Sunday, December 6, 2009

small things to a GIANT...

50 Cent's last album, 'Before I Self Destruct', isn't moving Fiddy's usual amount of units. Blame the downloads from the 'Net prelease(c), blame the egregious, self-centered behaviors exhibited by Curtis over the last 5 years, blame the decline of physical record sales for most artists, hell, blame the Hip Hopper's ear finally growing deaf to mediocre lyrics & less than stellar word play--just don't tell Gucci Mane that, because he won't believe you. But, I'll bet there's one thing that no man can possibly blame his current, lackluster status on.


Any. Other. Rapper.


In all seriousness, Curtis Jackson is a giant. Maybe not by Yao Ming implications, but definitely in his presence. People say his name like Candyman. Let it be the wrong nigga doing so, & the after effects would mimic those in the movie of the same name. There's no denying that 50 Cent is arguably the most popular rapper in the world, in the same weight class as Jay-Z, Eminem, & Snoop Dogg. Having such stature avails one's self to copious amounts of high self esteem, at borderline toxic levels. This is evident in his career-long taunting of lesser opponents, starting with Ja Rule who, coincidentally, hasn't been the same since. Those who chose to bite his bait, usually find themselves in a battle that's 20% rap records, 10% aggression, & 70% real-time humiliation. It's not so much that he defeats his enemies, per se, but their lives, played out for the public to nitpick & dissect, implode & cave around them. If there was some type of WBF-esque record, he'd be like 9W, 0L, 1T. That "tie" would go to Rick Ross, just because 50's flailing record sales coincide with their on-going rivalry. Indeed, 50 pulled all the punches in attempts to discredit Ross' existence, like any good bully should, but ultimately, Ross released the better music. & after all, this is the music industry, no?


Besides, something as small as record sales isn't going to stop Curtis from running his trap about how great he is. He's a "musical" monolith, word to the Washington Monument. The only man surly enough to knock him down to mortal standards isn't responding to his teasing. & rightly so, because as soon as Jay-Z utters the smallest non-subliminal word about 50, there's a more than slight chance that 50 would rip Shawn Carter's personal life to itty bitty pieces, then lay them out, one by one, for the (rap) world to see. I don't care how tough a rap dude believes himself to be, no cat (or kitten) wants all his backyard business sitting on front street. So who then, if anyone is in a position to strike a blow? David, thats who.


"David? Fuck is David, sun?"


I don't mean a nigga named David, unless it's sheer coincidence. I mean "David", as in 'David & Goliath'. A smaller, lesser known, everything to gain, nothing to lose-type guy, who can actually hold their own weight, lyrically, without a closet full of skeletons pining for release. The first name that comes to mind is Drake. Now, I'm the first one to tell you never trust a nigga without a mustache, but in his defense, this fella seems relatively harmless in the real world. What's the worse thing he could've done in his life? Aside from not concentrating on growing said mustache. Broken a few Mulatto hearts in Ottowa? Not answered some 'Degrassi High' fan's emails? He doesn't rap about anything that could be misconstrued as "lies", so where would that leave our protagonist? It would leave him with no choice but to actually have to engage in a rap battles, as opposed to making sitcom's based on celebrity lives like the MTV. Because, contrary to popular belief, if Drizzle puts down the vagina monologue & empty bragging, he can actually string some cool verbiage together. Maybe after it's all said & done, they can co-star in a remake of 'Forrest Gump. Lead role optional. No homo, just in case.


If not him, I've been hearing about this dude from Gary, Indiana. Word is he was addicted to Oxycodone, used to rob trains (yes nigga, trains!), has a few gun charges on his resume, was a certified hustler (which can mean a bevy of things these days), & was honorably discharged from boot camp for selling dope & getting drunk. Oh, & dude can rap a taste, also. His name Freddie Gibbs. Don't let the name fool you. Dude's tearing up the mixtape circuit right now, & the mere fact that he has facial hair makes him a more formidable opponent than Aubrey Graham, before he even starts rapping.


See, Ross went at Fiddy with the weapons he had. Rhymes, however unimpressed. Had he not had the team of producers (J.U.S.T.U.S. League), & instead just some home grown talent, looking to make a name for themselves, I doubt Rick's impact would have been so noticeable. He got "lucky", so to speak. Ross is far from a good MC, but good production is like an expensive weave. That shit can fool you long enough, & by the time you find out how bald her head really is, you're already knee-deep in fornication, so that shit no longer matters anyway.


Plenty of 50's targets either ducked & dodged or plead the fifth. Jadakiss was one of the few who decided to spar with the champ, & after they exchanged a few blows, the "fight" was over. Maybe 50 got scared? Maybe 'Kiss decided it may not be worth it. NaS found himself on the business end of a Curtis dis, & he maintained his solidarity until Fif got bored & found something else to sniff around. Of course, there's more people who had the sheer coconuts to stand up to him, but I think Fif knew when he was realisitcally out-"skilled". Like I've said dozens of times, he's a smart motherfucker.


My big homie Combat Jack wishes for a 50/Jay battle, but I'd love to see a young, up & coming rap cat 50 Cent Curtis Jackson.


[tony's note: see what I just did there...?]


[tony's next note: BISD is a good album. fuck what ya heard...]

12 comments:

Daywalker said...

+1 on BISD. I was skeptical at first because I was expecting the typical R&G that he usually pulls. The album turned out to be pretty good. Didn't see the Drake point coming but it fits. Not much you can call him on.

I think the problem is that rappers want to challenge Fif but worried about the industry BS. It's funny how in interviews or the like, rappers always answer, " Oh,Fif is a marketing genious," or something like that when asked what that they think of him.

How come his musical talent isn't the first thing mentioned? Just saying...

Tony Grands said...

Walker!

I'll always stand by the fact that, not only has Hip Hop gotten progressively mundane, but there's plenty of rappers who are much, much worse than Fif, with twice the spotlight.

Then we got this "gangsta rap is dead" movement, like Hip Hop isn't big enough for more than one style.

I still enjoy some testosterone-pause-in my music...

Tony Grands said...

Walker!

Thanks for looking out on the music, homie. Enjoy! Oh yeah, I've seen Joe Dirt. Never thought about that...

Chilly Willy said...

Grandzilla !

"If not him, I've been hearing about this dude from Gary, Indiana."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Don't tell that to BGP, she won't believe you.

I didn't think about the David angle but this would be great. Don't sleep on J Cole.

I mean, Drizzy is nice (nhjic) on the mic but he already got this Fabolous-I'm-not-a-fighter-but-a-lover aura around him. He's talented but that may work against him. J Cole? Heard nothing of that boy except ill rhymes. If he start wearing doorag though, that might be an issue (we don't want a Bleek freestyle about footprints on the heart...I know I don't).

Shiiiit, don't have to wait for a rookie. I'm sure Fif vs Lupe would be epic! Ask Bol.

Federal Ranga said...

Grand$, you sumbitch.... almost pissed myself with the good production/weave comparo... STILL laughin. Sadly, true though.

50's not gonna be threatened by a new cat ever because they probably all believe he could have people stifle their careers before they even start.

As for that 50/Lupe shit, never. Too many niggaz would lose Lupe's words to even try and take his side.

Chilly Willy said...

@ Ranga

What's poppin, holmes ?

re:Lupe, don't forget cats used to (and still) lose Common's words, but the Bitch In Yoo fucked Cube up. It can go either way though.

Tony Grands said...

Fellas!

Not a Lupe fan @ all.

He just doenst have any type of aggression to pose a threat, IMO. But since we talking Common, remember where Common came from ('Can I Borrow A Dollar'), where he was essentially begging for respect. & some spare change to get drunk. Now he's sun, moom, stars & quasars. Lupe, on the other hand, started on that quarky wordplay. On his last mixtape he started rhyming about 'Street Fighter'. WTF? He may not have it in him to "dumb it down" enough for the average listener to keep up. A certain level of macho has to kick in, & I don't see Fiasco showing that facet often enough.

In theory though, Lupe could smash, lyric wise.

Federal Ranga said...

@ Chilly

What's good man? Be sure to check out the Adventures of Federal Ranga on my page as well as all knew episodes of OYA! at my youtube.

Back to Lupe... I will agree with Grand$, although I am a Lupe fan. He may not dumb it down a lot, but when he brings it down a notch and chooses some good production, he can bang with the best of them. Want an example? Check out The Emperor's Soundtrack off the Food & Liquor album

Polotron said...

Humbly:
Lupe >> Drake.
jmo

But I don't think either are a good fit to take on Fiffy. Lupe because it's apples/oranges...and Drake because he's just, well, soft.

I say (get him a cpl weed carriers and) let Joey Jumpoff have another shot.

Tony Grands said...

Polo!

Joey....you might probably have something there. He has just the right amount of "shoot myself in the foot just to prove a point" in him to do it. & stands a fair chance to win. Granted, he'd have to make decent songs in between getting his Harvey Levin on. Hell, he's got the 'Net Soldiers already.

ThisIs50.com VS JoeBudden.TV

I'm gonna have to invest some more time into Lupe. I'm just not feeling dude. Yes hetero.

Don't sleep on Drake. He's a mustache & XL shirt away from being a real rapper...

Malcolm Maximillion said...

I say Kanye do it. This could be revenge for all the teasing he did to 'Ye.

The Sykotic Don McCaine said...

Now if that BET rumor is on point about Fif, NaS & Jay RMX-ing "Empire" does this mean 50 won? Or does this mean Jay won with the "have a piece of candy whiny baby & hush" maneuver?

Because if it's true, Beans may want that Drano-shake to go...