one can only conceive if sippin Sizzurp. There are a handful of people in the world who can write accurately and coherently while constantly on heavy drugs. Lil Wayne is one of those people. Here’s his article.

Hello, everybody.

This is the first entry in the blog I’m doing for ESPN The Magazine. I don’t watch nothing but sports—no movies, no news, no television shows—so I thought this would be fun.

Because I watch so much sports, I like to think I know what’s gonna happen. But with the NFL this year, some things have shocked me, some things have been just terrible. Like the Bengals. Damn. I kind of had a feeling things were gonna be bad, but I didn’t want them to be this bad. And oh my God the Chargers.

They won on Monday, but it still wasn’t the Chargers. Then again, I think LaDainian is going to figure out how to work his way back through this injury. LaDainian is tough. I think that last game will be a big motivation boost for him. I’ve talked to some people who’ve had similar injuries with the toe, and they tell me that it’s the mental thing you have to get over first. The pain never goes away, so you gotta accept that and just fight your way through it. I think once he gets used to it you’re gonna see he’s the same LaDainian. I’m not worried about him. He’s gonna be fine.

The Patriots aren’t going to be fine. I expected this to happen even before Brady got injured. I’ve been skeptical for a while now. They lost their drive. They used to go out there and crush people, playing good football every Sunday. You could see when they were winning how great they were playing, how hard they trained and how disciplined they were. But then it became about ‘who is this person dating’ and whatever, and that’s when I thought this would happen. I’m not going to say they’re distracted because they’re professionals. But when it becomes about all that other stuff it does take away from just going out and playing good football.

As a Packer fan, it’s been pretty good so far. Aaron Rodgers has been wonderful, man. He’s handled everything, and way more than just the football part. Of course it helps the Jets aren’t doing nothing.

Rest of Lil Wayne’s Article

Lil Wayne's Fantasy Team is 2-1.

I said from the beginning that choosing Sarah Palin as a running mate was going to blow up in McCain’s face.  It seems that this is happening sooner than expected.

Check out this video of Gov. Palin’s interview with Katie Couric. Ouch!

Katie Couric: I’m going to ask you one more time…specific examples in [McCain's] 26 years of pushing for more regulation?
Gov. Palin: I’ll try to find some, and I’ll bring em to ya.

I don’t think it matters what Matt Damon thinks about politics, but he pretty much summarizes my thoughts about Sarah Palin in this video.

Read more about Sarah Palin on Hiptics.com

King is Back

The album begins appropriately with the lyrical dexterity of “56 Bars (Intro).” With regal authority, TIP dissects then dismisses his less talented naysayers without ever having to call out a name. Reunited with the producer that’s crafted his biggest hits, DJ Toomp’s pulsing bass lines fit perfectly with the Bankhead star’s cocksure demeanor; setting a good start for the disc.

That focus continues on their second album collaboration “I’m Illy.” Again in battle mode, T.I. juxtaposes his achievements with a thinly veiled, local Atlanta rapper who aspires to the king’s throne in mind.

For the first time, TIP addresses in detail the events that lead to his gun prosecution on “Ready For Whatever.” Over Drumma Boy’s urgent but sprawling synths, T.I. makes a compelling argument for his need for weapons, explaining the murder of his best friend before his eyes despite the six figures he already pays for security. What makes the track work so well is that TIP is brave enough to leave his Rap persona at the door and reveal the fear that fueled his rash decisions. Full Review at AllHipHop

Bring him out!

Realest rapper in the game?

Damn! Plies is pumping out music.

Plies is a work horse. After only three months and selling more than 400,000 copies of his second album “Definition of Real,” Plies is ready to drop his third called “The Realest.” Ted Lucas, the CEO of Plies’ label Slip-N-Slide, says “December 16, Plies ain’t gonna let you down,” Lucas said. “Plies is a hard worker. There’s no need to hold him back. I heard the album, heard the music, and I feel he’s ready. You gotta feed the fans. When you got a fanbase and you’re growing and they like your music, give them what they want. Before, you had albums come out by, like, Michael Jackson — people be on that album for two years. Now, the way the business is, we have to make sure the fans are happy and continue to grow.”
Full article @ Rap Basement

Round 3 Coming Soon

So last Saturday I went to see Ratatat and it was one of the best concerts I have seen. Although not hip hop they have a unique sound that is unlike most music and can’t be constrained to any certain genre…I suppose they are somewhere between electronic and alternative rock. They also have released two remix albums that contain their beats with lyrics from other rappers songs, such as, Biggies “Party and Bullshit”. The duo consists of two members guitarist Mike Stroud and producer Evan Mast.

I was a little concerned that their sound would not translate very well to a live show, but they sounded as great as they do on vinyl and the energy was brilliant even though they are men of very few words. It is hard to determine their popularity because they are very popular according to my friends and I, but I feel like a lot of people have no idea who they are and we were surprised the concert wasn’t sold out.

Anyway, I will post their Remix albums and then their first two LP’s (all albums are highly recommended). If you are not a fan of electronic or rock stuff then I would suggest listening to the remix albums at least because the lyrical element is still there and their production will grow on you.

Remixes Vol. 1

Remixes Vol. II

Classics

Ratatat

Does anyone care?

I have a lot of respect for Nelly considering his accomplishments in the music industry and community. BUT–I sort of feel like his time as a megastar in rap is up. Why is that? I can’t really explain it. I mean, it shouldn’t matter what I think considering I’m not the type of consumer who’s he trying to convince to buy Brass Knuckles.  You be the judge. He’s what Rolling Stone had to say about Nelly’s latest album Brass Knuckles.

Combining Will Smith’s friendliness with St. Louis slang and a down-home drawl, Nelly has mastered his own brand of crossover appeal. On his fifth album, he mostly sticks to that pop-rap formula, cranking his distinctly melodic flow to hyper-speeds and playing the good-natured hedonist on cuts like “Party People.” But when he tries to come off hard on a handful of Dirty South brawlers, he ends up sounding generic: “U Ain’t Him” finds him rhyming about gunplay and warning no one in particular about “running up on the wrong nigga.” Sixteen different guests help Knuckles through its changes of pace, with big names like Snoop Dogg, Fergie and Pharrell dropping by. And though these famous assistants may point to concerns about Nelly’s declining market position, they also deliver some highlights: Check out the Chuck D.-assisted “Self Esteem,” a Seventies funk-flavored jam where Nelly carps about racism, and hooky pleasures like “Body on Me,” where Nelly and Akon compete to come up with the catchiest way to express how horny they are.

Remember the good old days?

John-Henry sent me this video and I’m a little late in posting. However, it fits perfect with the Hiptics content. WATCH Child Soldier to Rapper here.
ps. this is the shortest post in Hiptics history lol