What A Job- Devin The Dude

This is just an all around great song. The beat is really laid back and mellow and every verse is just excellent. It's all about coming up in the rap game and how hard these guys work to get recognized and make hot rhymes. Devin holds his own against two hip-hop classics in Snoop Dogg and Andre 3000, Talking about how hard it is to be an MC and get recognized, but at the end he realizes that it's "all for the cause." Snoop Dogg is on here with another classic verse with his very recognizable soft voice and smooth flow. I think the one who steals the show on this song though is Andre 3 stacks. This has to be one of my favorite Andre verses I've ever heard. He talks about illegal downloading in the first part and then starts talking about how he doesn't rap because he wants to buy expensive things, even though those are perks of the job, he does it for " that boy that graduated, that looked you in your eyes real tough and said preciate it." It just shows how Andre can tell a story or talk about something, by using an example that out of context wouldn't make any sense. It's incredible and I think that is why he's such a gifted MC.

Standout Lines: Honestly, I'm just gonna post the whole Andre 3000 Verse,
"We work nights, we some vampires 
Niggas gather round the beat like a campfire 
Singin' folk songs, but not no Kumbaya my Lord 
You download it for free, we get charged back for it 
I know you're saying, they won't know they won't miss it 
Besides, I ain't a thief, they won't pay me a visit 
So if I come to your job, take your corn on the cob 
And take a couple kernels off it that would be alright with you 
Hell no! Yeah, exactamundo 
But we just keep recording and it ain't to get no condo 
And Candy Bentley fanny with no panties in Miami 
And that cute lil' chick named Tammy that you took to the Grammys 
See we do it for that boi that graduated 
That looked you in your eyes real tough and said 'preciate it 
And that he wouldn'ta made it if it wasn't for your CD number 9 
And he's standing with his baby momma Kiki and she cryin' talkinbout 
That they used to get high to me in high school 
And they used to make love to me in college 
Then they told me 'bout they first date, listenin' to my tunes 
And how he, like to finger nail polish 
I say hate to cut you off but I gotta go 
I wish you could tell me mo' but I'm off to the studio, gotta write tonight 
Hey, can you put us in your raps songs I don't see why not 
Devin it's the Dude you gon' probably hear him talking 'bout"


Franks

Murder Was The Case-Snoop Dogg

It is no question that West Coast hip hop ruled much of the 90's. With albums like Doggystyle dropping, featuring producers like Dr. Dre and Dazz Dillinger, it's obvious as to why West Coast hip hop reigned supreme. "Murder Was The Case" is a lyrical narrative about born and raised LBC rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg being murdered. While dying Snoop makes a compromise with the Devil. The deep meaning behind the lyrics is what makes this song an instant hip hop classic. In the first verse, the Dogg describes the subconscious of his death. He hears a voice (satan) telling him to give his life and he will be granted another one with more perks of being a G:

I think it's too late for prayin', hold up,
A voice spoke to me and it slowly started sayin',
"Bring your lifestyle to me I'll make it better,"
How long will I live?
"Eternal life and forever"
And will I be, the G that I was?
"I'll make your life better that you can imagine or even dream of,
So relax your soul, let me take control,
Close your eyes my son"
My eyes are closed

In the second verse, Doggy Dogg is livin' the high life as a G in the LBC does. However, the promise is kept on both ends, in the third verse Snoop is shackled for eternity. Lyrically, this trio of verses is ahead of its time. The beat created by Dre, sets the satanic mood and plays perfectly with the song content. Like Danklin mentioned with Jay-Z in Dead Presidents, Snoop is known for "bending words" or changing words completely when rhyming. In the third verse Snoop says, "25 with an izzle with no where to gizzo." A classic Snoop rhyming scheme. It's great to see a synonymous "gangsta rapper" create something so poetically progressive. Other rappers are talking about killing people, while Snoop is describing what's going through his head while being killed. To invent a narrative of the subconscious during death and add a supernatural perspective was unheard of in hip hop during the time. Snoop changed the game, making him one of the best MCs of all time. 'Nuff said. Disgusting.

Standout Lines:
As I lookup at the sky,
My mind starts trippin', a tear drops my eye,
My body temperature fails,
I'm shakin' and they breakin' tryin' to save the Dogg,
Pumpin' on my chest and I'm screamin',
I stop breathin', damn I see deamons
Dear God, I wonder can ya save me?


Diaz

Scott Mescudi vs. The World- Kid Cudi

Today in honor of the release of Cudi's new album, I am posting the opening track from Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. The album is pretty dark and spacey, much slower than his debut album. This particular song is quite good, Cudi's flow moves starts off slower just like the beat and then as the beat picks up so does his flow which is really cool. Listening to this beat it almost feels as if I'm floating out somewhere over the atmosphere and Cee-Lo Green's hook is well done and catchy. I've always respected Cudi because he is a very deep and introspective rapper and he talks about much more than money and hoes. He delves deep into his personal feelings and brings you through his conscience on a lot of his songs, you can see that he puts a lot of effort into his albums and they are meant to be played out like a movie almost. Definitely check out his new album when you get the chance.

Standout Lines: "Work hard, makin sure I don't become a memory, hard to press on when the memories remember me, And they always find the perfect moment, High speed I'm a minimal slum, Lost in the wind I've lost all my friends maybe they were never meant to be acquainted Money seems to make everything tainted."

- Franks

N.Y. State of Mind-Nas

After his debut album "Illmatic," Nas was proclaimed one of the most promising young hip hop artists in the game. The song "New York State of Mind" is a reverent account of life on the block. Growing up in anything but humble upbringings, this bird flipping, aspiring rapper from Queens changed the game of hip hop forever. After dropping out of high school early on, NASir Jones pledged his life to the streets, seeing what kind of luck it'd bring him. After witnessing his best friend "Ill Will" die outside Queensbridge housing project, the same building they grew up in, Nas realized it was time to find a way out of the everyday struggle. Produced by the one and only DJ Premier and combined with the progressive poeticism that encompasses Nas, "N.Y. State of Mind" is a masterpiece. It is a vivid story that depicts the mentality of inner city youth with lines like "It's like the game ain't the same, got younger niggaz pullin' the trigger, and bringing fame to they name." Nas illustrates the desire for most kids, growing up where he did, to devote their life to the dog eat dog world of gang life. Nas might not be the baddest gangsta in Queens, but when it comes to spitting he can go head to head with the best of them. So without further adieu, lets take a listen as to why Nasty Nas is considered the King of Queens.

Standout Lines:
Inhale deep like the words in my breath,
I never sleep, cuz sleep is the cousin of death,
I lay puzzled as I backtrack to earlier times,
Nothing's equivalent, to the New York state of mind


Diaz

Dead Presidents-Jay-Z

So we decided to start this blog mainly because we feel that this current generation doesn't understand the origins of rap music, the pioneers who came before Lil' Wayne and Drake. We think that people need to understand where rap started and how in all reality, has digressed since the early days of 2pac and Biggie. So this blog is going to show that hip-hop isn't all about making metaphors and talking about random stuff. Rap is meant to convey a message and to give you a feeling. Not saying that I don't enjoy modern rap music, I really like Lil' Wayne and everyone, but I just think people need to listen to see what rap is about.

So first I'm posting Dead Presidents by Jay-Z off of his debut album Reasonable Doubt, which I consider to be one of the better rap albums ever. This song is incredible, the stories he tells throughout are awesome if you understand what he's talking about. Especially this part of the song when he talks about a friend of his in the hospital. The way he is able to tell this vivid story in just a couple of lines is excellent. I can see everything that he is describing so clearly and I think being able to put a story in someone's mind with only a few lines of a song takes so much talent. His flow is really nice here and matches the beat perfectly. He's able to change up his flow on the turn of a dime and thats why Jay is considered a legend. He has some haunting words when he says "murder is a tough thing to digest, it's a slow process, but I ain't got nothin but time." The Nas sample on the chorus is really cool too. This song also shows Jay's ability to rhyme words with each other that wouldn't normally rhyme. For example he rhymes the word brilliant with in and win. He morphs the word in a way that it actually works and fits within the framework of his rhyme pattern and flow. Just a classic hip-hop song and without a doubt one of my favorites ever.

Standout Lines:
Hospital days, reflectin' when my man laid up,
On the uptown high block he got his side sprayed up,
I saw his life slippin', this is a minor setback,
Yo, still in all we livin', just dream about the get back,
That made him smile tho his eyes said "pray for me,"
I'll do you one better and slay these niggaz faithfully


Franks