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The History of Battle Rap, As Presented by @TrueGodImmortal

Speed ontheBeat

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Title: The History of Battle Rap, As Presented by @TrueGodImmortal
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

By @TrueGodImmortal Years ago, I first discovered battle rap. I was entranced as an artist...

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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>By @TrueGodImmortal</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Years ago, I first discovered battle rap. I was entranced as an artist myself and someone who came up battling on the street corners in my neighborhood. I was watching the DVDs, watching Smack battles, Lionz Den, and some of the smaller battles, even to the hilarious "oh you mad cause I'm stylin' on you" line that sparked a fight at the battle. Then there's the infamous Yung Ill line against Calicoe, with "Smack, who is this nigga," which is another immortal moment in the sport of battle rap. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One could also reference the violent side of Math Hoffa, as his infamous punch on Dose during a battle, which was mostly unprovoked, gave battle rap a bad name in some ways, but also made every battle must see just in case it got physical. Regardless of this, in the earlier years, battle rap wasn't necessarily seen in the manner that it would become. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You had smaller battle arenas like Fight Klub, where respected MCs like Remy Ma, Lady Luck, Jin The MC, Serius Jones, and others went at it to crown themselves the best overall. The feel at Fight Klub was full of hungry MCs trying to make a name for themselves. Classics from Fight Klub include legends Arsonal vs Hollow Da Don, legend Hitman Holla vs Remy, Serius Jones vs Jin, Remy Ma vs Lady Luck, Sam Scarfo (what happened to him) vs 40 Cal, Jin vs Iron Solomon and many more classic battles. Whenever I think battle rap, I would like to credit Fight Klub for being one of the innovators in the game early on and putting on a number of legends at the time. Fight Klub, alongside Smack is one of the pioneers of modern day battle rap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On shows like <i>106 and Park</i>, there were weekly competitions where battlers would spit for small periods of time, usually over beats and production instead of straight up free verse. There we saw already known legends like Hollow Da Don and Loaded Lux win the weekly crown, while names like Jin, Blind Fury, Sco, Charron, and others did their thing and earned a spot in battle rap history. The 106 and Park battle league wasn't taken as serious, but it did provide us with some dope moments and set the tone for other battle leagues to grow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One battle league that grew was the Loaded Lux-led Lionz Den battle league that had a ton of classic battles featured including Tay Roc vs Charlie Clips, Tech 9 vs Arsonal, Goodz vs Head Ice, battles with Kaboom, K-Shine, and a number of other battlers. Lionz Den left a big mark on battle rap, and it would only add to Lux and his legendary status.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of Lux, he would really get his start battling against guys like Murda Mook and Midwest Miles on the Smack DVDs, and back then, during this era, battles could end up going 8 or 9 rounds, sometimes even more. T-Rex vs Un Kasa, Murda Mook vs Serius Jones, and a number of other classic battles from the Smack DVD era seemingly furthered the culture and made it possible for the Ultimate Rap League to be born. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">URL is the biggest dance in town with battle rap, and rightfully so. They took all the legends and put them on the stage, on a much bigger playing field and started playing the battlers even more money than before. See, this is the thing about this one in particular: when URL was born, it was a building process that shaped the whole battle rap culture and changed everything up. Sure, there was Fight Klub before and even the Grindtime Now league, which has a few good battles and some other budding leagues, but nothing could compare to URL. Once the URL became legit, then it became time to push more and more battles and build legends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Names like Loaded Lux, Hitman Holla, Math Hoffa, Murda Mook, Hollow Da Don, and Arsonal were already solidified as legends in the culture, while Iron Solomon, Jin, E-Ness, Serius Jones and a few others represented an era of battle rap that was on the way out. The freestyle vibe of Serius and the corny yet still efficient wordplay of Iron wasn't as concise as the rapid fire, hard hitting lyricism of Lux, the breaking down of opponents by Mook, the disrespect of Arsonal, or the performance factor of Hitman. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">See, the lyrics mattered for sure, but what made the whole battle culture become more endearing to the world over was the obvious commercialization and branding that comes along with it. URL would garner sponsors and start pumping more money into the brand, and early on, we saw the evolution of battle rap at its finest. With the names like Big T, Charlie Clips, O-Red, Tech 9 Aye Verb, X-Factor, Goodz, K-Shine, DNA, and Tsu Surf becoming more and more prominent in URL, battle rap seemed to be in a prime and forced the battlers to be as creative as possible and come up with slogans to capture the fans even more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It worked. Soon, there were more league popping up and more leagues everywhere, which was cool for what it was, but nothing could compare to URL. Don't Flop is a solid league, Gorilla Warfare is as well, and while I'm not the biggest fan of Rare Breed Ent, or RBE as we know it, it has a great place for upcoming battlers, though its founder ARP shows far too much favoritism. Then there's leagues that tend to rub me the wrong way at times like King of The Dot, or KOTD, which is mostly full of white battle rappers and don't appeal as much to the core crowd of URL, but they do appeal to the world over. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, KOTD has had big moments over the years with the rise of the lyrical legend Daylyt, the branding of Dizaster as one of their faces, the growth of Pat Stay, Rone, Illmaculate, Caustic, and a number of other battle rappers of the pale variety. No offense, but it reeked of something to see one of the only black faces to get attention in KOTD be Daylyt or if you want to give him credit, 100 Bulletz. Regardless, while URL was laying down the groundwork, we saw KOTD rise up some, even partnering up through the years to bring Canibus into battling and Cassidy back into battling as well with the help of some smarmy culture vultures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Though I'm not really a big fan of KOTD, Organik is very smart and strategic with how he puts the battles together, and though I hate Lush One with a passion, he does love the sport of battle rap. However, like URL would soon say, you can copy the format, but you can't copy respect. URL is where battle rap lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">URL is where battle rap grew as well. Battles like Math Hoffa vs Calicoe, K-Shine vs Tsu Surf, K-Shine vs Tay Roc, X-Factor vs O Red, X-Factor vs Tsu Surf, Hollow Da Don vs Goodz, Calicoe vs Shotgun Suge, Hitman Holla vs Arsonal, T-Rex vs Conceited, Hollow Da Don vs Big T, and a number of other classics helped build the brand of URL and change the game. It led us to the biggest moment of battle rap and the highest height for the sport. Summer Madness 2. With top tier battlers like Hitman Holla, Calicoe, Charlie Clips, and DNA on the line up, Smack and URL brought back all the legends to do battle and the night was magical. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Iron Solomon vs Murda Mook finally, the return of E Ness to battle DNA, Serius Jones returns to battle Charlie Clips, and the biggest moment of the night and probably the biggest moment in battle rap history, Loaded Lux vs Calicoe. Summer Madness 2 is a height that the genre of battle rap has yet to replicate and probably never will. URL saw Lux decimate Calicoe in his battle and then move on to permeating pop culture and hip hop in general with his catchy "You Gon Get This Work" phrase. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">T</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">his was when battle rap got more eyes locked on it, but admittedly, it was never the same and oddly enough, there was never another big moment quite like this until another Loaded Lux battle. NOME (Night of Main Events) and Summer Madness would both be disappointments the following year after Summer Madness 2, despite Hitman Holla vs Conceited being a big battle, and Tsu Surf vs Hollow Da Don being a top battle as well. There's a few classics in between here like Tsu Surf vs Conceited, and the rise of Charlie Clips, but the whole world yearned for a big time card that would turn the genre upside down, and they got it, from the Arsonal-led league, UDubb Network.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The event was High Stakes. It was being broadcasted on iPPV. The card featured a ton of battles we had hoped to see. B-Magic vs Daylyt. Tsu Surf vs Calicoe. Hitman Holla vs O Red. However, no battle was bigger or better than the monumental Hollow Da Don vs Loaded Lux battle. I still think this battle is the greatest battle ever, and means more to this culture than just about any other battle. It was at this point where battle rap reached yet another high, and Hollow and Lux were etched in the battle rap Mt. Rushmore based on this battle. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Personally, I hold Lux as the greatest to ever do it, as he is the most important battle rapper ever. Many today claim Mook is the best, but nothing Mook has done in these last two generations has really mattered. Lux turned the genre upside down with his Calicoe battle. Then he put the culture on the highest level battling with Hollow. He revolutionized the game with Lionz Den, shined and became immortalized as Grey Hoodie Lux via Smack DVDs, and was the most impressive on 106 and Park through a ton of wins. Even today, one of the most sought after battles is Lux vs Daylyt or even Lux vs Aye Verb, and unlike Mook vs his potential opponents, those could actually happen. Lux would end up getting bigger money for his battles, and to be fair, no one really knew how much he got. It was Mook who put it out there that he got 20,000 to battle Iron Solomon and at that point, the game was never the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This leads me to the decline of battle rap. As the culture grew, the influx of the legends along with new names changed the dichotomy. It was no longer about the sport of battling, but rather who could get the most money. Sure, Lux asking for 30 or 40,000 seems like a lot, but take into consideration what the iPPV buys did off the strength of his Hollow battle, or what his Calicoe battle did for the entire sport in general, being the highest viewed URL battle in history as of now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If any battle rapper could ask for a large sum, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I could see it being Lux. The same goes for Hitman Holla, who was one of the most viewed battle rappers, or even a Tsu Surf. However, the problem really grew due to over saturation. Total Slaughter was started by Fuse and Shady Records, but it messed up the whole flow of things. Joe Budden was the star of it all and got paid a rumored 100,000 or more, and ended up having a terrible battle with Hollow Da Don. This is really a big moment where battle rap lost it some. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure, the core fans never left and we all pay attention to the URL events regularly, but the mainstream love affair with battle rap ended at Total Slaughter, and it messed up the whole flow of the entire genre in some way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">From that event, you heard battlers talking about how much they wanted to battle, portraying themselves in quite a diva manner that really rubbed me the wrong way. Mook, a battle rapper who had two lackluster performances in two underwhelming battles, started to say he only would battle if he got paid 100,000. That's an astronomical figure for such a half assed performer. Yes, Mook was a legend back then, but in this era? He has two wins against opponents who were better than him lyrically, just both of the wrong platform. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mook doesn't deserve 100,000 or even half of that to battle. Keep their numbers around 30,000 at best for the biggest names and everything should be feasible. Then there's the issues with venues. Venues don't want battle rap or hip hop related events, especially considering the violence and fights that break out, and URL has suffered because of that. KOTD is flourishing, but to be honest, it's hard for me to care about what they do. Regardless, these are the things causing a decline in battle rap. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Everybody wants the money. The bag. I get it. We all want to be paid, but holding up battles for more money, no showing events for more money after being paid already (B Magic), and just no showing in general or giving a half assed performance on the big stage led to the genre taking a hit. Right now, battle rap is in a tough position, and URL is struggling somewhat and try to regroup. After the Irving Plaza incidents, one has to wonder if they can secure a big venue again and with Summer Madness 6 cancelled, URL doesn't look too good. However, the strategy they're about to employ is what got them there in the first place. Bars over names.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With this Born Legacy series, URL is going back to the essence. Smaller venues, lesser known and newer battles, and cheaper battles in general to help them break even or profit in order to put on bigger cards in the future. It's smart. Leave the Hitmans, the Luxs, and the Mooks off the cards, and focus on your Tay Rocs, your DNAs, your Tsu Surfs, and K-Shines (big names all at a cheaper price than the others), along with the John John Da Dons, your Big Ts, T-Top, Brizz, and names right there on the cusp of top tier, combine with your new gunners in Mike P, Ave, Tink Da Demon, Jerry Wess, and the legend yet somehow elusive Daylyt and keep building. This is a transition period for battle rap and URL in general. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After a sharp decline, we are seeing a reboot of sorts now. Can battle rap recover and have a Summer Madness 6 in 2017 to rival Summer Madness 2? Can we see some of those legendary battles we want to see? Only time will tell, but I think the culture is in good hands with URL and that once they get over this hump, which seems to be soon, they will be back to the way they need to be. Let's hope for the culture's sake they get it rolling back again. SMACK!</span></div>
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The History of Battle Rap, As Presented by @TrueGodImmortal

By @TrueGodImmortal Years ago, I first discovered battle rap. I was entranced as an artist...

Does Eazy-E's Debut Album Hold Up?

Speed ontheBeat

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Title: Does Eazy-E's Debut Album Hold Up?
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

For those who are unaware, I (somewhat ironically) found myself more influenced by artists such...

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For those who are unaware, I (somewhat ironically) found myself more influenced by artists such as Eazy-E and Ice-T than I did so-called "conscious backpack rappers" coming up. It's ironic because some have tried to classify me as a throwback backpack rapper. But, that's not to say that I'm out here slanging and banging anymore or anything. However, the approach these two artists took to music always was a marvel-worthy thing for me. Additionally, there's just something about artists like the aforementioned that made me want to rap more than, say, Common when I first started rapping. So, it comes as no surprise that <i>Eazy-Duz-It</i> is one of my favorite albums.<br />
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Released about a month after N.W.A.'s <i>Straight Outta Compton</i>, <i>Eazy-Duz-It</i> But, does one of the quintessential gangsta rap albums hold up twenty-eight years later, or does it suffer from being a product of its time?<br />
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The album begins with a dark-ass intro (a la Ice-T's albums), then bleeds effortlessly into "Still Talkin'" and "Nobody Move." "Talkin'" is your typical shit-talking track that proclaims, among other things, that Eazy is a boss with the D. I love the bridge breakdowns and the fact that Eazy's lyrics are equal parts outlandish as hell (for instance, "I may be a woman beater, but I'm not a pussy eater") and grounded. </div>
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Now, "Nobody Move" details a bank robbery where Eazy and MC Ren murder hostages, beat down guards, and almost get away with it (until Eazy's gun runs out of bullets). Keeping up with the outlandish situations, Eazy almost unknowingly has sex with, I'm going to assume, a crossdresser. I say "assume" because it's not really known if the person in question identified as female or just liked women's clothes. Gender identity semantics aside, the track works because of its production and the believability factor of Eazy's delivery.</div>
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Next up, MC Ren and Eazy drop an on-the-spot "freestyle," "Ruthless Villain." There's not too much to say about this track other than it keeps up the gangsta imagery from the first two tracks. It's not one of the particularly noteworthy tracks, to me, but it still rides so smoothly. From here, we get into "2 Hard Mutha's." Eazy and Ren drop some pretty intricate for the time schemes here. On top of that, the bass and drums on this one are beautiful. If you're looking for a track to fit into a nostalgic mix, I'd recommend it because of its inclusion of everything that made up early gangsta rap: soul samples, dope drums, hard lyrics, and bragging that felt more real than just braggadocios BS.</div>
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The "Boyz-N-The-Hood" remix...do we really need to say anything about this track? I mean, for real, guys. It's a track that's a classic for a reason. It's infectious as hell, lyrically sound, and it gives a perspective unseen at the time. What I love about it and the album's title track are the storytelling abilities Eazy and his team came up with. You'd think that, almost halfway through, you'd get tired of hearing about how Eazy rolled up on this girl or that guy and smoked 'em, but nope.</div>
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"We Want Eazy" is a hidden gem on this album. Not exactly hidden, because it did get released as a single. But, it's one that often gets looked over when we're talking Eazy classics. The production, as usual on this album, slaps and does its sample material ("Ahh... The Name is Bootsy, Baby!") justice. "Eazy-er Said Than Dunn" is a radio single that doesn't sacrifice any of Eazy's style for the sake of not cursing or being explicit. </div>
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You still get exactly what you'd expect from Eazy, just without the profanities. Same thing with "Radio," track that, quite literally, tells us how much we'd hear Eazy on the radio because of his style. This trio of songs is on some "Zealots" stuff (hi Lauryn), in that we're so used to hearing Eazy curse and the like...but he's doing so to draw us in and get our attention on the issues at hand. </div>
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Eazy and his team were wise beyond their years, as cliched as that sounds (and even though Eazy was already in his 20s, contrary to the original "born in '73" hilarity).</div>
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Next up, we get "No More ?'s," which feels a bit like a late-80s version of Lil' Wayne's "Feel Me." Both use the framing device of being interviewed and then saying "hey, you're getting too personal, but I'll still give you some answers...to a point." However, Eazy does it as if he's legit getting interviewed, straying away from profanity to get to the point about his past. It's another hidden gem of a track and one of my personal favorites off the album.</div>
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The final two tracks on the album, "I'mma Break It Down" and "Eazy - Chapter 8 Verse 10," feature Eazy rapping over some dope breaks (Baltimore club heads will especially remember the break used in "Chapter 8") and speaking his peace. The final track, delivered like a sermon, gives us a rundown of what's gone down in the album (and in Eazy's life that day). Things got real, fun was had, but overall? We got ourselves a classic album in the process that speaks on reality, but in a way that's so outlandish, you've just got to pay attention even more so.</div>
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So, does <i>Eazy-Duz-It</i> hold up twenty-eight years after its debut? While the bars are a bit simplistic at times, the album itself holds up as a centerpiece of rap in general, gangsta or otherwise. The production is timeless, even in its somewhat dated nature. And Eazy's delivery keeps you into the bars when they may get a bit repetitive. Overall, <i>Eazy-Duz-It</i> has earned its place in music history.</div>
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Happy belated birthday, Eazy. I'm about three weeks later, but better late than never. Thank you for your contributions to hip-hop.</div>
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Does Eazy-E's Debut Album Hold Up?

For those who are unaware, I (somewhat ironically) found myself more influenced by artists such...

New Music: @DugeeLFE x @JahBoaz - "Ain't A Thang"

Speed ontheBeat

Link Author

Title: New Music: @DugeeLFE x @JahBoaz - "Ain't A Thang"
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Per Dugee's email to me: DMV Underground standouts Dugee F. Buller & Jesusgang Ali ...

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<i>Per Dugee's email to me:</i></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">DMV Underground standouts Dugee F. Buller & Jesusgang Ali have collaborated to create the soundtrack to a moving animated visual highlighting the separation between artists/art that promotes positive and </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: black; font-family: inherit;">negative energies to our people. [This is the] third part of a collection of abstract animated art films directed by Jesusgang Ali.</span></i></div>
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Dugee and Jesusgang Ali took a plethora of anime clips and laid this smooth "Backstabbers"-sampling track over them to show the disconnection between those providing the art and the art itself. The track itself is one of Buller's best and the choice to use as many anime clips as they did, it makes me smile as a anime nerd and as a fan of abstract imagery. Check the video out below.<br />
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New Music: @DugeeLFE x @JahBoaz - "Ain't A Thang"

Per Dugee's email to me: DMV Underground standouts Dugee F. Buller & Jesusgang Ali ...

Weird and Black: Words of Comfort for When You're Letting Go and Moving On

Speed ontheBeat

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Title: Weird and Black: Words of Comfort for When You're Letting Go and Moving On
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

SpeedontheBeat.com contributor Amanda Jay returns with a testimonial about moving on from toxic fri...

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<i>SpeedontheBeat.com contributor Amanda Jay returns with a testimonial about moving on from toxic friends, relationships, and more.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
As a weird Black person, I've found one thing to be true: though often I feel that I my issues manifest differently than many of my peers, the same rules apply when navigating them. One of the issues I have personally found hardest to maneuver is outgrowing certain friendships. While this is a difficult issue for most people across the board, it is particularly difficult for me (and in doing some research for this post, I've found this to be true for many weird black folk) in large part because for me, friends have always been a precious and precarious thing.<br />
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As a weird-ass Black girl, I've tried everything to make friends; I've been myself, I've been less than myself, I've been someone else, and I've been alone. While being alone was definitely one of the better learning lessons of my life, I have finally settled into some friendships that do not require me to alter any portion of my interests or personality, and restructured a few that did. I'm sure your mama or grandma has told you the same thing all friendless kids of color hear: "some people are in your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime." You might not have wanted to hear it, but it is true.<br />
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These successful friendships, while I cherish them, are not the ones we are here to discuss today. It is the toxic ones that need the spotlight shined on them. At any point during your quarter life/Dirty Thirty crisis, if you have been down the toxic friend rabbit hole, this post is for you. In talking to a few different people, including two home girls and my partner, I realized that we have all, at some point, hit the toxic friend dead zone. For anecdotal purposes, names (with the exception of my partner's) have been changed.<br />
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Best friend extraordinaire, Chicita (told you I would change names), and I were having a discussion about another of her friends. Chicita, being a tad older than me, is confounded about the lack of ambition, direction, and general maturity in a group of her friends that she befriended during her late teens and early twenties.<br />
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"Why," she bemoans to me over some greasy pizza at happy hour, "are all the weird ones wack? They're always trying to do some high school shit--fuck each others boyfriends and girlfriends, fight over dumb shit, start drama out of thin air."<br />
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After looking at her like she's crazy, I start to realize...she's right. That is the precise reason I don't hang out with "her" crowd, because I didn't like that same stuff. But of all the people we know in common, they (and we) have similar backstories: no familial support; situationally broke; hobbies and interests supersede our needs sometimes (I have definitely spent my last on convention registration).<br />
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This lends itself, I would imagine, to a prolonged period of pseudo delayed development. It is one of the reasons we have such a good time, but will max out our cards to complete our cosplay. That being said, I told her to cut the friend loose. What do you have to gain when you're trying to better yourself if you're constantly breaking up fights on Girls Night Out or if you can only hang with certain people at cons or raves because one of your group is beefing with the girl who's boyfriend she slept with?<br />
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Home Girl #2, Bonita told me recently that I am the only friend she can be completely herself with. "All of the girls in my PhD program think I'm childish. It affects whether or not they want to collaborate with me, and they don't invite me out when they get together." They make fun of her, call her names... basically high school shit. Clearly, when it comes to making friends, we're all still juvenile. But she wants desperately to just be herself. She lost a friend recently who told her that her interest in cosplay and video games made her "weak" and that she needed to grow up.<br />
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My darling partner has been actively seeking friendships for a while. He, like I, has very particular interests and finding people to talk to is always a bit of a struggle. Often, his peers think being Otaku makes him creepy or just downright lame, and so when he has friendships that show red flags of toxicity, he has a difficult time (like Chicita) just cutting the damn cord.<br />
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One can Google and find myriad articles written by random millennials about the dangers of Toxic Friends. There are a gajillion of them: how to know if you are one, is your best friend toxic, is your mom toxic, etc etc. These are all well and good. Follow their advice. Ditch that friend. Dump that partner. Have hard talks. Don't be afraid to be weird, Black, and alone. "Alone for now" means that you can be yourself happily, while waiting for your forever friends.<br />
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Anyways...you're not really alone. We're all here.</div>

Weird and Black: Words of Comfort for When You're Letting Go and Moving On

SpeedontheBeat.com contributor Amanda Jay returns with a testimonial about moving on from toxic fri...

@xDannyxBrownx - Atrocity Exhibition in 300 Words or Less

Speed ontheBeat

Link Author

Title: @xDannyxBrownx - Atrocity Exhibition in 300 Words or Less
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Danny Brown's Atrocity Exhibition is a shitshow, and I mean that in a best way possible. ...

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Danny Brown's <i>Atrocity Exhibition</i> is a shitshow, and I mean that in a best way possible. Stick with me before you crucify me. From the opening track, "Downward Spiral," two things are known. One, this album is going to take a load of risks, as evident by the Hendrix-esque psychedelic guitar licks applied on the beat and Brown's flow. Two, Danny Brown is at his level. That level is a mix between what you've come to expect from Danny Brown and a willingness to experiment with production, song composition, and the like.<br />
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What we, as listeners, get is a look into the psyche of Danny Brown previously unseen. Danny is just as reflective on songs such as "Rolling Stone" as he is accepting of the life he's chosen/choosing. <i>Atrocity </i>is a haunting, realistic, but still, pretty beautifully and unabashedly IDGAF (in some ways) story. The tracks that stand out are the ones that kind of go off the deep end with the production and hard rockstar living, such as "Golddust."<br />
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Lyrically, Brown's never been a slouch, and this album continues that. Lyrically and flow-wise, here, he reminds me of some mix between Tech N9ne and Andre 3000. An odd combination, but it works. And it works on a level that allows Brown to still be himself while somewhat channeling legendary artists.<br />
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Overall, this is an album that gives us exactly what we want and need from artists such as Danny Brown. We get more of that IDGAF attitude mixed with a lot of risks that work. Why? Simply put, it's <i>because</i> of that IDGAF attitude. Listen to <i>Atrocity Exhibition </i>below.<br />
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@xDannyxBrownx - Atrocity Exhibition in 300 Words or Less

Danny Brown's Atrocity Exhibition is a shitshow, and I mean that in a best way possible. ...

Rem's Rant: Should Rings Matter in the Hall of Fame?

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Title: Rem's Rant: Should Rings Matter in the Hall of Fame?
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Should HOF entry be contingent upon rings? Even with the most recent star studded 2016 HOF class ...

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Should HOF entry be contingent upon rings?<br />
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Even with the most recent star studded 2016 HOF class featuring the prolific scoring, whilst temperamental, guard Allen Iverson and dynamic international prodigy Yao Ming, I'd have to definitively say YES.<br />
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We've all been a part of NBA debates at one point or another, whether it be defending our favorite players, eras, or statistics but even in the midst of all that we tend to conveniently cast common sense to the wind. Preferential bias keeps us from acknowledging just how great some of the NBA legends have been in their respective eras of play. And it seems as if the most elusive accolade that we disregard is a championship. The blood, sweat, and tears that are a prerequisite to becoming a contender every year let alone being the recipient of the award is ignored.<br />
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That alone raises questions as I've been frequently told that "championships aren't everything." Well, in some warped reality where professional athletes only play for money and recognition, I can't imagine how in this reality that the efforts of past champions still isn't enough. I believe that the measure of a player's individual and joint greatness is manifested during the journey of, and after, winning that ring.<br />
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Now don't get me wrong, I do not believe the Hall is for all champions. We know that even the last guy on the bench gets a ring with his respective team. But, in choosing who's granted access to the promised land, a championship should definitely be on the resume. I personally don't believe allowing players without rings into the HOF makes for great debates. And that's simply because it downplays the efforts of great athletes that were not only able to win it all, but the even greater players that were able to do it multiple times.<br />
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We all know the margin between an Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan is worlds away.<br />
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One is heralded as the GOAT...while the other is more known for his now infamous "Practice Rant" in some circles. But, somehow, both of them being enshrined blurs that line. MJ is a six-time champion (among several other accomplishments) while Iverson's closest attempt at winning was getting thrashed in the 2001 NBA Finals 4-1 and never returning.<br />
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I use those two as perfect examples of how one player is compared to the other without much premise outside of it being debate material. Iverson's entire career is nothing more than a delusion of grandeur in reality. But, the NBA's criteria for enshrining an athlete seems to be flawed. So, to sum this all up, I do believe the HOF should be contingent upon rings.<br />
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Anything else berates the individuals who had no issue going to "practice" to win said rings. </div>

Rem's Rant: Should Rings Matter in the Hall of Fame?

Should HOF entry be contingent upon rings? Even with the most recent star studded 2016 HOF class ...

Rejected: The Tide-Over (or The A-Hole in Us All)

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Link Author

Title: Rejected: The Tide-Over (or The A-Hole in Us All)
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

This Rejected is going to get a bit NSFW and possibly a bit less detailed... After my uber...

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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>After my <a href="http://www.speedonthebeat.com/2016/09/rejected-story-of-ms-pink-jacket-part.html">uber-crush</a> in
high school <a href="http://www.speedonthebeat.com/2016/09/rejected-story-of-ms-pink-jacket-part-two.html">with MPJ</a>, other sexual adventures, and the time I had a threesome with a racially insensitive
moron (<a href="http://www.definearevolution.com/2015/03/DAR-Stories-The-SOTB-Threesome.html">discussed in an old DAR Stories</a>), I stuck to "traditional sex." Well, as traditional as you can get in 2006. I did
what most guys do when they get to that point: I perused Facebook I started
chatting with a young woman named Morgan </i>(Ed. Note: name changed)<i>, saw what her
game was and started “dating” her, as I kind of thought that Morgan would be a
person who’d get my mind off of my dick. But, she kind of was a tide-over until something more amazing came along...for both of us. I know, I know. It's a dick move, but stick with me a bit. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Morgan and I IM'ed each other,
and Facebooked, for most of the first day we were talking or whatever. That
night, I invited myself to her spot. When I finally met Morgan face-to-face, I
was kind of taken aback. I </span>wasn't<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> exactly expecting her to be a "big girl," but
she kind of was. She was about 5’2 and kind of bigger. I </span>didn't<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> judge, though.
Why? Well, I was never the guy who’d be like "fuck you, you’re not skinny," because
that’s just mean. I don’t discriminate. Plus, I mean, even when I <i>had</i> some semblance of V-Cuts, I was still a bit doughy. So...yeah. Never been the hardbody type.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But, aside from that, her
personality was pretty cool and she knew </span></span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Family Guy</i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> quotes and stuff. </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Clutch since I was a huge </span></span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">FG </i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">fan at the time. She drank like a fish, and swore like a sailor. Essentially, Morgan was like one of the guys. That is, if one of the guys was a funny young woman with huge tits the size of a small child. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Once in her room, I
noticed a contrast between, for instance, my homeboy's room and my room. It was
<i>clean.</i> There were no beer pong tables fashioned out of closet doors, no
boxes of girlfriend junk in full display, no array of Adele's <i>(Ed. Note: Adele's is a restaurant in the Stamp Student Union at UMD) </i>chalices from eating
their jumbo ice cream shitstorm.<i> I</i> made myself at home. I hopped into her bed and we started to make out
a bit and all that. It was pretty fun. We then chilled for a bit, watched some <i>Family Guy</i>
and then said our goodbyes for the night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I ended up leaving
sometime around three in the morning because she had to go to class early the
next morning. But, I knew something. The next day we were together, I had to
have sex with her. I wanted to, she wanted to, our hormones were raging, and
the chemistry was, at least sexually, kind of there. I thought so, anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The second full day
we were dating, I invited myself to her spot again. And, I was prepped to give
her the D. I had condoms, I had a couple shots before I got there, and I even
had the "extend" lube on the condoms, since it’d been a while since
I’d done shit and was probably rusty. I needed that hour-long whiskey dick the
first time around, since first impressions are everything, it seems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But, once I got there
and got to her, and I know it's an asshole move, I </span>wasn't<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> as horny as I was the
night before. I half-heartedly performed the sex with her. Some would say that I was timid while engaging her. And truth be
told, I kind of was. My heart </span>wasn't<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> into it and my sex drive </span>wasn't<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> into it,
so I fumbled through the motions like a virgin. We both achieved orgasm, but I felt empty afterwards and a bit virgin-like.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This led her to believe
it was my first time having sex. Well, that and the fact that I lied about my
sexual encounters because most of them were just head-shakingly bad. After I finished,
she kissed me and said "now, you’re not a virgin anymore."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But, that’s it. Our "relationship" was basically just based around the three F’s: Food, Fucking,
and <i>Family Guy</i>. We'd go to eat at the North Campus Diner or order food,
we’d fuck a few times, and we’d joke about <i>Family Guy. </i>But, I wanted more. I saw my boys get into
relationships where there was a fourth F: A "fire."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, I'm not even just romantically
or sexually. But, I wanted that fire. I wanted that something that sparked change, sparked discussion. Hell, I just wanted a
spark period.<i> </i>Because of this, I began to become really distant
and standoffish with her, mostly because of my unfulfilled nature. I also developed a jealous streak that I knew I couldn't rock with. Maybe it was me trying to feign a fire, but whatever the case was, I had to end things. A month into
our "relationship," I told her that we needed to talk. And, like the asshole I
was at the time (I'm owning that I'm not perfect or that wise at times), I texted her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Look, I know it </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">wasn't</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "cool" or legitimately right to do so, especially since she shared her body
with me. But, I was almost nineteen and stupid. I'm not asking for forgiveness
or trying to explain it away, but at nineteen, I was a lot less knowledgeable
about humanity than I am now--and thought that "hey, if she's just going to use
me for dick, I can be like 'fuck you, I’m gonna break up through text.'" And,
no, before you ask, Ms. Pink Jacket </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">didn't</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> randomly pop back into my life; she
was doing her own thing at a college in Baltimore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But, I digress. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After
my text, she gives me a call. I try to talk my way through the situation,
the best way I could at almost nineteen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"Morgan," I began. "You’re really cool and all, but this </span>isn't<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> working. I like sex and all, but I
want more."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">"So, what? You’re
breaking up with me,"</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> she asked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Yeah, I'm sorry. I
know, I'm an asshole. Morgan. It's not you, it's me."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"Damn right it's you. </span>I've<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> been giving myself to you and--"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">"But I don't want <i>just</i>
sex! That’s just it! Have you been listening to me at all?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Then what<i> do</i> you want,
Speed?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">"I want love. A
relationship not based on sex. I want...a spark. Like, there's this girl--"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Have you cheated on
me?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"No! There's this one
girl, and </span>I've<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> crushed on her for the past year and we really have a good
rapport, but </span>we've<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> never been single at the same time--"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">"So, you're leaving me
to chase after her?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“No...I’m leaving you
because I think that anyone else, her included, can give me more in a
relationship than just sex. I need that spark."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Then, good luck."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In hindsight, perhaps I
didn’t handle this properly. In fact, I was, again, an asshole about it.
However, as much as I like sex, I don’t want it to be the only thing I have in
common with a person. And after Morgan and I went our separate ways, I began to
pursue this crush of mine. Little did I know that this crush of mine would turn
out to be Lady Speed. And, since she is Lady Speed, the path to her was unlike
anything I’d seen before, MPJ or otherwise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I didn't see much of Morgan after we broke up. During the beginning of my sophomore year, we tried to link up again. And, like that first time, it was awkward and confusing. We eventually agreed to be just friends, then acquaintances, then just people who looked at each other's kid pictures on Facebook and maybe like them. It was for the best, as we both ended up finding what we were looking for in other people. Again, learn from your dumbassness. Don't just continue to be dumb. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And don't break up with people through text. That's fucked up.</span></div>
</div>

Rejected: The Tide-Over (or The A-Hole in Us All)

This Rejected is going to get a bit NSFW and possibly a bit less detailed... After my uber...

New (To Me) Music: @AudioPush - Praise You ft. Musiq Soulchild

Speed ontheBeat

Link Author

Title: New (To Me) Music: @AudioPush - Praise You ft. Musiq Soulchild
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

This one's got some real Chance vibes mixed in with some "Too Close" energy and so...

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<br />
This one's got some real Chance vibes mixed in with some "Too Close" energy and some just "I love your beauty, not just your booty" imagery. It's sexy, but not really sexual, if that makes sense to some of you. I like this one, plus anything with Musiq Soulchild is destined to be greatness. Be sure to check out Audio Push's <i>90951</i> album tomorrow (and preview it now over at <a href="http://www.fashionably-early.com/2016/09/22/audio-push-90951-album-stream/">Fashionably Early</a>).<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/283718908&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></div>

New (To Me) Music: @AudioPush - Praise You ft. Musiq Soulchild

This one's got some real Chance vibes mixed in with some "Too Close" energy and so...

New Music: @Kodney - Fuck Boi

Speed ontheBeat

Link Author

Title: New Music: @Kodney - Fuck Boi
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

From Artist Rep: The fuckboi is a relatable type, the person trying to finesse you so that the...

New Music: @Kodney - Fuck Boi

From Artist Rep: The fuckboi is a relatable type, the person trying to finesse you so that the...

Rejected: Prom Song

Speed ontheBeat

Link Author

Title: Rejected: Prom Song
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Previously, I spoke of this situation in the second part of my MPJ story (photos removed to prot...

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<br />
<i>Previously, I spoke of this situation in the second part of my MPJ story (photos removed to protect the anonymity of the subject--and because I was asked to nicely). However, let's delve a bit deeper into how embarrassingly awkward my Senior Prom was for me and possibly because of me. May 20th, 2006. A day I'll probably never forget--mainly because of its Preakness-esque problems. See, I'm not always the victim in these and I'll own my foolishness.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<br />
For starters, my mom and stepdad, Roland, thought it’d be a good idea to drive me to my date, a young model-in-training named Jenny <i>(Ed. Note: Name changed)</i> house. Okay, that's kind of forgivable. I was my mom's only child and y'know, pictures and whatnot, since I was going <i>to</i> my date's house. Plus, I was broke, so I didn't have party bus money. The day of the prom, my stepdad gets all jazzed up, to look like a chauffeur, to drive a 2006 Chevy Impala. Again, I own my loser-esque qualities in high school; it was an awkward time where I finally got to be a kid (kinda) and not an adult in kid's clothes. So, my awkwardness was brought on, mostly, by adjusting back into normal social roles.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the car was pretty nice, and was a step-up from riding in the Speed-mobile, also known as my family’s minivan. For some reason, Roland has some sort of van fetish. Maybe it’s because they're cheap, or maybe he wanted to have a big-ass family and he could live out his dreams with a Grand Caravan. I don't judge. But, the Impala was a nice car. It was sleek, it was metallic silver, but it was still being driven by my folks.<br />
<br />
Things would have gone better until my folks then decided to invite my cousin along to take pictures of me at Jenny's house. Now, my cousin is good people, but he sometimes gives off a vibe of "guard yourself," possibly because he carries his photography equipment almost everywhere. I mean, he almost took a picture of my mom's body at her funeral; had to stop that with a swiftness. But, it also doesn't help that he lacks tact and tells it how he sees it.<br />
<br />
So, there we are, all piled into a rental Impala because my stepdad thought it was "limo enough," going to pick up Jenny. My cousin blabbed on to my mom about random family happenings, while his camera equipment dug into my thigh. Meanwhile, I prayed that things didn't completely go to crap.<br />
<br />
We made a left turn from my folks' place right into Preakness traffic. For those who don't remember, 2006 was the year that Barbaro was slated to the Triple Crown...then broke his leg in 20 places and was later put down.<br />
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<br />
With that said, traffic was even worse than usual for a post-Preakness atmosphere. We sat in traffic for an hour to get to the 83 exit by sucky-ass Sinai Hospital <i>(Ed. Note: Sinai, as noted in parts of </i>Unhinged: The Case Study of Speed on the Beat<i>, was where my mother was officially declared dead. Their approach towards helping me "cope" was to make fat jokes about my mother)</i>. Thankfully, once on 83, it was smooth sailing--except for the fact that my stepdad shat bricks on 83; he hates driving on any road that doesn't have stop lights. Once we got to Jenny's house, the fun really began.<br />
<br />
Everyone piled out the car like a bunch of clowns and we waited outside, since Jenny wasn't ready when we got there. Then, her friends showed up and we all have one of those “look at you, Speed! You grew up so much from that pudgy damn-near midget kid who had a crush on one girl and got kicked in the balls by another because reasons" moments. You can trust in old friends to goad you about things that happened years ago to try and have a few chuckles with you that usually end up turning into chuckles at you.<br />
<br />
Once inside, Jenny comes down. She towers over me, since I’m 5'7 on a good day and she was model-tall without shoes. That’s not a bad thing, as I'm used to being the Kevin Hart of the group, minus the jokes and the monetary awesomeness. However, everyone decided to just go on and on about it, including my parents.<br />
<br />
"He looks so cute standing next to you," my mother said as she became trigger-happy with her disposable camera. "He looks like a little man."<br />
<br />
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<br />
"Jeanette, don’t embarrass the boy," my stepdad requested, sensing my uncomfortable disposition.<br />
<br />
"Aw Roland, you don’t know nothin'. That’s my baby," my mom retorted as she snapped more photos on what seemed like her fifth camera.<br />
<br />
"Aunt Jeanette," my cousin began, in his booming, yet somewhat goofy, voice. "You gotta let Johnthan grow up the way he's gonna grow up. This isn't y'all assed-out homeless anymore. Besides, how you expect him to have sex when you taking pictures."<br />
<br />
Jenny turned to me in horror and it was then that I knew that I'd screwed the pooch.<br />
<br />
As we emptied out of the house, Jenny began to speak on her phone. Nervously, I suggest that I can make her forget about the phone. It was less of a sexual thing and more of a "holy crap, I know that was awkward. But, please, for the love of God, let's not completely ruin this night" plea. As the night went on, she continued on her phone, and eventually left me during the prom, saying that she was "sick." I really feel that it was because I was so stupid in focusing on MPJ and her datelessness--and the pre-Prom shenanigans. Plus, she was a model-in-training. She probably was busy booking calls and shoots; kind of rude, but I get it. We were both rude in some ways.<br />
<br />
We got down to the American Visionary Art Museum about an hour after the prom started. Of course, I’m posing, styling, profiling, and looking overall straight pimped out. My date, as previously mentioned, was yakking it up on the phone, which kept me outside of the prom for an even longer time. Why? She was afraid she'd lose service.<br />
<br />
Ugh.<br />
<br />
When I finally made my way into the spot, after I take my keychain photo, the first person I saw was--you guessed it--Ms. Pink Jacket, dateless and feeling like a "third wheel" (her words, not mine). She wore a green dress reminiscent of that J. Lo dress from back in the day. Of course, me being me as I was during high school--in other words, still crushing hard on MPJ--I decided to walk over (after making sure my date was okay, of course; not <i>that</i> much of an a-hole) to where she’s at and strike up a conversation.<br />
<br />
"Wow, it’s so crazy that we’re about to graduate. I’m gonna miss you, girl," I said to MPJ, fake-crying for humorous effect.<br />
<br />
"I'll miss you, too. You were always so unique," MPJ said, as she adjusted her dress.<br />
<br />
I look down at my keychain photo set, noticing that I'd only gotten one versus the standard two sets.<br />
<br />
"What do you know," I began. "I have another set of keychain photos. Wanna go take 'em?"<br />
<br />
"Sure," she said, and off we went.<br />
<br />
When we took the photo, and I’ll probably never forget this moment, I made sure I let her know what was going through my mind. As the photographer began to signal us to take the photo, the photographer motioned for me to hold her closer. She looked into my eyes, smirked, and leaned in, closer to my face. My arms draped around her and my hands were on her butt. Look, when you're me in high school with the girl you'd been crushing hard on for years that close to you, you'd be like YAS QUEEN too.<br />
<br />
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<br />
"This is it," I thought to myself. "I’m finally going to get somewhere with Ms. Pink Jacket, for real," forgetting that, you know, I was there with someone. Hormones and teenage puppy love had that effect on me. Time began to slow down and all that stuff. She and I moved closer, in plain view of practically everyone. Our faces were, pretty much, cheek-to-cheek. And then it happened.<br />
<br />
"Attention," the AVAM’s PA system blared. "We are about to announce Prom King and Queen. All students return to the dance floor for the coronation." She smirks at me and begins to tug on my arm.<br />
<br />
"Guess we've got to go back," she said, right before the photographer takes the picture. MPJ and I headed back upstairs where our guidance counselor, Ms. London, stops us.<br />
<br />
"[Redacted]," our guidance counselor said. "You won Prom Queen! Congratulations."<br />
<br />
"Did I win anything, Ms. London," I jokingly asked.<br />
<br />
"Speed, you didn't even enter this year," she responded.<br />
<br />
"Touche," I retorted as I walk off and grab my seat next to me date. She gives me a somewhat sickly eye which also has the sense of "Speed, you screwed up what you were trying to not screw up." And, once we got to our afterparty, Jenny left me. This, of course, set up <a href="http://www.speedonthebeat.com/2016/09/rejected-story-of-ms-pink-jacket-part-two.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SOTBdotCom+(%23SpeedonTheBeat)">my failed attempt to kiss Ms. Pink Jacket, as discussed in part two of my MPJ story</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>To this day, if I could, I'd go back and not be as standoffish with Jenny. But, to do so, it'd have to go both ways. She'd have to leave her phone alone and I'd have to stop faux-flirting with MPJ. All in all, though, it was a weird night that wasn't all that bad...just weird as hell. As it led to me confronting my fears with MPJ (and all that entails), I wouldn't have traded how things went for anything. See, even in our darkest, kind of D-Bag moments, we can learn something about ourselves and better ourselves--if we're willing to see the light in the darkness and all those cliched phrases.</i></div>

Rejected: Prom Song

Previously, I spoke of this situation in the second part of my MPJ story (photos removed to prot...

New (To Me) Music: @KennethWhalum X @BigKRIT - "Might Not Be OK"

Speed ontheBeat

Link Author

Title: New (To Me) Music: @KennethWhalum X @BigKRIT - "Might Not Be OK"
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

A very, very timely track and one of K.R.I.T.'s best verses (and that's saying a lot, ...

New (To Me) Music: @KennethWhalum X @BigKRIT - "Might Not Be OK"

A very, very timely track and one of K.R.I.T.'s best verses (and that's saying a lot, ...

New Music: @xdannyxbrownx "Really Doe" featuring @KendrickLamar, @earlxsweat, & @abdashsoul

Speed ontheBeat

Link Author

Title: New Music: @xdannyxbrownx "Really Doe" featuring @KendrickLamar, @earlxsweat, & @abdashsoul
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Any day we get some new Danny Brown, it's a good day. This one, from Brown's upcoming al...

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<br />
Any day we get some new Danny Brown, it's a good day. This one, from Brown's upcoming album (due out September 30), features some TDE mixed in with some Earl. It's an interesting mesh of styles that helps get all participants over. All in all, check it out and support dope music.<br />
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New Music: @xdannyxbrownx "Really Doe" featuring @KendrickLamar, @earlxsweat, & @abdashsoul

Any day we get some new Danny Brown, it's a good day. This one, from Brown's upcoming al...

PA Vol. 46: Let's Talk Change and the Psyche

Speed ontheBeat

Link Author

Title: PA Vol. 46: Let's Talk Change and the Psyche
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

For this edition of PA, Speed on the Beat sits out and lets Drizzle Sez and The Gingawd talk the...

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<br />
<b><i>For this edition of PA, Speed on the Beat sits out and lets Drizzle Sez and The Gingawd talk their shit. If you thought that Speed and Drizzle got off on tangents, you've seen nothing yet. No pictures, no memes. Just talk about the mental state of our society.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
Drizzle: So, I should probably blend blood into the coffee that pulses through my veins.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: So..I'll go get the knife. Boom. Filter.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: My texts with you <i>might </i>get me put on The List.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: What list?<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Probably some sort of sexual assaulter list. Talking with you will probably get me put on a watchlist for possible violent sexual offenders.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: What? Who's looking at our stuff, though.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Gubment.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Fair enough. I'm kinda Megan's Law waiting to happen.<br />
<br />
<i>(Drizzle shakes his head)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Drizzle: What the hell happened in the Navy? I <i>really</i> wanna know.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: So, Chiraq is back. 90 deaths, one month--<br />
<br />
Drizzle: 440 something on the year, right? Don't change the subject.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Well, besides the normal deployment stuff? I dunno. My humor got really, <i>really</i> disturbing.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: No shit. You went from "booze yay" to "I'll shove my dick down your ass, no lube."<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Just the tip because I'm classy. But, for real? I don't know where the evil stems from, exactly.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Is it the Satanic worship that is the Navy?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Probably between the bullshit and the insanity, my reaction was simple: Become the greater evil. So, I've got to take all of these Humanities study courses. The more I take, the better I can argue with and manipulate people.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: ...you can try. I'm a Taurus, too, you know. I <i>know</i> how to turn a convo.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: I already have. Just outside our group of friends.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: I also know how to call you out for your bullshit.<br />
<br />
<i>(Drizzle smiles, almost wickedly)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Gingawd: <i>My </i>bullshit? That's half the fun! Our conversations are organic and fun--<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Because you want to see me naked, right?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Surprisingly no. I don't. That's Korba [The No Pants Gamer]<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Also true. He's another beast entirely. But...you just keep asking.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Because you're never comfortable with it--<br />
<br />
Drizzle: I don't want to bless you with the gift that is my penis.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Apparently, it's a curse until now with all the crazy looming--<br />
<br />
Drizzle: As in you? And your need to see Ralph--you know, because my dick wrecks it? So, what? You <i>enjoy</i> making people uncomfortable?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Well, I actually meant the other females that you applied the Five D's of Dodgeball too--<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Drops in a bucket. Irrelevant. I hang out with you. So, I repeat: you enjoy making people uncomfortable?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Clearly. Look at some of my favorite comedians. They find the line and cross it, just to see if they can make people laugh.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: I find myself very, <i>very</i> happy to hear you say that. Because you wouldn't be the first ginger to fall to the inspiring effects of Ralph. Or the second, third, fourth, fifth--<br />
<br />
Gingawd: You know what I hate? It's a weird annoyance of mine. People who don't lace their boots right. And at least I'm not like NPG. I don't premeditate the jokes. They're all just whimsical musings of my crazy.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: And I would love to see what makes you insane.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: So, what? You're gonna be my <i>Killing Joke</i>?<br />
<br />
Drizzle: No. I wanna find out what your one bad day was. So...<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Dunno. Seems to happen randomly.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: No shit. So, I'd say it was like a switch flipping. By the way, Speed, are you getting all this?<br />
<br />
Speed: Yep. I don't see why I couldn't join in on this one.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: You said you needed a break, so I gave you one. Now, get back to recording. Anyways, Gingawd, answer the question.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: When the switch flips, I feel like Sisyphus.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: So, what, in your life, makes you feel like you're pushing that rock, knowing that it'll come down?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: OK, so before I was ten, I was a typical white kid. I didn't know what racism was. Once I found out, I was genuinely outraged that people and industries were/are built around these views. Now, let's look at global geography. Is it fair and even? Add in the fact that human tribalism and the fact that even the best people can only feel comfortable with, maybe, 150 people. Both are general acceptable and correct theories in psychology.<br />
<br />
The world isn't built fair and our generation <i>could</i> fix it. However, we aren't ready and I really think that, if we don't drastically change, we're walking into a Doomsayer situation in the next decade or so.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: So, you're like any other good person. Also, your kind are aliens.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: White people or gingers?<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Yes. But, how does all that tie into you becoming a deviant?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: It's my way of dealing with that feeling of doom. It unburdens me of the evils I deal with, kind of like The Comedian from <i>Watchmen</i>.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: So...because the world sucks, you make a shitload of distasteful, dark-ass jokes, sexual and otherwise?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: The world sucks, so I've become disconnected to the world, I think. This is my first time, really, just sitting and looking at it. So, I begin to see humor, even in the darkest places.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Understandable. I continuously laugh at pain and shit.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: I also know that I can be a beacon of light. Honestly, I think I can build an empire of good. That's a lot of pressure, since the boulder gets bigger every day. Yes, it's making me stronger in the end, but it's intimidating.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: So, you run from it by being disconnected?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Maybe at an instinctive level. I spend the better part of five years gone from the world. Inserting myself back into a civilian reality is proving to be daunting.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: How so?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: I genuinely don't connect with most of my peers. I'm not, like, prophet-level intelligent or anything. I'm not this generation's Stephen Hawking. But, I do see how all everyone's reality is. I don't know. It just doesn't fit.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Welp. Hate to break it to you. But, that's normal, Dr. Gingawd. People usually don't have but a handful of people they click with.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Which I have a love-hate with. I wish I could hep people because I believe my world view is better. It may be ego or ignorance, but it's frustrating.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: You could just go full hero or God complex, like some people we know and shall not name--<br />
<br />
Gingawd: But, if our company is a success, it'll be thrust upon me.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Nope. Companies don't exactly invoke the "helping people" gene.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: But, our ethos was different. We want to give people upward mobility.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: But, it wasn't altruism.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Also, we're gonna fund your mad scientist experiments. But, I wanna build the company to protect and see my hard work truly pay off. Not fully altruistic, but a greater good, genuinely speaking.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Well, a mad man once told me he'd either take this place, or destroy it. God complexes. Tricky bitches.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: I'm holding off until the last second on the throne of my mind.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: But everyone, one day, they feel like the world sucks and they could make it/do it better.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: But, with my resources and skills, there's no reason <i>but</i> to make it better.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Yes, there is an excuse. Your view is wrong, my view is wrong.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Not an excuse. That's a reason.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: The only reasons we are all wrong is this. "From the ashes of this world, we shall build a new one." So, we retreat to brain excuses, like your sex jokes.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: So, you believe in the Dark Phoenix Cult?<br />
<br />
Drizzle: I don't know what that is.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: It's similar to the Fire God in <i>GOT</i>.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: I mean, he gets results. But I don't look for phephasis from the Lord of Light. I, like other people, coast through the shit until I die or eventually break and think that this world is better as ash. And you...get naked? Is that true?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: I see what you're getting. My jokes are more comedian-like where I can directly confront you with whatever can both you.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: It don't bother me much. But, we're friends. And as such, I'm supposed to notice changes.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: That's why I had to escalate so much and add all the terrible comedies we watch.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Wait. Why'd you have to escalate?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: But, the original question? I don't think there's one single event that made me who I am, regarding my crazy.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Of course not.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: All I have to do in this world is stay white and die. Everything else is secondary.<br />
<br />
<i>(Drizzle gives Gingawd a look)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Drizzle: But...you admitted you delve into the hypersexual. I wanna know where that came from.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: I choose to escalate and that's me challenging some social convention. I mean, also, me not fucking on deployment couldn't have helped me.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: So, a drop in the social stigma bucket? Small change, one uncomfortable tool at a time?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Maybe, like I said, this is day one of actually looking into this. Maybe I might be addicted to the behavior of challenging and I've adapted it to the hypersexualized humor.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Or...we're just bad people.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Disagree. Our actions, in the long run, help more than harm.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: OK. <i>Now</i> you've turned on the Laird. How will you saying "we could all just get naked" to everything help save the world? It's funny, yes. But is it helpful, Speed?<br />
<br />
Speed: No.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Thank you. Now, continue transcribing this one.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: However, we've both served honorably until we couldn't and our friends/family have laid at our feet and we've picked them up. All we ask is for a "thank you."<br />
<br />
Drizzle: Not even that.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: You want us to pay living wages to our employees when we get there?<br />
<br />
Drizzle: You didn't answer my question. How are the sex jokes gonna help?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Depends on the situation. I've seen them inspire good ideas out of the group because people are like "Oh Lord, he's off the reservation" and someone steps up. Sometimes, it frames someone angry like "I'm not angry enough to--"<br />
<br />
Speed: I think we get where you're going, so I'm gonna stop you on that one. Director's orders.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: But, anyway, the military is a hyper-alpha, hypersexualized environment. And I'm not an alpha...even when I challenge wannabe alphas.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: And in the Navy, personal space is kissing.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: ...We grew up with true alphas <i>(coughs)</i> Mothers <i>(coughs again)</i>. True story.<br />
<br />
Drizzle: So, is that why you've been challenging me lately?<br />
<br />
Gingawd: I don't feel like I challenge you. Do you?<br />
<br />
Drizzle: It was a joke.<br />
<br />
Gingawd: Missed the airplane on that one. Shall we continue this one later?</div>

PA Vol. 46: Let's Talk Change and the Psyche

For this edition of PA, Speed on the Beat sits out and lets Drizzle Sez and The Gingawd talk the...

Ten Years Later: A Look Back at @LupeFiasco's Food & Liquor

Speed ontheBeat

Link Author

Title: Ten Years Later: A Look Back at @LupeFiasco's Food & Liquor
Author: Speed ontheBeat
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

September 19th, 2006. I was a college student at the University of Maryland, in possession of my...

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September 19th, 2006.<br />
<br />
I was a college student at the University of Maryland, in possession of my first iPod (an iPod with a busted screen that, somehow, still plays music, movies and videos to this very day) and my first debit card. Perusing through the then-burgeoning iTunes Store, I found exactly what I was looking for that Tuesday: Lupe Fiasco's debut album <i>Food & Liquor</i>, a sixteen-track (20, if you count the bonus tracks from the 5th Anniversary Edition) masterpiece from the Chicago native. I had expectations for Fiasco. I wanted him to take the world by its throat, yell in its face with his lyricism and storytelling, and proclaim why he was one of the best new artists to grace the planet.<br />
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Somehow, even with that in mind, <i>Food & Liquor </i>blew my, and many other listeners and critics', lofty expectations out of the water. Sure, I debate with friends over whether it or <i>The Cool</i> is Lupe's best album, to this very day. But, <i>F&L</i> caught my attention, never let it go, and just gave me a classic album I could play walking to SOCY 105 or to Easton Hall to hang with Drizzle Sez (yes, the <a href="http://www.speedonthebeat.com/search/label/profound%20assholes">Profound Assholes</a> thing goes deep). Ten years later, does <i>Food & Liquor </i>hold up? Or does it fall victim to my youthful naivety that also thought that MIMS and Board Bangers would rap about something other than why they (or the beat) were "hot" after a while and have fruitful careers?<br />
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<b>PLEASE NOTE: THIS WILL NOT BE A REVIEW FOCUSED ON THE FULL STORY OF MICHAEL YOUNG HISTORY OR ANY OF THE PLAYERS IN HIS STORY. IT WILL SOLELY BE FOCUSED ON THE MUSIC AND STORY PRESENTED WITHIN <i>F&L</i>. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL SOLELY FOCUS ON THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THE ALBUM (EVEN THOUGH THE 5TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION IS FEATURED BELOW).</b><br />
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The album begins with a spoken word piece from Lupe's sister Ayesha. When you get an Ayesha Jaco poem at the beginning of your project, you know you're in for something epic, something unlike anything you'd experienced before. It's just something about her conviction, her way to twist words like her brother, that says "you're going to listen to this, see for yourself the craziness we live in, and want to make a change." Lupe then drops in and explains the philosophy of the album: the evils and excellences within our society. Neither sibling overstays their welcome on the intro, which leads beautifully into "Real."</div>
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"Real," produced by Soundtrakk and utilizing a DITC sample (Harvey Mason's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4ly2BCTbPA">"How Does It Feel,"</a> a post-disco funk song that's great in its own right), further sets the mood for the album. We're going to get that "real," but not the real as perpetuated by the mainstream. We're going to see the hurt, the fact that the mainstream's perception of real brings about that hurt. We're going to get something we can really feel mentally and spiritually, perhaps even learn from. Man, this is going to be a fun review, mainly because (as I've mentioned) this is one of my favorite albums of all-time.<br />
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"Just Might Be OK" is needed right after "Real." It acknowledges that, while the situation we find ourselves in may not be ideal, if we combat the vices, we might make it out. It's optimistic, but still realistic. You're also given vocals from Gemstones/Gemini. His voice gives the listener that soul so often missing on tracks like this. Also, Lupe's verses are greatness. His flow is perfect for this track, emphasizing the highlights of the track while still letting listeners get a view into his mindset and his desire to enact change. Additionally, we're given a healthy dose of Lupe's storytelling ability.<br />
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Now, this may come as a surprise. But, I'm not the biggest "Kick, Push" fan.<br />
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I love the story. However, and it may be because it was overplayed in some ways, it's a track that I'm not the biggest fan of. I love it, but I still can find myself skipping over it at times. The song is still great, especially because of its intricate-but-laid-back nature. It, as Lu's first big single, fulfills its purpose. I'm more a fan of its sequel, "Kick, Push II," but that's just a personal choice. More on that later, though. Let's get back into the rest of the album.</div>
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"I Gotcha" features production from The Neptunes and allows Lupe to have a bit more fun, a la a De La Soul or ATCQ. Plus, the video is full-on nerdgasm, hip-hop and otherwise. Even within this "fluffy" track, we're given some dark moments that showcase the dangers within Chicago and the world as a whole.<br />
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This track shines for me because, while it's got all the makings of a radio single, it's still Lupe through and through. That's one of the highlights of listening to a Lupe Fiasco song. Even when he's making "radio-friendly" tracks, he's still, 9.9 times out of 10, being himself (except for the missteps on the <i>LASERS</i> album. That may be a WIRTB in the making). From the bouncy "I Gotcha," we then head into some darker territory with "The Instrumental."</div>
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"The Instrumental" introduces the idea of boxes (mainly TV) that's discussed further in "Daydreamin'." The Mike Shinoda-produced track features Lu telling the story of people who've become addicted to television, electronic media, and so on. It's crazy to think about this track ten years later, as everyone and their mom's become active on social media. Sure, <i>Pokemon Go </i>has allowed people to actually go out and converse while being on social media. But, that's one of the rare exceptions. If I had a quarter for every time someone stopped me and said "Speed, was [insert show/movie/album] really that bad?," I'd have enough money to buy a couple Team DAR albums (shameless plug).</div>
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I love the story within "He Say She Say." Within the track, Lupe, Gemstones, and Sarah Green portray a family that's been splintered because, well, the father was a dickhole. And because said father was a dickhole, his kid's questioning if the family broke up and whatnot because of him. As a dad who almost went through something similar with my kids, I relate to this track and it hits home. </div>
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You want to break that cycle if you and your children's parent break up or whatever, but the kids? If there's negative energy? All they see and hear are parents going back and forth about the other and they're just left to try and process that. It's heartbreaking and this track, if you have kids with someone, should make you stop and say "hey, lemme make sure this child is taken care of emotionally, mentally, physically, and gets to experience <i>both</i> parents." </div>
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Lyrically, Lupe, in the role of the mother and the child, excels. </div>
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Now, I always felt that the "Daydreamin'" video should've been in anime form. Probably would've been too on the nose, but I always had the vision of the robot being composed of the parts of the environment (a la the "walking project building" Lu mentions in the first verse). Nevertheless, Daydreamin' succeeds in its approach of showcasing the ills of society and the innocence that still exists (such as the children and babies referenced).<br />
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These innocent creatures and moments, they're always at risk of being corrupted by the fact the mainstream's making cocaine cool, the "titties closer to the 22s" and the champagne. However, for us to prosper, we've got to get rid of those ills. By focusing more on the innocence still in our society, we can foster growth. The ills are there, and you can't completely ignore them, but you've got to do your best to avoid them. That's part of my analysis on the track. I could be wrong.<br />
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The track goes. Aided by the lovely Jill Scott on the hook, the I Monster-sampling track is just beautiful. It's haunting as hell, too. Considering the dreamy atmosphere brought through the sample and Scott's vocals contrasted with the images Lupe conjures up, you can't help but analyze and take this song in. It leads you into this pretty sick sample rabbit hole. I'm always for sample rabbit holes. They're so delicious and this one showcases Lupe's ear for having his producers dig all the way into the crates and pull out beautiful music.<br />
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Lupe continues this beautiful darkness into the Kanye West-produced "The Cool." Again, I won't go in-depth about Michael Young History's story. I won't go too much into the mystique of The Cool, as much as I want to. I'll just say that, if you want to understand Lupe's mindstate and critiques on modern culture, this is a great place to start.</div>
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"Hurt Me Soul" is classic. It's profound. It's one of those tracks you need to just vibe with. Speaking on the complexities and dualities of loving hip-hop (and loving the world, even when it's on some other stuff), Lupe delivers a track that's one of the pinnacles of Lupe's storytelling ability (to me). The first two verses' have Lupe discussing his aims to love rap and use it as a tool, even though it tells him to call women "bitches" and hustle hard by any means to stack that cheese (<i>The Cool </i>was a great album, too). As artists and fans--and just as people, in general--it's something that we all have to go through.<br />
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We love our mama, but we're quick to call a woman who wronged us a "hoe" or a "bitch" or what have you. We love our environment, but some of us continue to push poisons into said environment because that's what we were taught. Lu wants to break the chains that oppress his people, but knows that his weapon of choice is, at times, part of the "problem." That's not to blame hip-hop for all of society's ills, but it's something that needs to be said. Rap music does sometimes glorify foolishness without speaking on the negatives of said foolishness. Back to "Hurt Me Soul" as a piece of music, it's a track that you need in your wheelhouse if you consider yourself a Lupe fan (or just a fan of that so-called "real spit"). It's got bars, but it's not just for the sake of having bars, and the beat knocks--even though it's kind of a melancholy beat.<br />
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Even though "Hurt Me Soul" is so profound, so deep, "Pressure" is one of my favorite Lupe tracks (In case you haven't realized, the sequencing here is beautiful). It's one of my favorite hip-hop tracks of all-time. From the eagle screeches to the Thelma Houston sample, it just screams classic. Sure, we can argue our asses off about whether the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-BCuxqylLg">unreleased, non-Jay version</a> is better or not. But, I think we can all agree that the track is sick, either way. On the retail/album version, Lupe has an extended metaphor about his "jeans" and how they're meant to be the new standard in rap (and how you've still got to create your own style that isn't cookie cutter). </div>
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Man, Lupe just straight rips this track with multis, metaphors, and just gives us a display of what it really means to drop bars <i>that mean something</i>. For real, Jay wasn't really needed on it. Even if this was one of Jay's best post-"retirement"/pre-<i>Kingdom Come</i> verses, you get the feeling that Lupe could've just snapped for another verse. But, I like the restraint shown by Lupe. Only give them 75%, get the Jay cosign, then follow this track with "American Terrorist" and "The Emperor's Soundtrack," two tracks that, for me, don't get the due they deserve (probably because they're right after "Pressure.")<br />
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"American Terrorist" is a product of its environment, just like "Hurt Me Soul" is a product of its environment. In a world where George Bush's policies towards terrorism still ran rampant, and a world where Osama was still alive, we were all on edge. I'm not saying we're not now. But, back then, it was a "fresher" concept, since we were attacked on American soil by extremists several times in the preceding years (OKC with McVeigh, 9/11, the 1993 WTC bombing, etc).<br />
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The extreme paranoia created from these incidents, like now with ISIS, police-involved shootings, and so on, led to a state that sometimes made us question our own country's dealings with these terrorists. I mean, America <i>did</i> create Gitmo in its most "memorable" state and the Abu Ghraib incident was an actual thing. You've got to look back at the racism and hatred America was founded on. I love America, but I know that it's got its skeletons. "American Terrorist" is Lupe's "America" (the Prince track from <i>Around the World in a Day</i>). It's dark but brightly presented, incredibly sardonic in its approach, and it captures the rebellious spirit so effectively. Additionally, it details how America has been pretty terroristic in its rise to prominence as well.<br />
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People who love Lupe but forget he's a political artist, they usually get fake offended by tracks like "American Terrorist." All I can say is "good for them. It's about time they got angry about the realities of our situations, even if it starts off as faux rage at an artist."<br />
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Anyway, we're in the homestretch and Lupe doesn't take his foot off the accelerator. Two more actual tracks left, and they're two which tie up the album quite nicely. First up? "The Emperor's Soundtrack."<br />
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If you need a song where you're given some of an artist's best work, a great piece of production behind it (aided by a UFO sample), and so many in-references that even the <a href="http://genius.com/Lupe-fiasco-the-emperors-soundtrack-lyrics">RapGenius folks have a hard time deciphering it</a> (Lupe did the right thing by deciding to decipher his <i>own</i> lyrics, by the way), you'd have a hard time convincing me that this song isn't one of those. </div>
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Potential dick-riding aside, this is one of my favorite Lupe songs, mainly because of the way the song is set up. It's non sequitur when you first look at it, just six or seven miniverses detailing different ways to not mess up in life/make the most out of life. That's not it. Each verse links up with the last to create a literal soundtrack to the life of Lupe, a soundscape to venture into and better oneself. On top of that, it's just a dope-ass song that people (myself included) are still trying to get to the core root of today.</div>
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Finally, we're left with an outro which features Lupe just giving shoutouts and praise to those who've been there before <i>F&L</i> became a thing. It's a nice capture of who made Lupe who he was when this album dropped, and who he became as a result of it. There's no actual rapping on it, like the intro, so it's just Lupe speaking for about twelve minutes on a myriad of folks who he felt the need to shout out.</div>
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So, does <i>Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor </i>hold up? Short answer, yes. Long answer? Yes, the album holds up. What type of single-celled organism are you to even question it. The production on the album holds up and still sounds as fresh as it did in 2006. Lupe's lyricism was years beyond what was expected for a first LP. Also, the story presented just kicks all sorts of ass. If you missed out on <i>F&L</i> the first time, check it out today in honor of the album's tenth anniversary. If you know it by heart, great, but still check it out one more time for old time's sake. If you're in the middle, still check it out.</div>
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Ten Years Later: A Look Back at @LupeFiasco's <i>Food & Liquor</i>

Ten Years Later: A Look Back at @LupeFiasco's Food & Liquor

September 19th, 2006. I was a college student at the University of Maryland, in possession of my...

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