Too Fortunate

For starters I’m one of those neurotic music fans who considers a well constructed mixtape to be an album; it’s the reason tapes like So Far Gone, Auditory Consensus, and now More About Nothing will be filed under the album category in my iTunes. Moving on……..Wale, Wale, Wale long time no see my good man. I think this review is a little different because once there is a bit of history involved with an artist and this is a deep rooted history. I was first introduced to Wale though the site Niketalk. Heard some of his music and felt maybe this could go somewhere, coincidentally I took a trip down to Maryland that same weekend and actually saw him in person at Downtown Locker Room (their version a Jimmy Jazz x Foot Locker). Sadly I felt alone in my appreciation of the DMV native’s work; ironically it wasn’t till I met fellow Too Fortunate writer Sco D. that I knew I wasn’t alone in the world.

Fast forward a couple of years a few mixtapes a couple of Twitter absences and a hairstyle change and now we are at a crossroads. With the acclaim yet underselling of his debut album Attention Deficit; Wale found himself at the same point in his career that many artists find themselves. Does he go back to the lab and rework the formula or go back to his roots and remember what got you to the promised land. Thankfully he went with the latter and thus the whole no days off Twitter campaign was created. After what seemed to be a few years away from the Internet (in actuality turned out to be a mere month or so) a follow up to last year’s Mixtape About Nothing was delivered. More About Nothing picks up where it’s predecessor left of with stellar “original” production, sharp wordplay, and the notorious Sienfeld quips through out. The album is loaded with songs that would have no problem making it to any play list whether it be the “Loud pack” to “Put It On Her” varieties. I know I’ve been quite critical of Mr. Folorin in the past but I’m one to give credit where it is deserved and this tape warms my heart like a properly done Jordan Retro release. With features ranging from Wiz Khalifa to Roscoe Dash, Fat Trell and………..Waka Flock Flame, it might seem Wale went a little left field but it all fits into the ongoing “Nothing” theme. So all in all good job chum, and keep up the good work. Head on over to Moreaboutnothing.com to download that tape!

Hip hop, what can I say about it that hasn’t already been said; Lifestyle, youth destroyer, life saver, etc. When thinking of the musical expression that is linked with the term Hip Hop one element that seems to always turn up is authenticity. With every new freestyle, single, mixtape, album; we always run back to the platform of authenticity. Take a ride on your local subway system and you’ll be hard pressed not to find conversations riddled with “Oh I ain’t f*cking with him he’s fake” or “He stole his whole style” and so on. Yes with every art form there are those who achieve fame through fraudulent acts however with all the controversy stirred up by today’s successful, I’m left wondering are we as a collective looking for flaws in artist just to continue this trend of “exposing” individuals. I would like for all of us to take a look at the following artist and determine whether authenticity is the truly the problem.

It would be impossible to continue this post with out mentioning the artist with the most credibility issues as of late, Mr. William Roberts or Rick Ross as he would like to be known as (or until Freeway Ricky Ross can get some money and a credible case together). After surviving what could have possibly been the best/worst exposing in rap history, one would think “The Teflon Don” is actually made of Teflon. However the whispers of his law enforcement past always come up, and now with his new allegiance to Diddy the whispers are growing louder and louder. With the most unbiased I’ll say this, in rap we’re taught “F*ck Tha Police” by some guys out in Compton; however should you be in a situation where let’s say your brand new LCD TV I would like to think the first number you would call is that of the police department and not Styles P. I guess what I’m trying to say is some things are hard to bounce back from and in most instances what Ross faced would have destroyed a weaker artist but the underlying fact is talent is talent. I for one plan on getting plenty of noise violations next semester playing B.M.F. and MC Hammer at the loudest volumes humanly possible. At the end of the day when I listen to an artist I’m not to concerned with his biography or “street credibility” because it’s just music and not History class.

Our next artist seems to be in the gossip pages for what people call being overall fake. In the past year it was impossible to go anywhere without hearing the clever and yet overtly sexual lyrics of the young lady Nicki Minaj. I’ll admit when I first heard her rap the comparisons to Lil Kim were inevitable. However I can admit that she has grown into her own and like her content or not she is a marketable artist with a bright future ahead of her if managed the right way. You would like to believe that would be the end of the discussion but as usual the rap fans have cried foul yet again. These allegations are a bit more on the comical side. Claims of a fake ass, hair, nails, tits, teeth, nose, etc all seem to plague the young lady. I ask my male rap fans if Nicki wasn’t an attractive young lady would we listen. I’m going to universally answer that with a no, and continue by saying if we begin to judge rappers lyrical ability based on physical appearance I’m sorry to say that “the game” just isn’t for me any more and I’m first in line for the new Maroon 5 album (which I actually still am). As for the claims that she doesn’t write her own raps is something I can’t speak on because honestly I don’t care. Music in general is supposed to be an escape from reality for 3 to 5 minutes. Therefore for that short amount of time I’m listening to what is being said and how is lays on top of the beat, nothing else.

Finally I bring the attention to the self proclaimed “youngest to ever do it” Mr. Aubrey “Drake” Graham. With what seems to be the world at his feet right now his questions of authenticity seem to be the loudest. Did he buy his way into the game, is he really writing his own raps, Are we willing to place the future of rap in the hands of a Jewish kid from Canada ? I think somewhere along the line the rap fan has lost his way. To nitpick every single facet of an artist’s life is beyond ridiculous. Yes at times we would prefer that Drake raps a little more than sing, and yes the infamous “free styling off of a Blackberry” was a blemish in his career but lets face it your favorite rapper has probably committed greater sins in the eyes of the Hip Hop gods. I’ll admit when I first heard “Wheelchair Jimmy” was a rapper I chuckled and told my usual jokes but after listening to his work I was converted to a believer. I feel that there are still some raw elements that need to be polished. However as a fan of music for me to say I’m not listening because he was once an actor or because his form of struggling included not waking up in time to cop the latest Jordan ’s is completely foolish; and I feel bad for the amount of quality music you as a listener will be missing out on.

In all I think the true question of who’s real and fake in rap music could be differentiated to who is a real rap fan and who isn’t. Yes rap is filled with its fair share of eyebrow raisers from; Plies having a supposed Bachelors degree in Nursing, to The Game once being a stripper, to Gravy orchestrating a self shooting in front of Hot 97. However for me to place this above talent for the reason I won’t be listening to their work should make you question if I’m a “real” fan of the genre.

In the clip above we see Pharrell in a sit down interview with Dr. Steve Perry a CNN Education Contributor speaking on the importance of education and approaching school curriculums in a different way. He drops a lot of gems and the conversation is definitely one that deserves light so check it out.

In the above interview with Rap-Up the Distant Relatives speak about a host of topics from Wayne’s absence in music to newcomers in the game and Esco tells them how Drake and J. Cole are both fire…I think Hov would agree.

As many people know today marks the anniversary of Christopher Wallace’s death and all these years later the impact is still felt. As Canibus put it and many have repeated “The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th” so today pull out the old cassettes and bump the classics in the Notorious one’s name. Some people called him the King of New York, Frank White. Others called him Big Poppa but regardless of what he went by one thing remains clear…Biggie Smalls is the ILLEST.

If the world we know turned to dust and a new civilization wanted to know what hip-hop was that video/song is the essence of it all. We’ll always love Big Poppa….rest in peace B.I.G.

WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND DONE, REMEMBER THE FEARLESS, REMEMBER THE DREAMERS, REMEMBER THOSE WHO REPRESENT THE GHETTO…THE FAIRY TALE OF NOTHING TO SOMETHING. I’M BRIEFLY SADDENED BY NEGATIVE COMMENTS, BUT I HAVE TO REMEMBER THOSE PEOPLE ARE SCARED, INCAPABLE OR JUST PLAIN IDIOTS. WE ARE THE FUCKING ROCK STARS BABY. NO COCAINE, JUST LIFE MY NIGGAS!! NO COCAINE, JUST LIFE! IT’S FUNNY TO ME WHEN FASHION BLOGGERS DOWN OUR OUFITS AND THEN SUPER JOCK OUTLANDISH SHIT ON THE RUNWAY BUT THEN THEY DRESS MAD PRUDE AND DON’T LIVE FASHION. WE LIVE IT MAN. FUCK THAT, WE LIVE IT!!! WE LIVE IT SO HARD PEOPLE LIVE THROUGH US! WE REPRESENT YOUR INNER SPIRIT!! THE CHILD IN US ALL, THE BRUTAL HONESTY, THE NAIVETY, THE BRAVE WARRIOR, THE ADRENALINE THAT ALLOWS A MOTHER TO LIFT A CAR IF HER CHILD WAS TRAPPED UNDER IT! REMEMBER, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN EVERYBODY DISSED MICHAEL JACKSON EVERY CHANCE THEY COULD. IMAGINE THE PRESSURE OF BEING A TRUE ICON. VERY FEW HUMAN BEINGS ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO TAKE CONSTANT HATE!!! IF WE DON’T DO WHAT YOU FEEL IS THE SHIT, YOU BEAT US UP VERBALLY AND MENTALLY, LIKE A CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEACHER BEATING A CREATIVE STUDENT INTO SUBMISSION. I CAN HEAR YOU SCREAMING ‘COLOR INSIDE THE LINES!!!’ WELL FUCK YOUR COLORING BOOK, COLOR BY NUMBERS APPROACH TO LIFE. AT THE END OF THE DAY WHO ARE WE HURTING??? OH “THE NEW BLACK???” SINCE BARACK IS PRESIDENT BLACKS DON’T LIKE FUR COATS, RED LEATHER, AND FRIED CHICKEN ANY MORE?! WHEN YOU TRULY UNDERSTAND CULTURAL SETTINGS, BOUNDARIES, AND OUR MODERN DAY CASTE SYSTEMS, THEN YOU CAN FEEL THE GLORY AND PAIN FROM THE DAYS OF KINGS IN AFRICA TO THE NEW KINGS OF THE MEDIA. LET THE BALL PLAYERS DANCE AFTER THEY SCORE! IT’S LIFE MY NIGGAS, IT’S LIFE! REMEMBER CLOTHING IS A CHOICE. WE WERE BORN NAKED!!! FRESH IS AN OPINION, LOVE IS OBJECTIVE, TASTE IS SELECTIVE, AND EXPRESSION IS MY FAVORITE ELECTIVE. NO MORE POLITICS OR APOLOGIES!!!
01.29.2010

- Martin Louis the King Jr.

Fuck conformity. I bet none of his plaques say ‘Kayne’ anymore, HA!

We all watch at least one traditional Christmas movie either on Christmas day, Christmas eve or just around the holidays.

Heres a list from 15 to 1.

15. Batman Returns

The first Batman sequel takes a wicked turn with the villainous exploits of the freakish and mean-spirited Penguin (Danny DeVito), whose criminal collaboration with evil tycoon Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) threatens to drain Gotham City of its energy supply. As if that weren’t enough, Batman (Michael Keaton) has his hands full with the vengeful Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), who turns out to be a lot more dangerous than a kitten with a whip. As with the first Batman feature, director Tim Burton brings his distinct visual style to the frantic action, but this time there’s a darker malevolence lurking beneath all that extraordinary production design. –Jeff Shannon

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One man’s reasoning behind a recent study suggesting New Yorkers are the unhappiest in America (with New Jersey close behind)