Hip Hop for Vegetarians

I really hope this rumor about Jay-Z doing the 'Empire State of Mind' remix with NaS AND 50 Cent isn't true. Think of the possibilities...


Is this where it's headed? 2009 was the year of the emo-rapper, I get that. I kinda figured 2010 would find us with more emo-thugs, like Game. Imagine how I felt when my dude Don McCaine dropped this info on me last night. For the sake of conversation, I'm just going to consider it true, not to mention it's plastered on the interwebs. & we all know everything on the 'Net is factual.


After a less than excited Young Jeezy made amends with an incarcerated Gucci Mane, & "Freeway" Rick Ross wrangled a handful of unimportant Hip Hop "stars" for a peace summit (via telephone--do people still use those things?), I guess I should've expected so much. Well, maybe not something of this magnitude. NaS, I could see him squashing all unnecessary beefs, for the sake of making all the dough he can. Hell, he might want to start making some new friends while he's at it. Just saying. But if this is Jay's way of being the bigger man, I fear it will backfire in a most unattractive way. As much as I'm a fan of Curtis Jackson, I'm aware that he's not to be trusted further than he can be thrown. & Jay's never appeared terribly muscular to me. There are just certain things you can't do, when it comes to disagreements.


My nigga Federal Ranga (www.youtube.com/federalranga) addressed "beefs" on his vlog, & made some good points as to when not to bow down. This, for Jigga Man, is one of those times. Even if, as I read on the grossly misspelled pages of AllHipHop.com, this is for the unification of New York, 50's a bully. This move would be the equivalent of buying your ex-wife's boyfriend lunch, after you found out she was pregnant by him. You're already kind of removed from ground zero, but it still stings enough to where a handshake is about as far as the relationship can go. & as he sips his Ice Tea, & makes small talk about sports, all he's thinking is, "Ha ha, that's my uterus now, punk!". If Jay wants to prove to the fans that he's bigger [||], than have lunch with the nigga at one of the L.A. spots that the paparazzi seem to sleep outside of. But, to put him on a song with you? That's just too close for comfort, no Monroe.


To the outside world, that would just seem like a chump way to go out. Granted, 50 hasn't launched a furious attack on Jay (yet...), but he's made it clear that he takes him for a joke. I applaud Jay for not lowering himself to such standards, but he hasn't responded on wax at all. If you've been on that high road all this time, there's no reason to deviate. Really though, if Beyonce had've kicked Kelly Rowlands' ass the other day at court, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.


For the record, I don't believe it to be true, but I also laughed when cats told me that Jay was taking Oprah Windbag to the projects. Imagine my surprise when I saw footage of them sitting on some steps discussing why he smelled so good. It was probably a crack house nearby, & we all know Oprah used to-never mind.


This takes me back to my initial question...is this where it's headed? Is "friendly guy" the new "mad rapper"? I hope not. It's not that I like beef, but put it this way; would you watch football if all the players were buddies, & knew each other's moms' & shit? Hell nah, because than it would be like a flag football game. Same with Hip Hop. If everybody's "cool" with one another, then where's the competitive nature? "Friendly competition" is an actual phrase simply because there's nothing "friendly" about wanting to crush your opponent. & let us not forget Laws of Power #3, #14, & #21, because I'll bet my collection of porn that Curtis hasn't.


[tony's note: yeah, you need to get that book...]


This could set off quite the chain of events, & rest assured Game would be the first link. This collaboration would certainly be enough to set his ADD/Bi-polar disorder into over drive. Dude might kill himself in the vocal booth, while recording a song, just to let niggas know he serious he is about his beef. & Beans would most likely just stop rapping all together, & take it back to the block, literally & figuratively. Them dudes would need MORE security at that point, because I imagine Beanie would be at every show he could, waiting to rob them cats time after time. Like the industry's personal Deebo.


I'm sure we've all heard that LOX are releasing their next album on Bad Boy, after quelling their feud. & Puff & Jay have been hanging out with each other lately. & Puffy Combs is the devil. & Jay-Z worships the devil. If Jay is bringing 50 into this realm, do the math. If Beyonce starts singing Aaliyah songs, I'm getting the fuck out of dodge.


Stay tuned as this drama unfolds.

Beanie Sigel: Before He Self Destructs

Damn. It's been about a month or so, & Beanie Sigel is making good on his promise of keeping his "foot on Jay-Z's neck". For all those who say it's for attention/promotion/career jump start, I'd be hard pressed to disagree at this point. Jay-Z has yet to respond, though. It kinda reminds me of the last "argument" I got into with my baby mom's. She yelled & screamed, in front of a church no less, even worked up some tears, telling me I don't do shit for my kids. Even though my daughter was living with me at the time. Odd, no? That type of blind flailing is always indicative of attention seeking melodrama, with little to no substance. Once I didn't respond-just looked as bewildered as I was pissed-she stomped to her car & drove away. Yeah, this Beanie/Jay situation is reminding me a lot like a scorned women's misguided passion...


"I'm looking for a response. I know I'm a bully but it ain't no fun if he don't swing back. Swing back, man."
-Beanie Sigel


I've come across a slew of bullies in my life. I've never heard one say "swing back, man." Bullies lack the nobility it takes to allow said bullying to be competitive. That would be like, instead of him taking your lunch money, he just stands there while you order yours, then tells you want he wants. A bully's sole intention is to discredit your humanity, one "punch" at a time. If Beans was really bullying Jay, he wouldn't want a response. Carusso doesn't slap Chris' books out of his hand, call him "Hambone", then hang around for a rebuttal. Instead he keeps walking, & does the same type shit the next day. Beans wouldn't taunt us with the possibility of information that would change the way Jay's perceived, if he was a true bully. That would've been the concept of the first track. 50's a bully. George H. W. Bush is a bully. Hell, for that matter Judge Judy is a bully. You think 'The Gooch' ever took his foot outta Arnold Jackson's ass & told him to do something back? No dice. Beans may need to watch some 'Everybody Hates Chris' & 'Diff'rent Strokes', respectively, take some notes & rethink his position.


At this juncture, this is really beginning to seem like a one-sided lover's quarrel. Peep the "delusional" factor. Anybody with the displeasure of having a B.M. knows that they have impressive imaginations. Some going as far as alleging abuse, & when DCS finds no tangible evidence to continue the case, the B.M. insists that paid professionals don't know what they're doing. Amazing, right? For the sake of their own "sanity", their irrational thinking must constantly evolve. Delusions, illusions, & fantasies play a large part in fueling their hatred. God forbid they gain some insight to the truth, & realize that maybe, their mind's just playing tricks on them.


"I played music for Jay, when I was working on The Solution album...There were song concepts on there. I had a song on that joint with no hook on it. I told him it didn't need no hook on it. He got a song 'I don't need no hook for this shit.' I had a song on there called 'Prayer,' he got a song called 'Pray.'"
-Beanie Sigel


If I had a nickel for every time some rap dude said something I said or told to somebody else, I'd have enough dough to buy a Bentley. I'd pull up to the lot in a U-Haul, open the cargo door & make it rain loose change. As complex & intricate as music can be, rap seems to gravitate to a limited amount of subjects. Sure, praying isn't that popular on the list, but DMX can say the same thing to Beans, if he wasn't busy continuing his legacy of crack-ish behaviors. & didn't Jermaine Dupri, or St. Lunatics or Nelly come out with a song entitled 'No Hooks' or 'What The Hook Gon' Be?' or something? Now had Beans let Jay hear a song about him losing his virginity, & Jay released a joint called 'My First Time', then that may be grounds for plagerism. Otherwise, it comes off more paranoid schizophrenia, less copyright infringement.


& just like my B.M. screaming "Bloody Murder!" in front of the Lord's duplex, Beans now wants to air out their differences for the world to see. Why? Nobody at the church stopped what they were doing to pay closer attention, even though I know for a fact that those folks were nosier than a motherfucker. Of the fist full of people who know about this "beef", probably only half of them are genuinely interested in it. It's one thing to have something to talk about via the 'Net on a boring Thursday afternoon, but it's something totally different to tune in & watch two grown men discuss why one is so miffed at the other, let alone settle their differences. According to Beans though, this is the only way this dispute can be settled:


"We gotta do it televised now. [The beef]'ll be over but our face to face conversation gotta be televised because the public wanna know. They deserve to know. The people wanna know. You gotta understand, there was people across the world that were putting up that dynasty sign, who believed in that Roc La Familia."
-Beanie Sigel


The only people who'd watch that shit, even if it were on public access television, are the same people who go to Ross or Marshall's to bulk up their already intense State Property wardrobe collection. & maybe Memphis Bleek. That same delusion has Beans pulling other niggas into the fray, but not even for his defense! He's literally finding Jay reinforcements.


"They say he got a record [that's] supposed to come out, the remix to that "New York" ['Empire State of Mind'] shit. He poppin' shots at me. He poppin' shots at 50. But, he put Nas on the record hoping that a nigga will respond to it and come at Nas. Nas gon' come right back. He's not gonna hold no punches. He's gon' come right back. He should come right back, but look at the moves. I seen it."
-Beanie Sigel


What the fuck is he talking about? Out of Jay, 50, Beanie, & NaS, NaS is probably the most likely to go all out. Why invite him to the party? Dude's in a real low place right now, between his ex-wife & bad career choices, & since we know pain births creativity, I'd expect nothing less than NaS laying a mushroom cloud the size of Texas at Beans' doorstep. We all know NaS' personal business already, so he literally has nothing to lose from a neo-digital rap beef. I wouldn't be surprised if he secretly offered up the goods on Kelis, in hopes of Beans taking her down a couple of pegs in the process. I would. But, like a baby momma, Beans obviously isn't thinking clearly. Jay-Z might be too far removed from the hunger of Hip Hip to respond, but NaS is in the same position Beans is in; in need of a career boost. The difference is that NaS is talented & has a legacy to uphold. Maybe Beanie should've named HIS album 'Before I Self Destruct'...


I doubt this whole fiasco will make it's way to TMZ any time soon, but for those of us Hip Hop heads who have a vested interest in the bruhaha, we'll be staying tuned. I'm sure this will pass, but I hope for Beans' sake that he takes this chance & mediocre buzz to get his name back out on the rap curcuit. As far as I can see it, 50 is winning. Getting his best "Don King" impersonation on, & keeping his name in our mouths as usual. I'm never mad at capitalizing, even when it's a bully doing it.

Chess Boxin' With Curtis Jackson

I've heard it said, numerous times, that in order to hate something, you have to had loved it at some point. & I'll admit, I was a huge fan of Curtis Jackson when he emerged in the 90's. He was like a breath of fresh air; he successful combined the degenerative qualities of the West Coast's gang mentality with the gritty, hustle aesthetic of the East Coast. It was a very simple formula, & I'm sure it had been experimented with previous to 50's efforts, but for whatever reason, his execution was flawless. It didn't hurt that he played the "victim-turned-victor" card repeatedly, either. His mom was murdered in the street where she hustled, he grew up father less, thusly turning to the same life his mother lived, only to be almost killed. Here is where his story begins to apex. He decided that he'd be the biggest thing in rap music ever. He seemingly dedicated his life to this ambition. & it showed on his debut album, 'Get Rich Or Die Trying", which still moves units to this day.


For plenty of rap fans & Hip Hop heads alike, this is where the love started becoming hate.


His assaults became the pinnacle of his "talent". What began as attacks on Ja Rule, spread to Fat Joe, NaS, Jadakiss, Jay-Z, among others, & most notably Rick Ross. Rick Ross is an uber-gangsta rapper who built his musical empire on borrowed drug fantasies & genocidal undertones. Oh, & thanks to 50 Cent, Rick Ross was exposed as an ex-correctional officer, contrary to the content of 95% of his music. The other 5% was based on his sexual prowess. Laugh out loud. Ross stuck to his audio guns, releasing good music, while 50 took to the 'Net with comedy skits, stalked Ross' mother at work, & even produced a porno with one of Ross' baby mothers, & helped the other one ink a book deal for a tell-all book on the most famous rapper the world never heard of.


50 has the unrelenting ability to strategically place himself in front of the cameras when it's necessary (i.e. around the time he's about to drop an album). For the most part, it's always been a successful move, except his latest album, 'Before I Self Destruct', was scheduled to be released last year, at the height of the Rick Ross onslaught. It never happened. The album was continuously pushed back to it's apparent release date, this November. & not-so-coincedentally, he's in the mix again.


Jay-Z, & his former artist Beanie Sigel have drifted apart due to Jay's "shady" business dealings, & Beans is set to let the entire world know about his ex-boss' wayward conductivity. Suprisingly (or not really), 50 Cent just happened to be there to scoop up a wounded Beanie & give him the platform to air his grievances. There's a lot of back & forth fact-checking between Jay & Sigel, but the true champion in this melee is 50. He singlehandedly put his name back into the street, like he's known to do, on the backs of two men, former friends, that have nothing at all to do with 50 Cent.


Now, if that's not politics in it's rawest, most uncut, I don't know what is.


With rumors of Beanie Sigel being signed to Curtis' G-Unit Records (which has proven not to mean a whole helluva lot these days), 50's chess playing is paying off tremendously. Beans, 50's pawn, is checkmating Jay-Z's king. One wonders what Jay's queen (not Beyonce, y'all) move will be. In all honesty, Shawn Carter is bigger than rap, so it won't take much to block any move by 50 Cent. The point is that, 50 Cent, regardless to what people think about him, is probably the smartest player in the rap industry. He came, he saw, & he's conquering from a business level.


I'll concede that he'll most likely never again "wow" me with a lyric or song concept, but I sense that he's off that (no pun intended). Seems like it's more about conquest, & until industry cats smarten up, dude will be like Hip Hop's Genghis Khan. When he released his book earlier this year, 'The 50th Law of Power', semi-sequel to Robert Greene's "The 48 Laws Of Power', many dismissed it as another cashocow being milked, similar to his mineral water venture & his acting career. But, if the proof is truly in the pudding, I wouldn't be surprised if Bill Cosby shows up in his next video.


50's not playing checkers, people. It's more like a hood savvy 'Monopoly'/'Chess' hybrid, & he's the only one who knows the rules. Or at least, that's how it seems.

"It Was All Good Just A Week Ago..."

This Jay-Z/Beanie Sigel beef is reaching Twitter proportions, so you know it's getting serious. Once Fabolous the Tweet King chimes in, that means shit's getting official.


Sparing all the details, Beans has gotten fed up with his treatment by rap royalty Shawn Carter. The technicalities have been brewing all throughout the 'Net for the past week or so, & Beanie addressed it himself via diss track & radio interview. On the song, Beanie even takes a jab at Memphis Bleek who, in my humble opinion, should've had a verse on the song as well. But, I'm a douche nozzle, so...


[tony's note: these rappers' names has my spell check bugging out...]


Jay-Z responded from Canada (where the real gangsta vacation at), & threw a few darts himself. Generally, I give Jigga credit for being a diplomatic gentlemen when addressing angry detractors, but this time dude said some real jerk shit. Fuel to the proverbial fire, so to speak. With Beanie (every time I say/type his name, I see his face & giggle) threatening to divulge some unknown details about Jay, I don't think now's the appropriate time to sling mud, even if a dude is insinuating homosexuality. Or, again, I'm a douche nozzle, so he could just be hinting at JiggaMan's inept abilities at business-running, & inability to be a decent friend.


Either way, I'm not too excited about where this can go. Hell, not to sound like a hater, but I'd love to hear Beans spill the beans (ha!) on Jay living a double life. I already think "gay" is the new "alive", so I don't put anything past anybody. Especially when the "anybody" doesn't have a mustache. I don't trust Black men without them, & neither should you.


Beanie's basic complaint is loyalty; Jay's lack of & Beanie's willingness to give it. That's where the problem began. Years ago, when Jay scooped up Beans from whatever corner he was selling heroin on & gave him a new hoodie & a microphone, in exchange, Beans gave Jay his heart. However queer that may sound, dudes from the street often do such as a token of appreciation for a cat looking out. Maybe for all the hustlin' Jay does, he never learned that rule. Treat your friends like enemies & vice versa. That's not to say buy your adversaries Christmas presents while shooting at your right hand guy, but you smell my cologne. Jay made Beans feel like a brother, & Beans acted accordingly. So of course, once Jay started shitting in dude's cereal, things were going to get real emotional, real quick.


Which brings us to this point of heartbreak. Plainly put, Beans' feeling are hurt, & I don't blame him one bit. Jay seems like the consummate business-man, & Beans should've known this from day one. I knew that just from listening to Jay rap way back when, when he said himself-literally hundreds of times-he's all about the money. Rarely did he mention how he'd die for his dogs like a lot of rap cats say, word to DMX.


& when Jay wasn't speaking on money, he was talking about himself. He sort of strikes me as the type of man who masturbates in the mirror, whilst sitting on his doe.


Seriously, I've been through enough things in life that I find it extra hard [||] to trust anyone, outside of my youngest son. People, as a whole, are merely animals who operate on instinct & impulse. As well, I know that my best interests never parallel another person's consideration for me. Thusly, I keep a distance. If only Beanie had've done that. I don't fault Jay-Z for worshipping the almighty dollar, nor do I blame Beans for wearing his heart on his sleeve, but for all that gangsta rhetoric, one would think he knew better than that. Hopefully this won't turn into some messy Hip Hop divorce though, because I'd rather not watch them fight for custody of Memphis Bleek.


I've heard that Jay worships the devil, so expect Puffy Combs to be emerging soon with something to say. Stay tuned, rap fans.