Hip Hop Block: The Struggle to Remain Current

Although many of our favorite artists stay too long in the game and turn stale, some manage to stay fresh.

I remember back in March when I downloaded Ludacris's new album Battle of the Sexes. Shortly after my first listen, I proceeded to rant on Twitter. Let me explain why.

Ludacris used to be one of my favorite artists, if not my favorite. Key phrase: used to be. Don't get me wrong. I still appreciate Luda. That's why I still bought his album. I was hoping to hear a glimpse of the Luda I used to know and love. Unfortunately, all I got was "This one is for the club/bed rocking music" Luda.

Luda, who released his debut album in 2000, has always been known for doing songs like this, but he used to do more than that. He used to make anthems. Take Southern Hospitality for instance: “Hand me down flip-flops, hand me down socks/hand me down drug dealers, hand me down rocks/hand me down a 50 pack Swisher Sweets box/and goodfella rich n****s hand me down stocks.”

He told stories as well to convey points. Saturday is probably one of my favorites from him. “Grease don't pop on the stove no more, moved on up/double shot Hennesey fill my cup/
Luda choke smoke in a big black truck/should I wild out, what the f***?!”

Luda even got a little conscious with Runaway Love. And of course, his intros and freestyles on his first four albums are classic examples of lyricism to this day. I mean, even when he did do the strip club joints, he still did it creatively, like in Youze a Ho.

But now, all his music just sounds the same. There's not much variety. His wordplay and lyrics used to excite me. Now I just listen for the hook and the beat like every other average rap song.

I see it with a lot of hip hop artist that stay in the game for prolonged periods of time. It's as if they lose their flare. The hunger and pain isn't there anymore, and they start making music to either get paid or to answer the cries of their fans. The passion is gone almost.

Look at Busta Rhymes, who came to the scene with Leaders of the New School in 1991. He used to be ill, getting people hype of a song as he spit his first lyric. When he shouted “Woo-ha!” he would have us all in check. Now he'll drop an album and no one will notice. How many of you knew about Back on My B.S.?  It’s the only of his eight albums that didn’t gain RIAA certification. That was the album Arab Money came from. I give you props with you remember that single.

The same goes for Snoop Dogg. He made his debut on Dr. Dre’s Deep Cover in 1992. Don't get me wrong, he still has skills. But he doesn't sell like he used to.  His latest album, Malice n Wonderland, is also his first to go without RIAA certification.

Eminem, until recently, was the rapper that upset me the most. Not counting Infinite (which dropped in 1996), his first two LPs were certified classic. You could hear the pain and the passion. Even when he did fun tracks like The Real Slim Shady, you were still enticed because he loved doing it. It was around the 3rd album that he started to falter. With Encore and Relapse, he just seemed plain out of it. These albums, however, have still managed to go platinum or higher.

However, some artists still manage to stay dope, Jay-Z being the most obvious example. He comes out with hot album after hot album. All eleven of his solo albums have gone Platinum, even in this age of illegal downloads. I could easily dedicate a whole article to Hov, as many others have in the past, so I'll just stop now.

Snoop and Luda have managed to stay relevant, however, by appearing on songs with Katy Perry and Justin Bieber, respectively. Speculation causes me to believe that these could become spring boards for these rappers to rejuvenate their careers. I hope.

Long Blinks

Dear teachers,

It is never the intention of any student
to fall asleep while you are giving a lecture
(unless the student pulled an all-nighter
and is only in class for attendance).
Our parents and/or loans are paying good money
for us to get degrees we might never use.
And perhaps sometimes we're acutely interested
in what you're teaching that day.
However, our minds are very hyper-active,
and sometimes we daydream.

Something as innocent as
"Circadian rhythms are 24 hour biological cycles
that regulate sleep and other bodily functions,"
can send us on a journey.
I, for instance, might hear only
the last phrase of the definition and
imagine someone sitting on the toilet.
Being the writer I am,
I'll create a scenario.
Perhaps the door is unlocked and
just as they person starts to get up
I walk into the bathroom preparing for my movement.
Awkwardness occurs.
I leave and close the door,
venturing to the living room to pace
so I can hold my bladder.
Then I catch an odd car outside my house.
I go to the window for a better view
and I start to slip out of it.

Next thing I know
I'm back in class.
I'll try my best to keep awake
and take notes with the rest of the class.
But every five minutes,
it just happens again.
Sometimes these things are unavoidable.

So please,
excuse our long blinks
as I like to call them.
We mean you no harm.

Sincerely,
your diligent student who is not a slacker at all.

Word.

#73 - Go to a non-Loyola bar while still at Loyola

I decided it would be a good idea
to blog as I completed a task
from my list of 101 in 1001 days,
what with my lack of frequent posts lately.

Now I know what you're thinking.
"Charles would take care of the one that requires drinking first."
Well you can shut that ass up.
I only had [thinks for a moment]... 1 Long Island and 2 beers that night.
(Prices were too damn high. haha)
And for those wondering why it's on the list at all,
Loyola is a very bubble like environment.
You can easily end up doing the same things,
going to the same places over and over.
This was an exercise to help me burst out of it.

A quick note.
I have ventured to establishments
not commonly frequented by Loyola patrons in the past,
but I wanted to ensure I did my senior year as well.

So last Saturday,
my mom came down for the weekend.
It was nice spending time with her.
We ate and saw a play, good stuff.
The whole weekend though,
a group of my female friends
were talking about going to Grand Central,
this gay club in Baltimore.
[Yes, some of these females are lesbians.
That stereotype of us hating each other is false. haha]
However, do to complications,
they ended up going to another place,
the Ottobar, instead.

I've been to the Ottobar once
to see A Cool Stick last summer.
But at the time I was underage,
so I just went for the show.
I decided to return to get the ball rolling on this list.

Apparently by some chance of luck,
the night we chose to go to the Ottobar
happened to be a Lady Gaga/Britney Spears/Madonna themed night.
As you may have figured,
yes it was very gay (in both senses of the word).

The bar has a stage and dance floor as well.
The place was packed with people dancing their hearts out,
singing along to every lyric of the songs.
It was weird seeing guys up on the stage dancing instead of girls, though.
Nice little change.
Did I get up on stage? No.
I wasn't in the mood.
Besides, it was too fun watching my one friend
get hit on my older lesbians. (Cougars. Rawlr.)

I'm curious as to what the Ottobar is like on a regular night.
Probably means I'll return.

So, that's one down, 100 to go.
Look forward to more from the list soon.
Word.

Graped Tee

Here in my hand is a bottle of grape juice.
There in your hand is a poster you ripped down.
On it was information about a LGBT event.
On my face is a look of disgust.
Presently, it is a day set aside to wear purple.
Draping from your broad shoulders is a plain white tee.
Behind you, you hide the now crumpled poster.
Within me, gears begin to turn.

Before I can lash out, you proclaim
"Wearing stupid purple won't do anything."
But please, allow me to educate you.
"Wearing purple is meant to represent spirit.
This, as you must not know,
comes from the LGBT flag.
You know, the one with the rainbow.
Be aware, good sir, as we are aware
that wearing purple will not solve homophobia or bullying.
It is rather an exercise to unite us,
to show solidarity, in the face of ignorance.
It is a reminder to others that we are here.
And we
are not
going
anywhere."

As he laughs with his friends,
I unscrew my bottle cap.
I stain his t-shirt with purple
as he jolts back in shock.
"Thank you for showing your support."

Runaway!

Ever since Mr West performed the song on the VMAs a month ago,
it keeps coming to mind, ringing in my head over and over again.
In a way, Runaway has regrettably become my current theme song.

Initially, I took the title of the track at face value.

As a senior in college, assignments are constantly piling up. RUNAWAY!

The responsibilities of post-collegiate life approaches. RUNAWAY!

More and more people look to me for advice. RUNAWAY!

The expectation that I'll soon change my reckless ways. RUNAWAY!

But as I listened to the lyrics more,

I realized Kanye wasn't talking about running away himself.

It was more so a warning/command for everyone 

to get away from him while they could.

He's always been called an arrogant asshole;

this song is just him fessing up to it once again.

I believe this song applies to me

because I've found myself becoming a bit of an asshole myself.

Allow me to breakdown a bit of self-diagnosis

I've been discussing with myself these past 2 months.

I've always been under the impression that I was a nobody,

and as a result no one liked me in all honesty.

So I fought as hard as I could to get on people's good side.

After a few years of trying, people were convinced I was a good guy.

I'd garnered people's affection.

But then my cynical side popped up.

He asked, "Why do people like you?

What did you do to deserve it?

You're nobody. You're an asshole."

As he kept spitting venom in the back of my head,

I started to believe it.

And as I believed it, I became an asshole.

To quote Guatama Buddha, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.”

Since I have embodied this asshole spirit,

the good part of me wants to push away all worthy souls.

I don't want them to become tainted by me.

I need them to RUNAWAY!

Let me wallow in my own self-destruction

or patiently wait as I reconstruct myself.

[Suddenly, Gnarls Barkley's Run is playing in my head.]

I know, this is kind of a dark post,

but it was holding back a few of my more positive ideas.

So if you know me personally

and I've seemed distant lately,

this is probably why.

I'm trying to get past it,

but as with all things it takes time. 

But trust me,

"Baby, I got a plan.

Run away fast as you can."

Word.

Weekend Update: Status Update - "I'm gay."

So, I don't usually blog on the weekend,
but I'm heated and I want to use this steam.


Just a few minutes ago,
a friend of mines had his Facebook hacked.
I could tell cause his status read: "I'm gay."
I knew this because
one: no gay person comes out over Facebook like that. 
We're much more clever,
like me: I said "I'm big minus the g."
two: I'm pretty sure kid isn't gay at all,
and three: it's the immediate go to insult.


This lead me to a rant on Twitter,
which I will now share with the class:
"When a guy's facebook is taken over, his friends' jokingly post he's gay. I wonder what they would do for me.."
"Oh, I know. 'Cee Gee Clark loves white girls.' hahahha"
"But forreal though... I wonder if this was 1930, would they change a kid's status to 'John McDerman loves colored folk.'?"
"No matter how far we come, black, gay, hispanic, asian, whatever minority, we still have so much farther to go."
"I know it's all just in fun and games, but still... why is that the immediate go-to joke? Why is homosexuality so offensive?"


In light of the recent homosexual suicides,
which I have been trying to avoid talking about,
I've recently become more of an advocate for gay people.
I am one of them after all.


Before, I would have passed this little incident off
as just something I found hilarious,
and initially that's how I approached it.
But then a fire sparked in me.
[It may have been sparked
because I'm drinking wine from a Chipotle cup on my balcony.]


But seriously,
why is homosexuality so offensive?
If I'm right, I think my 14 year old self can field this question.
He is, after all, the one that said
"I can be cool with a gay person, 
as long as they don't hit on me."


So 14 year old me,
what is so offensive about being gay?
"It's... different.
Kinda gross, not the natural."
Why is it not natural?
"I mean, I kissed my first girl when I was 4.
Granted she slapped me, but still."
Why did you kiss her?
"Cause I wanted to find my Topenga."
You did not watch Boy Meets World when you were 4.
"I just looked it up; it came out in '93."
...regardless, back to the original topic.
Why do straight guys, ...like you,
make fun of gay people?
"Well, I don't personally make fun of them.
But I guess cause... I mean it's just what guys do.
We hike on each other, it's kinda comradery."
Funny you should say that, I just looked up comradery,
which Urban Dictionary defines as:
A special bond within a group that is in no way erotic or homoerotic. 
Seems a little suspicious to me.
Would you say that the negative view of gay people
comes from a desire for one to admit that they are one?
"What? No. That's ridiculous.
That would be like saying I want to be a white girl
because I have such a built in hate against them."
...you shut your mouth.
"Did I strike a nerve?"
Shut it, you closet case.
Stop haunting me and holding me back.
"...and with that, we'll take a commercial break."
Mothafucka, that's my line.


Sorry, got a little out of hand.
Obviously, I have no real idea
as to why "straight" guys
like to use gay as a bad thing.
Not sure what we ever did to them.
This is yet another question
that I'll have roaming my brain for a while.
If you have any input on the matter,
it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for  enlightening me.
Word.

Hip Hop Block Presents: Weezy's Bars Behind Bars

Many fans of the rap game thought it would be a quiet year when Lil Wayne was finally sentenced for criminal possession of a weapon on March 8, 2010 and sent to Rikers Island. Without Wayne, who would provide lyrics for the listeners to vibe to? Who would fill his void: Drake, Eminem, Kanye?

Luckily, Wayne thought of this ahead of time and recorded a mass of songs before serving his sentence. On the rapper’s birthday (September 27), I Am Not a Human Being was released digitally online. As Weezy calls the album, it is “a gift on my birthday to my loyal fans who have continued to support me.” The record was originally marketed as a mixtape but later changed to an album to serve as a prelude to Tha Carter IV.

Though the album will become available in stores October 12th, some worry that this release will become a trend with more artists turning to the web to drop their albums first, if not exclusively. Record shops and other vendors can rest easy for now, since the physical copy of I Am Not a Human Being will include three bonus tracks.

Though Weezy’s last album, the rock/rap album Rebirth, sold more than 500,000 copies, it was still regarded as lackluster. With his eighth studio album, Lil Wayne gives us what we want: pure rap, no autotune.

In the title track, Wayne reassures us that he may truly be a Martian. The hook of the song is enticing as it is screamed over a beat that could have easily fit in on his previous album. “I am the rhyming oasis/I got a cup of ya time, I won’t waste it/I got my foot on the line, I'm not racin'/I thank God that I am not basic/I am not a human being.”

Wayne also makes references to his arrest in the song: “These days ain't s***, Young Money is/I got mars bars, three musketeers/come through coupe same color as veneers/and you know I'm riding with the toast, cheers.”

The album also includes appearances by member of Young Money, most noticeably Weezy’s protégé Drake. The rapper appears on three of the ten tracks. It is clear that Lil Wayne is still pushing Drake to become a better emcee.

The opening track Gonorrhea features both rappers. Wayne proves he’s still in top form in comes straight for the attack. “It’s a crazy world, so I stay in mine/And n****s don’t cross the line/n****s stay in line/like welfare/I’m St. Elsewhere/hotter than the devil? N***, hell yeah/rock-a-bye baby/homicide baby/that’s more teardrops/call me crybaby.”

Meanwhile, Drake decides to show off what his newfound success has bought him. “I am/spending much more than I’m making/on this cars and these vacations/is that to much information?/I just bought a Lamborghini/I’m not even into racing/with a windshield full of tickets/cause I live right by the station.”

On the first official single of the album Right Above It, the two Young Money artists establish their dominance. Drake spits first: “We walk the same path, but got on different shoes/live in the same building, but we got different views/I got a couple cars I never get to use/don’t like my women single, I like my chicks in twos.”

Wayne then follows up: “Meet me on the fresh train/yes, I’m in the building, you just on the list of guest names/all of my riders do not give a f***, X-Games/guns turn you boys into p******, sex change.”

With You is a well put together rap love song with Drake adding his vocals to the hook. The beat features Motown style female vocals singing “oo’s” which add to the romantic feel of the track.

In contrast, I’m Single is about enjoying the single life in the midst of a rocky relationship. Wayne comes at us in his mellowest flow over a slow-paced bass laced beat. “Yeah, now she harem with them other b****es/I told ‘em mind her f***** business/said she probably out there f***** n*****/I’m f***** her friends, now her friends ain’t even f***** with her/damn, she test me all day and night/so pissed off, she ain’t spellin’ s*** right/I text her back and tell her it’s life/now somebody tell them h**s I’m single for the night.”

This is without a doubt the “I cheated and don’t care” anthem of 2010.

Overall, this is another solid album that is sure to sell both online and in stores. It showcases Lil Wayne at what he does best: infect his listeners ears until their mouth begin to repeat his lyrics. Rest assured, many will be shouting, “I Am Not a Human Being.” I should know; I’m one of them.

...I Just Said That

Has anyone literally said the exact same thing

seconds later after you said it

as if you never said it?

For a while

I thought it was just me.

I was convinced that my speech impediment

had become a way to implant my thoughts

into the mind of others.

[This is even pre-Inception, folks.]

I thought I was awesome,

but at the same time I wanted credit for my thoughts.

But ideas in class wasn't the only time it would happen.

It would happen when I joked during a conversation

or when I commented on something on TV.

Imagine saying something witty

only to have some else repeat

and then people start laughing.

Perhaps I should take it as a compliment.

You know, back to that whole

"imitation is a form of flattery" deal.

Who knows, I may even do it myself

and not realize it.

...I wonder if they even realize it.

It could be worse, though.

A guy could follow me around as I said,

"It is hot,

so hot dogs wanna be cats so that it's less for the sun to hit,

so hot the grass is turning to sand,

so hot I'm imagining I seeing cactuses.

Man, it's hot."

To which they reply, "Yeah, and it's hot too."

That's the kind of mess that gets you slapped.

#pootietangreference

Word