On my way home from Texas I had the pleasure of sharing a flight with the notorious Run-DMC. After getting over the pure shock and excitement of being in the mere presence of such a figure in the evolution of hip-hop I conjured up the confidence to ask him one question. I asked him, "how would you define a sell-out rapper"? I brought up a Gap ad Common did a few years back as an example of a rapper "selling out". When that commercial aired my fellow HipHop friends were disappointed to see Common, an MC who has paved his way by sticking to the roots of HipHop, essentially always Keepin' it real, using the image of HipHop to promote Gap to make a few bucks (although I admit I don't consider common a sell-out, I figured it was a good example that wasn't so typical). Run's response..."There are none, poetry is poetry". A response I had no time to rebut as I was quickly kicked out of first class.
I was disappointed in such an answer because quite frankly it sounded like a cop-out. How can he consider lyrics such as "Superman that Hoe" poetry? Furthermore, how can he consider terrible rap that strays so far from the roots yet is able to be sold because the artist calls it HipHop, not a sell-out? How can he consider rappers that create a fake persona to sell records not a sell-out? Unsatisfied with such an answer I searched elsewhere and heres the best thing I came up with....
The answer to what makes a rapper a sell-out artist....ONLY THE ARTIST REALLY KNOWS
Monday, September 19, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Cole World: The Sideline Story Debuting Tue, 09/27/2011
J Cole, a 24-year old North Carolina native is a breath of fresh air in a HipHop generation that desperately needs some "realness". He is the first artist to sign to Jay Z's Roc Nation label and is successfully living up to the hype by approaching the game with an intellectual, raw feel.
Any doubts of what J Cole is bringing to the game were quickly silenced by his first mixtape "The Warm-Up". Cole's lyrical content covered it all, love, loss, hope and the untold story of a young kid growing up facing huge obstacles in pursuit of a dream. The mix-tape put J Cole on the map, and ever since fans have been patiently waiting for an album....
J Cole's highly anticipated album's release date is just around the corner! He surprisingly released the album's track list to his fans through his "Any Given Sunday" series. Some of these tracks have already been leaked for sometime now and they really highlight the "realness" of J Cole.
Track Listing:
1. Intro
2. Dolla and a Dream III
3. Can’t Get Enough
4. Lights Please
5. Interlude
6. Sideline Story
7. Mr. Nice Watch (Feat. Jay-Z)
8. Cole World
9. In the Morning (Feat. Drake)
10. Lost Ones
11. Nobody’s Perfect (Feat. Missy Elliott)
12. Never Told (prod. by No I.D.)
13. Rise and Shine
14. God’s Gift
15. Breakdown
16. Cheer Up
Bonus:
17. Nothing Lasts Forever
18. Work Out
19. Daddy’s Little Girl
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