Goddamn there was lot of rappin' goin' on here last week. In one night we had both Fat Joe and Lupe Fiasco doing their wildly different takes on this hiphop shit, plus the latest edition of Vitamin D's Big Tunes beat battle. Of course, I didn't hear about any of those till too late, which is why you're cussing me out now for not telling you ahead of time. I know. I'm sleepin', I guess...
Speaking of which, I've been snoozing for months on the debut album by ATL rappers Sho-Nuff and Big Marc, collectively known as Da BackWudz. Falling stylistically somewhere between the Youngbloodz and, dare I say it, Outkast, the duo sounds pretty gotdang fresh over bouncy soul tracks. Even if sped-up soul tracks are so '04 (and '95–'98, for that matter) "You Gotta Love Me," which has been out for a minute, is still fresh as hell, and "Making Money, Counting Hundreds" is good enough to deserve to be annoying the shit out of you on Clear Channel radio every 15 minutes. Man, after a good seven months of steady rap-n-bullshit (you name it) and fun-but-extremely-short-shelf-life albums (I'm already tired of Rhymefest), I've only really been excited about mix tapes (Lil Wayne's Dedication 2, Ras Kass's Revenge of the Spit), and a leaked album or two (Lupe, Lupe, Lupe). Thanks 2006—my expectations are shot, stabbed, and burned beyond recognition.
You can expect a good time at the War Room on August 2, though, as it's the second installment of Puma Presents The B-List, a night of hot rappity rap jams psychotically spun by DJs N8 and Fourcolorzack, who according to one salty Line Out commenter, may be afflicted with musical ADD. Donations for this terrible disease are being taken at the door, bonus points if you bring a box of Newports and Puma sweats. Yadida.
Okay, so maybe you've seen the Rap Insider DVD by now, or heard about it—you know, the one with the faux-news-reporter guy going on a hunt to dig up dirt on the Game? So it's got that whole episode of when he was on Change of Heart and some Photoshop-ass looking "evidence" that he was a stripper (shudder). Overall, it's a pretty cheap shot, but it's kinda funny—and it almost certainly had nothing to do with 50 Cent. Ha ha. But what's it really gonna do to dude's career to have it revealed that he was a corny, nongangster ass sucker on a dating show? Do people really care about truthfulness, thought, or credibility in their art anymore? Take for example the Lil' Jon/50 Cent protégé Lil' Scrappy, who recently said in an XXL interview, "I don't give a damn if I gotta sit on a goddamn horse playin' a goddamn guitar. If that's what's gonna get me paid and get me to be a star, that's what I'm gonna do." Sweet, but I gotta better idea, Scraps; juggle this here fried chicken and smile good 'n' wide! You're gettin' money, boy!
