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...]

When Keepin' It Real Goes Right

"Police have raided an apartment leased to rapper Jadakiss and seized 5 grams of heroin, 6.5 pounds of marijuana and $40,000 cash from the Yonkers New York residence, say published reports."-Allhiphop.com (8/25)

A man's gotta do, am I right? For the sake of conversation, because I don't really know, let's say that all that dope & money was indeed Jason Phillips'. From my minimal knowledge of street life, it sure as hell looks like dude is selling drugs to me. Perhaps if Heroin wasn't in the mix, it could be perceived as something more trivial. Now, all those clever lines he pens about bricks & stacks come across with a bit more believability. Not that that's a good thing; if I think that, God only knows what the Federali's are making of it.

Take into account that his label/group/business venture D-Block Records has been operating for years without much publicized success. Critical acclaim, maybe, but we all know that's just a tactful way to say "not really too successful". Even without much apparent revenue, they have their own recording home, stable of artists with needs, a car wash *wink-wink*, & continue to stay active in a business that thrives on the exchange of currency at a fairly rapid rate. & it's not like Def Jam is handing out millions of monies for artist's that can't crack 300,000 copies sold. No shots, though.

Could it be that this is all a front for drug dealing?

I'm sure most rappers lie about their lifestyles, but how many of those guys get busted with such a healthy amount of illegal product? The money itself isn't against the law, but it sure makes all those drugs look that much more interesting. It's one thing to make up stories, & claim to be involved in high level dealings on wax, but to have it plastered across newspapers kind of makes it official. Imagine how quickly 50 Cent would've back off of Rick Ross had he been pulled over with kilo's of Cocaine in the trunk of his $200,000 car.

If nothing else, Jada's street cred just skyrocketed. & he can thank his two dumb-ass friends/weed [& Heroin] holders ( who caught the cops' attention, subsequently leading them to the apartment) for that.

If we've learned anything about the Hip Hop police, it's that they lay in wait for opportunities like this. Prepare for a full-fledged investigation to be launched on D-Block Records, & anyone affiliated. & I wouldn't be surprised if that became a trend, a la Murder Inc., with other not-so-well-to-do labels become targets of FBI stings & impromptu tax audits. Between Death Row/G-Unit/Murder Inc, the last 10 or so years have kept the Hip Hop cops pretty busy turning over rocks & digging in niggas' backgrounds. It's not like they're out trying to find who killed Big L, Biggie, 'Pac, Souljah Slim or Mac Dre, so this would be right up their alleys.

Take Clipse, whose music is Crack Rap without apology. Their manager was arrested behind drug activity, & even then they were only guilty by association. So far, at least. It's not like they found dope ON them, per se. & according to the consensus, them cats been telling on themselves for about 3 albums now. But, this 'Kiss scenario takes "keepin' it real" to a next plateau, again, assuming all those things belonged to J-a-d-a in some way or another.

Hopefully, Jada didn't play a part in this situation, although it's not looking good. Shit rolls downhill; from his two jumpy buddies, to 'Kiss himself, to the whole D-Block organization. Not that he'd be throwing away a phenomenal rap career, but it would suck to be him right now. & If he's not guilty of assisting/contributing to the distribution of illegal substances, then he's damn sure guilty of keeping the wrong cats around him. But, that's a post for another day.

One has to wonder where Sheek Louch & Styles P stand in all of this. Say the two schmoes who started this fiasco decide to start singing the blues for the sake of lesser convictions. That would put 'Kiss in the precarious "Stop Snitchin'" position, if the rest of LOX are involved. I don't know a lot of cats, if any, who own one Sheek CD. I'm just saying. Styles signed that book deal, but what does that really mean in this computer-driven, "I ain't know nothin' 'bout no readin'" day & age. Word to Kanye West & Lil Wayne.

Dope-dealing is one of the few lifestyles that is as dangerous as it is glamorous, hence the entertainment industry's romantic fascination with it. My uncle succumbed to it's allure, then had 7 1/2 years to think about how he would have made manager at Burger King by now. District manager with the right attitude.

Let's see how this one plays out...