MORE GOOD MUSIC

Blu & Exile - Soul Amazing

I'm all for MC's coming in the game and making their mark. Off the top of your head I know you could rattle off 5 MC's in the game right now that you think are hot. This dude right here Blu, I'm sure would not be one of them...But he needs to be. I always appreciate an MC that makes me stop the CD and go back to listen again to a line or 2 in the verse. Blu has that kind of flow that makes you appreciate Hip Hop music. I must admit I'm just getting up on him & Exile. Just heard their album "Below the Heavens" within the past few months...and it is indeed a great album. You see in our Year End Awards it was one of the albums listed for Album of the year. If you are a lover of good hip hop music, do yourself a favor and cop the album.

THE YEAR END AWARDS

Well, it's that time people. Time to have a little fun...after taking a look back at this interesting year in hip hop, we here at GFHH have compiled our lists of Nominees for the Year-End Awards. Although we have our favorites in each category, we're not going to pick winners because we like to think everyone's a winner...(or a loser depending on the category) So without further ado...Here are the "Winners" of the YEAR-END AWARDS....

Album of the Year
American Gangster - Jay Z
Eardrum - Talib Kweli
Graduation - Kanye West
*Little Brother - GetBack (GFHH personal favorite)

Blu & Exile - Below the Heavens
Jesus Price Supastar - Sean Price
Finding Forever - Common
Ghostface - Big Doe Rehab
The Undisputed Truth - Brother Ali
Desire - Pharoahe Monch

Biggest Surprise/Disappointment
Surprise - Kanye Beating 50 in 1st week CD sales. Didn't see that coming.
Disappointment - The fact that The Roots didn't pop off while on Def Jam
Surprise - Cam'ron and Jim Jones at odds...
Disappointment: No albums from M.O.P., no Fugee Reunion
Disappointment: A generation of folks that will only know Favor Flav for his TV show.
Surprise: Jay, Diddy and 50 putting their egos aside (at least for a moment) for the "I Get Money" remix

Hip Hop related News Story of the Year
The Imus flack
The attack on Hip Hop from our own people
Tony Yayo smacking Jimmy Henchman's son then subsequently getting his mom house shot up
T.I. getting arresting for buying enough guns and ammo to take on all of ATL
T.I. choking Chaka Zulu at an event during the BET Awards
Federal agents raiding top mixtape man DJ Drama's office in ATL
Oprah's one-sided town meeting on Hip Hop
Death of Pimp C
Baby and Lil Wayne kissing each in the mouth (because "that's the way the mob does it.")

The UPS is Hiring Award
Young Berg
MIMS
Soulja Boy
J Hood
Tony Yayo
DJ Unk

Best Collabo
Outkast & UGK -International Players Anthem
50 Cent feat. Diddy and Jay Z - I Get Money - Forbes 1,2,3
Kanye West and Dwele - Flashing Lights
Cassidy, Kanye, Ne-Yo - Drink and My 2 Step (remix)
Styles P & Talib Kweli - Testify
Lupe Fiasco & Matthew Santos - Superstar
Scarface & Trey Songz - Girl You Know
Fabolous feat. Ne-Yo - Make Me Better
Swizz Beatz feat. Weezy, Jada and R. Kelly - It's Me Snitches (rmx)

Worst Collabo
Young Berg, Jim Jones and Rich Boy - Sexy Lady Remix
Follow My Lead - 50 Cent ft. Robin Thicke (keep it gully 50, enough of the pop collabos)

Most Slept on Album/Artist
Album - Get Back - Little Brother
Album - Eardrum - Talib Kweli

Album - Below the Heavens - Blu & Exile
Artist - Talib Kweli
Artist - LB
Artist - Pharoahe Monch

Who got next Award
Rich Boy
Papoose
Saigon
Joell Ortiz
Crooked I
Serius Jones

Best/worst/ funniest quotes of the year
"It's gonna be a hot fu*king summer" - Cam'ron
"My album is better than Illmatic" - Saigon
" I have the best album in the past 2 1/2 years. Kanye? Curtis? I'm killing these fools! - David Banner
"We like Jimmy more than we like Cam" - 50 Cent
"Atlanta ain't the South" - Pimp C (R.I.P.)
"Anybody got a problem with me and I'ma make them smell my cologne." Pimp C (R.I.P.)
"Whoever don't like what I'm saying can suck four thousand wee wees." Pimp C (R.I.P.)
"I've Never heard "Midnight Marauders" (By ATCQ), and I don't care to." Lupe Fiasco
"The RZA is like a Hip Hop Hippie right now. Walking around with a guitar and all that." Raekwon

Artist of the Year

Talib Kweli
Kanye West
9th Wonder
Common
Little Brother

Jay-Z
50 Cent
Lil Wayne
T.I.
Ghostface

The "We Don't Believe You, You Need More People" Award
Uncle Murda
Freakey Zekey
Hurricane Chris
Rocco

Club Bangers for 2007
50 Cent - I Get Money
I'm So Hood - DJ Khaled
Jay Z - Roc Boys
Fab - Make Me Better
Trill Fam (Boosie & Webbie) - Wipe Me Down (we can't front, this killed the clubs)
T.I. - Big Things Poppin
Kanye - Can't Tell Me Nothing
Rich Boy - Throw Some D's On It

Hottest "16" of the Year
Andre 3000's verse on International Players Anthem
Jay-Z's 2nd verse on Ignorant Sh*t
Methos Man's verse on Blow Treez on "Red Gone Wild"
Kanye West's verse on the "No One" remix by Alicia Keys
Cassidy's verse on the "Drink and My 2 Step" remix

What/Who We Want To See More Of in 2008
Nas
Joe Budden
More collabs btwn top flight artists from NY/NJ
More Redman
A mentally healthy and lyrical Lauryn Hill
Dame Dash (I miss Dame)
More conscious Hip Hop....we need balance people!
The Clipse/Re-Up Gang
Rappers with reality shows about their families (Run's House, Irv Gotti's Show)
Ja Rule (fu*k it)
More Videos on MTV and BET...

What/Who We Want to See Less Of in 2008
Less rapper beef, more high profile collaborations
Less ringtone rap music
Program directors at radio stations
Superhead
DJ Khaled
T-Pain
Less emphasis on record sales
Rappers with clothing lines and liquor (none of these ni**as can build a community center?)

The "Put a Quarter in your Ass" Award:

(For the person who played themselves the most in '07)
Cam'ron - Do we need to explain?
Cassidy - For telling Jay Z to change his release date
Foxy Brown - For thinking she was a bigger star than what she was .
T.I. - "I got a hundred guns, a hundred clips...."

Most anticipated albums for 2008 (at least the first few months)
Lil Wayne
Nas
Jadakiss
Dr. Dre
Joe Budden
Saigon
OutKast

3 Bold Predictions for 2008
Nas and Jay Z will do an album together produced by DJ Premier
Dr. Dre will finally drop the long awaited 'Detox" album summer of 2008
T.I. won't do a minute in the slammer
A remix of "Self Destruction" will be recorded with some of the biggest artist in Hip Hop

Most Underrated/Overrated MC
Underrated - Kanye West
Overrated - T.I.

WILL SMITH ON TAVIS SMILEY

Here's a clip of Will Smith on Tavis Smiley's show discussing why he doesn't want to be considered an icon. Very good interview.
Click here for the full interview

BREATHE IN...BREATHE OUT....

Black Star feat. Common - Respiration

This joint right here....(a pause to take in the moment)....always puts me in a good space. Classic material. I wonder if we'll ever get another Blackstar album.... Could sure use one of those right now.

CAN YOU FEEL IT? NOTHING CAN SAVE YA...

Cuba = Marley

Jackie = Kane

Evan= Shan

Now this should be interesting....The story of the Juice Crew is coming to the big screen. "The Vapors" will begin filming in January 2008.

Wanna know who is playing BIZ!?!

Click here for the rest of the story

ANGIE MARTINEZ & TRACY MORGAN

He is truly on of the funniest dudes out...Gotta love him when he breaks out into song.

COMMON "TESTIFY" 9 Minute Short Film Music Video

Probably none of us have ever seen this extended version of this video...Enjoy

WHO NEEDS A ROYALTY CHECK?

I had no clue....did you? Respect to Roxanne Shante

JA RULE

The main reason I'm posting this is because of the perfect description XXL gave of Ja Rule concerning the last few years.

"the most famous casualty of the 21st-century rap game"

Click here for the rest of the story

BACK WHEN HE HAD "SENSE"

When I came across this joint right here...I just had to post it. I remember buying this cassette single. Wow...a cassette single.

Hip-Hop And African American Women

Hip-hop hotties

Check out this NBC Nightly New Special of industry insiders going back and forth with their views on this important topic.

AMANDA DIVA - SUPA WOMAN

RESPECT ...THE DIVA

BLACKSMITH TV

For your viewing pleasure from Talib Kweli and his Blacksmith movement.

R.I.P. PIMP C

Word has come in that PIMP C of UGK passed away today at a Hollywood hotel.

Our Condolences go out to his family and friends....Hold ya head Bun B.

Click here for more

VIBE, VIBRATION....

TRUGOY, POSDNUOS and MASE...Stakes is High.

This song has been in my head the past few days so I decided to post the video which I haven't seen in a while. Great lyrics..Great beat(RIP Dilla..yousa bad muthaF*cka!)...what more could you ask for?

TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL GHOST

In this video clip from MTV, Ghostface lets us know what he thinks of the New Wu Album.

GFHH IS NOT ALONE!

Producer 9th Wonder will be releasing his next album in January 2008. If you don't know this dude...familiarize yourself. Here's what he had to say about his album..

"With this album I’m not only defining myself, but I’m defining people in my age group. There’s no music that suits them wholeheartedly, you either have young for the young or old for the old. You still want to hear Hip-Hop, but you want Hip-Hop that’s your age.”

Click here for the full story

Again..as Frank Lucas would say...."My Man"

GET READY

It is indeed that time again. Everyone is just about finished digesting that Thanksgiving dinner. Now you're in full shopping mode as Christmas is around the corner. The 12th month of the year is here. But nothing says it's the end of the year better than recapping the highlights (and lowlights). We here at GFHH plan to do just that. Before we embark on a brand new year, it's only right that we take a look back at 2007. No doubt there will be many year end reviews all over the media....We of course will keep the focus on topics associated with our culture of Hip Hop (like you didn't know that already). We're compiling our lists now. So get ready for our opinions on the top artists of the year, top albums, best verse, biggest news story etc....

Stay tuned folks, as we take A Look Back at Hip Hop 2007

SNOOP DOGG - SENSUAL SEDUCTION

Gotta love Snoop.

IT'S FACE TIME

Scarface feat. Trey Songz - Girl You know

MORE GOOD MUSIC

Talib Kweli feat. Jean Grae & Ne-Yo - Hot Thing remix

And if you never heard the original...Shame on you.

Talib Kweli - Everything Man

One of my favorite songs on the album.

HE MADE HIS MARK

R.I.P. Ol' Dirty

Nov 15, 1968 - Nov 13, 2004

Three years?? Wow.

Without question, one of the most unique personalties this game has ever seen.

JUST BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT

MARY J. BLIGE - BE HAPPY

Yeah I woke up on my Mary sh%t this morning. Just felt like hearing the music that made me fall in love with Ms. Blige (or is it Mrs. Isaacs??) Anyway her new album is coming out next month and as usual I will go and purchase it. Mary is on that short list of artists where I have actually bought all their studio albums. Eventhough I'm not all that into her new single "Just Fine" (for some reason it reminds me of music I would hear in a McDonalds commercial) I still look forward to hearing what the "Queen of Hip Hop Soul" has in store. The reason why I am still a fan is simple. Mary came into this game at a real "coming of age" era for me and struck a chord with alot of us. Not just because she allowed herself to be vulnerable in her music (especially that "My Life" album, which was her best in my opinion) but she was the face and spirit of a new type of R&B which was dubbed "Hip Hop Soul". This music really represented our generation. Before Mary, it was all blends you would hear the Dj's spin on the radio or on a mixtape...a nice R&B joint mixed with a Hip Hop instrumental. Jodeci hit hard with the "Come and Talk to me" Remix which put both genre's together on wax. But Mary's "What's the 411"" was the first time that an entire album represented this new style of music. And we loved it! and loved her...and all the drama that came with it. In my humble opinion, her first three albums were her best. After that things gotta little shaky for me. But because she exposed herself in her music so vividly..you felt as if you knew her personally, like she was family. And with all family members, you love and support them when they are following their dreams because you believe in them..no matter how bumpy the road gets. And for me those next couple of albums were very bumpy, although there were highlights here and there. I could never write Mary off. NEVER! We all know she has received her fair share of criticisms..but who hasn't? There is something to be said about an artist, who's first album came out 15 years ago, that can still generate excitment and interest in her music today, especially in this world of fickle fans and "here today..gone tomorrow".

That's My Mary..

CHARLIE ROSE - AN HOUR WITH JAY-Z

And no Charlie Rose does not have a new show on BET, MTV or VH1.

OUR CONDOLENCES

R.I.P. Donda West

As many of you know by now, Kanye's mom passed over the weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

THE G.O.A.T. ON PRESIDENT G.O.A.T.

LL share's his views on President Carter....(no not Jimmy).

I'M SO GLAD STEVIE WONDER DIDN'T HAVE A CLOTHING LINE

In Rolling Stone Magazine Chris Rock gave his opinion on the current state of Hip Hop.

“Music kind of sucks. Nobody’s into being a musician. Everybody’s getting their mogul on. You’ve been so infiltrated by this corporate mentality that all the time you’d spend getting great songs together, you’re busy doing nine other things that have nothing to do with art. You know how shitty Stevie Wonder’s songs would have been if he had to run a fuckin’ clothing company and a cologne line?… Rap sucks, for the most part. Not all rap, but as an art form it’s just not at its best moment. Sammy the Bull would have made a shitty album. And I don’t really have a desire to hear Warren Buffett’s album - or the new CD by Paul Allen. That’s what everybody’s aspiring to be.”

In the words of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington)..."My Man"

THE TONY STARKS ACTION FIGURE

GHOSTFACE DOLL

That's right folks! My favorite WU-Tang MC (and one of My favorite MC's period) has his very own doll. Get em while there hot! On sale for only $499.99

This is not a misprint...now close your mouth!

Oh by the way, the eagle wristband, chain and medallion are 14k gold.

WU TANG CLAN AINT NUTHIN TO F%CK WIT!

Click here for the full story

JAY-Z - ROC BOYS

NAS - SURVIVING THE TIMES

JOE BUDDEN - STAR INSIDE OF ME

JERZEE STAND UP!

CASSIDY SPITS THE GOSPEL

WHY ALBUMS USED TO MATTER

by Jay Smooth

Straight Truth

THIS FEELS GOOD RIGHT HERE

O.C. - Time's Up

It's interesting how a song that was made like 13 years ago can still describe the current state of the game.

Refuse to Lose

With all the recent attacks on Hip Hop's character of late, we at Grown Folks Hip Hop thought it was time to give Hip Hop it's props for ALWAYS being on the frontline when it comes to speaking out against society's ills (racism and injustice being the most popular-for lack of a better term). Hip Hop artists have played a major role in helping with the following: Relief efforts for victims of Hurricane's Katrina and Rita (which included cash and clothes donations and benefit concerts), benefits for the victims of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Tsunami relief efforts, support for the Jena 6 and other victims of injustice and senseless violence like Adamou Diallo (RIP) and Sean Bell (RIP). Hip Hop was there to help the healing after the tragic shootings at Columbine H.S. in Colorado (where about 90% of the folks there are NOT minorities) and at Virginia Tech. This doesn't even count the many philanthropic endeavors (schools supplies, summer camps, community centers, etc) that most Hip Hop artists sponsor in their hometowns. This is not a new phenomenon since Hip Hop also had a presence at the Live Aid concert in 1985 when Run DMC performed on the same stage as Rolling Stones, Prince and Tina Turner in order to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Around 1988 KRS-One set off the "Stop the Violence Movement" which spawned "Self Destruction", a song featuring some of the best rappers of the era. "Self Destruction" was a call for all to put an end to Black on Black crime. The song feat. KRS-One, Public Enemy, MC Lyte, Stetasonic, Just-Ice and others, with the most memorable line coming from none other than the great Kool Moe Dee, "I never, ever ran from the Klu Klux Klan and I shouldn't have to run from a Black man." In 1991, top West Coast artists like Eazy-E, Ice-T, Dr. Dre, MC Hammer and others to put out the classic "We're All In The Same Gang." The song was a cry out to Crips and Bloods to stop the senseless violence that terrorized Los Angeles and many other communities infested with gang violence. Rappers from Nas to dead prez to Paris to Common to Jay-Z to David Banner, Scarface, NWA and so on have always provided social commentary in their music. Just not the singles you hear every night on the "Top 8 at 8." Not only that, but Hip Hop has decided to stand on the frontline when some of our mainstream celebrities have decided to play the background (see: Jordan, Michael and Woods, Tiger) .

As KRS would say, "I Am Hip Hop", and I'm tired of folks that are ignorant about our culture making sweeping generalizations about us with about as much knowledge about the culture as I have about open heart surgery. Everything may not be all good in Hip Hop right now, but it sure ain't all bad either. We need to continue to support and defend Hip Hop as the free and artistic movement it has always been. The folks with the most problems with Hip Hop could care less about it. That's why you have idiots at FoxNews characterizing Nas' album "Hip Hop is Dead" as "hateful music." Really? "Can't Forget About You" was hateful? "Where Are They Now" was hateful? As youngsters, Hip Hop was appealing to us on some level because it was OUR THING. Not even our parents rocked too hard with Hip Hop . In the late 70's and early 80's all the mainstream news outlets dismissed Hip Hop as a passing fad like bell bottom jeans or something (trust me, I was there). Nearly 30 years later Hip Hop is in a place that none of us ever dreamed it would be when we first heard "Rappers Delight" or when we heard the Kool Moe Dee/Busy Bee battle on cassette tape, when we first saw Run DMC and Whodini at the "Fresh Fest" So on behalf of Hip Hop and fellow Hip Hoppers everywhere, I'm raising both my middle fingers to these clowns who continue to throw darts at my culture. That type of salute is one that spans generations, so there can be no misunderstanding how we feel. So to paraphrase Ice-T's great line from "New Jack City", "When you're ready to bring your sideline ass to the frontline, just let me know bruh."

DK - I Know

DK - 'I Know'

In today's world of Hip Hop, marketing and promoting is on extreme overload. There are so many artists thrown at us that it becomes a job to hear new artists with good material. In steps DK.....hailing from Queens, New York. A True MC with a solid flow, witty word play and real content. I can really appreciate mc's like this...not all the way left, not all the way right..he show's great balance. A real lyrical dude.

Click here for DK's Myspace Page

Dr. Julia Hare

I've been meaning to post this for a while. It's not new, but it's something we all should listen to.

Jay-z: Blue Magic

Smif N Wessun - Gotta Say It

"The Album" In stores October 23rd

IT WAS AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE

I hope you all were able to watch Vh1 Hip Hop Honors Monday night. If not, I'm sure you will be able to catch the reruns. The highlight for me was the TRIBE tribute, which closed the show. Even though Lupe's fumbling of Phife's verse on 'Electric Relaxation' wasn't that bad...many fans have been getting at him about it. (Poor Lupe). Anyway, Busta came and tore down his verse for Scenario..like the wild maniac we know him to be. ATCQ hit the stage hard and performed a couple of their own hits as well. The Whodini set was a nice one too that basically ended off almost like a dance competition. You really felt the energy up there and it seemed like a lot of fun. The New Jack swing tribute was a little more R&B flavored..but enjoyable nonetheless...Teddy Riley was beast when you think about all the joints he has done over the years and there were so many songs that weren't performed. I was kind of surprised that Missy didn't perform during her tribute. It was a pretty good set with Timbaland, Eve, Tweet, Ciara, Keyshia Cole and Nelly Furtado. Snoop's tribute was solid as expected. T.I. came out and handled his business with 'Deep Cover' followed by Pharrell and Daz doing 'Nuthin but a G thang". Of course Snoop came out with his lil homie Bow Wow..(wait, he's not little anymore..right?) And tore it down..also performing 'Drop it like it's hot'. The Wild Style Tribute hit you with a few originators of the game, Busy Bee, GrandMaster Caz and Grand Wizard Theodore..and the teacher...KRS One. Every one flowing to classic break beats. Overall it was a pretty good show. I'm not going to even get into some of the things I have questions about, that's a whole 'nother post.

GOTTI'S WAY TRAILER

Alot of us enjoy rooting for the underdog. And I know many of us feel like Murder Inc. is absolutely in that position. They might acutally be UNDER UNDER dogs. I for one will watch this reality show because it does look interesting..also after hearing Irv talk on a recent radio interview, it made me appreciate his perspective on things. I must admit though I would have probably been a little more interested in this if the two Ja Rule joints weren't out yet...then maybe it woulda got me in the frame of mind like Ja might do it again...but what I've heard from those two songs...let's just say they aint my favorites. Anyway the trailer looks interesting and I'm glad to see Irv's not just relying on Ja to save the label.

Relax Yourself Girl, Please Settle Down

Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation

Because the VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2007 is upon us, I felt compelled to post this video. This is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite groups... A TRIBE CALLED QUEST. There is a very short list of artists that I have actually purchased every album they have put out...TRIBE is definitely on that list.

On Monday October 8th at 10PM I will be, as most of you should be, in front of the tube watching the festivities take place. Along with ATCQ, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliot, Whodini, New Jack Swing and Wild Style will be honored.

Here's the link for more details: http://www.vh1.com/shows/events/hip_hop_honors/_2007/

The Hustlers Poster Child

By now you've all heard the new single from Jay-z, "Blue Magic". I've heard countless opinions, some for, some against. The album is inspired by the movie of the same title starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. From my understanding, this album is supposed to be more of a concept album with no real "radio friendly" singles on it. Sounds good to me. Whatever your opinion of him, it is undeniable that he always generates interest...MAJOR INTEREST with his music projects. That being said, we all look forward to November when the album drops so we can listen and then immediately critque it. Because that's what fans love to do more than anything, especially nowadays....

LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

September 11th. Since 2001, this date serves as a terrible reminder of a catastrophe that we all wish would have never happened. So before we get into our topic, let us send our thoughts and prayers to all those who lost love ones on that day.

Interestingly enough on that very day Jay-Z released (what many folks regard as his best album) The Blueprint. Fast forward to 2007 as we approach that day again, there is a reason to actually look forward to it. 2 of Hip Hop's biggest stars, the humble Kanye West and the equally humble 50 Cent, will release their albums (the 3rd solo Album for each artist) on September 11th. I've been reading MANY opinions on line about who will sell more. This competition does bring some real excitement to the world of Hip Hop (and oh how we love excitement!). 50 has actually claimed that if Kanye sold more than 50 the first week, 50 would never release another solo album ( yeah...ok). Kanye, to his credit, took the high road and spoke about what a great day 9/11/07 would be for Hip Hop to have to giants of the industry go head to head. We at GFHH agree with that. For one, they are both highly respected artists, who are very different on many levels. Both of their debut and sophomore albums were very successful. And they are both outspoken individuals who seemed to get interviewed twice a week (BTW - For all the hate I see 50 and G-Unit get, if homeboy sneezes too hard it's a headline not only on Bossip.com, but Page 6 as well). These and other reasons gives a good shot of energy that is needed in this game right now. A battle without the beef, so to speak. So after that day comes and goes; and we have purchased one or the other (or both), and the final numbers come in…..a question comes to my mind. When did we, as fans, start caring about how much an artist sells in the first week or overall? Why is that even important to us? It's not like any of these artist are cutting checks written out to me, no matter how big a fan I am of their music. We also know that sales never really determine who was the better MC or rapper (as always, there is a difference). In that case Hammer, Vanilla Ice or Eminem would be known as the greatest of all time (BTW - I know there are some huge and loyal Em fans out there, but he's no where near the greatest of all time). We at Grown Folks Hip Hop can't seem to remember what made record sales so important to the fans, but it's starting to cloud folks perception of a solid album. For example, I don't think Nas' Hip Hop is Dead or Game's The Documentary have sold over a million copies, but both of those MCs are 2 of the best doing it right now. Same will apply to Common, and the same did apply to Busta (whose album was crazy). Does this make them wack? Does that make them lesser artists than a Yung Joc or a Mike Jones (both of whom sold over a million copies of their debut albums)? Would you say T.I. was a better MC than Pharoahe Monch? As Amy Winehouse would ask, "What kind of Fu*k#ry is this?" Sales NEVER determined whether I liked an artist or bought their music. It wasn't even something I thought about when buying music. But things have changed. This is a new generation and it is their turn to determine what's hot and what's not using their own criteria. While that criteria is probably different from those folks over the age of 30, we should still respect it, like we wanted our parent's generation to respect what we thought and expressed. That's cool and all, but we were trying to UNDERSTAND why sales have become so important and the art form that is MCing seems to have been pushed to the back. Respect is one thing, but understanding is another. Get at us!!!!

LET THE ARGUMENTS BEGIN

"Got the hottest chick in the game wearing my chain" - Jay-Z

Few would argue that Beyonce is indeed "the hottest chick in the game", but as for her significant other, many would say that the title of "Hottest MC" no longer belongs to El Presidente.

MTV recently put out their list of the top ten hottest rappers in the game right now and Mr. Carter was far from the number one spot. Were they way off base or right on point? Some of the the criteria needed to qualify as the hottest rapper in the game includes: lyrics, music, swagger, love and respect from the masses among other things. Below is MTV's list. You can go to this link: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?name=news&id=1565321&vid=164124,

to watch some of the arguments that went down while they were putting the list together

10. Jim Jones
9. Common

8. 50 Cent

7. Jay Z
6. Young Jeezy
5. Kanye West
4. Andre 3000
3. Game
2. T.I.
1. Lil Wayne

The folks at MTV stressed that "hottest" does not necessarily mean "best" or "most talented." It seems as though this is a list of the most popular rappers out right now. When we at GFHH heard that MTV was compiling this list, we figured that either Lil Wayne or T.I. would get the top spot. I have no problem with that. Both of those dudes are all over the place... TV, radio, magazines, mixtapes, movies (at least in the case of T.I.). I personally might argue that Kanye needs to be a little higher. He may be arrogant and he may have a fashion sense that takes some getting used to, but Kanye rarely (if ever) puts out anything wack and he may be one of the most underrated MCs out. We've had other producers who've rhymed (Diamond D, Pete Rock, Large Professor, and The RZA to name a few), but 'Ye might be the best of them all. I might even move Curtis up a notch or two. The entire hip-hop world listens when he speaks and everything he does the masses consider it newsworthy. He may not be the best MC on the list, but he's far from the worse (not with Jimmy on the list). I personally am not a big Jeezy fan. I've always respected his hustle, but a quotable MC he is not. I think a cat like Wayne would murder Jeezy in a battle, but once again, this is a list of the "hottest" rappers and I can't deny that Jeezy belongs in that conversation. I think MTVs choice of Andre 3000 was both interesting and deserved. For some reason I didn't think Dre would get his respect, but since his coming out of his self imposed rapping hiatus he's been spitting razor sharp bars. His verses on the Lloyd remix for "You" and his verse on the UGK joint, "International Players Anthem" may be two of the hottest verses of 2007. It killed me not to see Nasir on the list because he's one of the best of all time, but after he dropped his album, he went on tour overseas and kinda dropped out of the mainstream public eye. I also thought that Ludacris would find his way onto the list. Homie just caught a Grammy, he always puts out solid albums, does well in sales, you see him on TV all the time...why no Luda?

The list is what it is. We like to know your thoughts on the list. Anybody you would add? Take off? Get at us.

MISSING: The Hip Hop Group

What's going on Grown Folks? I have a question, which can be considered rhetorical in nature. Where are the Hip Hop groups, and why does it seem like they've all dropped off the face of earth? I'm not talking about novelty acts like Pretty Ricky, D4L, Boyz in the Hood, etc. Nor am I referring to collections of solo artists like G-Unit, DipSet, Wu-Tang, D.I.T.C. (arguably the most underrated collection of MCs and producers ever), etc. I'm talking about REAL Hip Hop groups like Ultramagnetic MCs, Run DMC, Boogie Down Productions; A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock and CL Smooth; Salt-n-Pepa, NWA, Hieroglyphics, Naughty by Nature (what up Jersey!), Heavy D and The Boys, The Pharcyde; Nice-n-Smooth; Stetsasonic (precursors to The Roots), Geto Boys, Goodie Mob, PE, De La, etc. These are the groups that had MCs that finished each other's bars and rhymed back and forth ala Run DMC and EPMD. Most of our best conscious MCs were from Hip Hop Group (PE, Brand Nubian and X-Clan to name a few). Hip Hop Groups also introduced us to some of the greatest MCs of all-time (Digital Underground/Tupac; BDP/KRS-One; Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five/Melle Mel; NWA/Ice Cube; Geto Boys/Scarface). Very rarely do you see new Hip Hop groups being introduced to the masses. We do have some solid groups out here today like The Roots (the best group out, hands down), UGK, Little Brother (come back 9th!), Bone Thugs n Harmony (who will be re-introduced to the world by Swizz Beats later on this year), and The Clipse (one of my personal favorites); but other than OutKast you'd be hard pressed to name a successful, well known Hip Hop group out here today and even they decided to go their separate ways.

The Hip Hop group has been a staple in Hip Hop music from Day One. As a matter of fact, in the early days of Hip Hop, it seemed like there were more well known groups than solo artists (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Cold Crush Brothers, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force [you gotta love that name], The Treacherous Three, Funky Four + One More, Sugarhill Gang, etc.). Why is that? It is a money issue? We all now that advance money doesn't stretch too far so that may be a factor. Are the labels not checking for Hip Hop groups anymore? Or are there no new groups coming up to speak of? Some of my favorite groups still get busy on the independent side of things like Smif n Wessun (aka The Coco Brovas); dead prez and many others. But we at GFHH think that this is a component that is needed in today's Hip Hop climate. We always talk about the need for variety and balance in Hip Hop music and maybe the reemergence of the Hip Hop group will help bring that about. A lot of the groups that were out had the variety and balance in their music that we crave. Naughty would give us the sex joint (OPP), party joint (Hip Hop Hooray), the "pain in my life" joint (Ghetto Bastard), tell you to "Guard Your Grill" and then hit you with the "Uptown Anthem." Salt n Pepa may not have named themselves the "baddest b*tches", nor did they feel the need tell us how good their head game was, but they had mad hits and I know I wouldn't be the only one wildin out if I heard "Tramp" come on at a party. EPMD (probably the most underrated group of all-time) definitely weren't known as the hardest MCs in Hip Hop, but I know NO ONE who didn't count them among their favorite artists. And their chemistry together on the mic was only surpassed by the brilliance of Darryl and Joe (R.I.P. JMJ).

To bring it current, why a group like Little Brother doesn't get more love is crazy to me. The whole Boot Camp Click would definitely bring more quality music to the airwaves. The Roots are the quintessential Hip Hop group, but they usual play to live audiences of mostly caucasians (not that there is anything wrong with this) and urban (code word for Black and Latino) radio program directors act like they don't even exist (but there is something terribly wrong with THAT).

It looks like we're going to have to be satisfied with what we have now. Thanks to the internet we are able to access some of this music (thank goodness for Myspace Music!), but being the Hip Hopper that I am, I miss the Hip Hop group. I should be able to turn on the radio (not XM or Sirius either) and hear the music from at least some of these groups. But if not, I WILL find it.

THE LEGEND SERIES VOLUME 1:

EPMD

EPMD (Erick and Parrish Making Dollars) were among the best in hip-hop's underground during the late '80s and early '90s. They were sampling G-Funk records while Dr. Dre' was turning off the lights with his World Class Wrecking Crew (look it up). They were also some of the first MCs to use their government names when they performed, no "MC this or that" and no nicknames. I personally count EPMD among my favorite groups of all time after Run DMC and Public Enemy. Since coming on the scene in 1987 with the classic album Strictly Business, EPMD, along with the legendary DJ Scratch, were responsible numerous hip-hop classics, including "It's My Thing," "You Gots to Chill," "Get the Bozack," "Strictly Business," "Rampage" feat LL Cool J and the "Jane" series. Over the years EPMD's contribution to Hip Hop has gone largely unnoticed and underappreciated.

Though EPMD's hardcore style influenced the urban-oriented gangsta '90s, Erick and Parrish were both raised in the Long Island suburb of Brentwood. That alone was rare because at that time the only MC from out there making any noise was Rakim. EPMD was also a self-contained unit. They wrote and produced every one of their records, with Erick usually taking care of most of the production, because that what they thought all groups did. Plus, who had dough to pay a producer in the latter stages of the crack era. At the time, I thought P was a much better MC than Erick, but E's work behind the boards was heavy. Most Hip Hop fans know Erick went on to be a very successful and sought after for other artists. EPMD were pumping out gold records (a big deal in the early days of Hip Hop) when Tribe, Jungle, De La, etc. were in high school. After their outstanding debut record "Strictly Business" they signed to the Yankees of Hip Hop labels (at least back then) Def Jam Records. EPMD dropped "Business As Usual" in 1990 (which saw the debut of a certain Brick City MC named Reggie Noble on the stellar cut "Hardcore") and then came with "Business Never Personal" two years later. 1992 saw the introduction of the Hit Squad. A crew of an extended family that included Redman, K-Solo (that "Spellbound" joint was crazy and the remix to "Letterman", prod. by Pete Rock is an underground classic), Keith Murray, and Das EFX. This crew of real MCs would go one to drop, arguably (and with all due respect to "The Symphony"), the hottest posse cut of all-time titled, "Headbanger".

Unfortunately, the boys from Brentwood split up over personal and business issues towards the end of 1992. I remember reading about it "The Source" back when I was in college. Rumors of misappropriated funds (isn't that always the reason for the beef), home invasions and dissention among the members of the Hit Squad ran rampant. After the Hit Squad tour in 1992, EPMD would break up for 5 years. Both tried their hands at solo careers with mixed success, and they also started their own squads--The Hit Squad (comprised of PMD, Das EFX and K-Solo) and The Def Squad (which was made up of Erick, Red and Keith). Neither man was able to ever capture that feel they had when they were EPMD. Luckily for their fans they got back together in 1997 and put out the strong comeback LP, Back in Business. The last LP for the group, aptly titled Out of Business, was released in 1999. When the greatest Hip Hop groups of all-time are discussed, Erick and Parrish Making Dollars need to be part of that conversation.

SAY IT AIN'T SO CAM!

When I heard it I didn't believe it. I thought he must have been misquoted. Maybe it was an ill-advised joke that the interviewer for "60 minutes" didn't get. For those who haven't heard, DipSet HNIC Cam'Ron told "60 Minutes" that he wouldn't tell the police the location of a serial killer if he lived next door to him (see the video). Cam said he would probably move, but he wouldn't tell the cops because it would hurt his business and telling would go against his "code of ethics." Really? Look, I understand the code of the hood. Even your Moms used to tell you not be be a "tattle-tale." Growing up, we used to know who shot who, who stole what from who, who selling what and where, etc. We called it the grapevine. Those are the things we came to learn that you normally mind your own business about. But as much acrimony that there is between law enforcement in Black and Latino neighborhoods and its citizens, there's NO circumstance where I wouldn't tell the cops to come get a serial killer (A SERIAL KILLER!!!) living next door to me and mine (or strangers for that matter). Cam is what, about 30 yrs. old. He should be mature enough to determine what's "snitching" and what isn't. Cam is also a father so I'm sure if a serial killer was living next door to his little man he would want whoever knew that fact to say something. (BTW - A Busta's one of my favorite artists, but unless you plan on avenging your man's death personally, you should've told the cops something. At least for dude's wife and kids. He fouled out. Can't be said any other way). But the 13 to 18 yr. olds that make up the majority of DipSet's fans probably can't tell the difference and that's where the problems begin. I don't even think he meant to answer the interviewers question like that. Maybe he could've said, "Of course I'd get a serial killer arrested, we don't support the senseless murdering of innocent people, but folks in my community have had a hard time trusting police because of the way we're treated in our own neighborhoods. Some folks have just decided to police the hood themselves before another innocent man is shot at 50 times for no reason." There are thousands of kids screaming "stop snitching", wearing t-shirts with the ubiquitous "stop snitching" logo with the red line through it. One witness in a trial in Pennsylvania about a year and a half ago had the nerve to wear one of those t-shirts in court. Most of these rappers are snitching on themselves anyway, talking about how much coke you sell, where your connect is from, who you shot or want to shoot and with what type of gun. They tell the beast what type of cars they drive and where they hang out, etc. So who's snitching?

That being said, the police have to do more to make citizens feel that the police are in our neighborhoods to "protect and serve" us. There are too many officers drunk with power or on revenge missions since they were picked on in high school and now is the time for the get back. Almost every inner-city has had to deal with some kind of corruption in their police departments. In some places its hard the citizens to tell who the bad guys are. It's not going to be easy either because police brutality and neglect are problems that have been going on since our grandparents were children. Real talk, we need each other. There's no way the police can do their jobs effectively without help from citizens, but the citizens won't be eager to help the police unless we can trust that they'll do their jobs lawfully. So it's not like I don't understand why Mr. Giles said what he said, I just think he went to the extreme to prove his point. Of course, it didn't make him (or Hip Hop) look too good, but if it wasn't Cam it would've been Snoop or Tony Yayo or Jeezy or somebody that would've co-signed it.

We as a people, and a generation, have to stop making ourselves look ridiculous. Especially on mainstream TV and radio. We all knew that after the "Kramer" thing and the "Imus" thing, that things would start to change (whether they are for better or worse remains to be seen), but after Russell & Company's appearance on Oprah backed with Killa Cam's revelation on "60 Minutes", it crystal clear Hip Hop is in America's crosshairs. And we (Hip Hop) continue to give them ammo (hollow points at that).

IMUS AND HIP HOP

(*This is not a real magazine cover)

What's going on Grown Folks? Let us first start off by sending our condolences and prayers out the the families of the people that were murdered on the campus of Virginia Tech University on Monday. As a father with a daughter on her way to college in the fall, this definitely hit home. No parent should have to worry about their child getting shot to death in a classroom, but sadly, that is the world we live in. 33 people dead and nobody knows why. Whatever note the gunman left still won't explain why such a tragedy happened because there is no justification for killing innocent people at all. Let's all hope that those effected by this will be able to move on someday.

Now back to the Hip-Hop.

By now everyone has heard, or heard about, the comments that cost Hall of Fame broadcaster Don Imus his job. Predictably, the mainstream media again bought up the supposed double-standard of hip-hop artists being allowed to call women "bitches" and "hoes" (and call men niggas), but when someone outside of the race does it, there is an uproar. This is a similar argument used by folks after Michael "Kramer" Richards use if the word "nigger" during his stand-up act. While speaking to different folks over the past 2 weeks, I've heard a wide array of opinions on both Imus' comments and whether or not his comments were harsh enough for him to be taken off of the air (of course they were). Oprah devoted the the last two days of her show to the topic. Good Morning America and The Today Show devoted morning segments to the same topic bringing different folks (or experts) on the show to speak their opinions. It seems that EVERYBODY, even folks who have no connection at all to the culture, had something to say about it. My question is, "What did what Imus said have to do with music, let alone Hip-Hop." Don Imus is a news radio personality. He's not a DJ or Artist. He barely plays background music when he goes to commercial. But 80% of the mainstream media chose to raise the "why can rappers say it" flag once again.

During these debates, I never heard anyone (until Russell Simmons on Oprah) say that there are different types of rap music out there. Not ALL hip-hop artists use the words bitch or hoe. And for the ones that do, Dr. Todd Boyd, author and contributor to ESPN.com, said something that made a lot of sense, "Rappers are in essence characters performing a fictional life. Though the culture is rooted in the notion and style of authenticity, it is decidedly fictional...so we should be judging hip-hop the same way we judge a novel, a movie, or a television show, and to do so means we have to afford hip-hop the same latitude we afford any form of artistic expression." Chuurch!!! I know I couldn't have said it any better than that so I won't try. Dr. Boyd raises an excellent question. Why aren't the other artistic art forms (especially music and movies) held to the same standard that hip-hop seems to be? Martin Scorsese (director o one of my favorite movies of all time - Goodfellas) won his first Oscar recently for "The Departed", a movie about crooked cops and organized crime. There is tons of gratuitous violence in that flick, dudes getting shot in the head left and right, guys getting dumped off of the top of buildings, blood splattering all over the place, etc. I haven't heard anybody blaming mob movies or the Sopranos for glorifying violence or the continued disrespect of women. So why blame hip-hop? Is it base on race? Class? People that are ignorant of the culture? Should hip-hip be blamed for allowing this type of climate to permeate through the industry?
Let us know.

One thing we do know is that the civil rights generation is woefully unaware of the different facets of hip-hop culture. After seeing what has been said over the past 2 weeks I wonder if they even care. Black Radio and TV (that means you BET and MTV) have done a great job messing their heads up and making them think all we do have sex, drink, do drugs, go to jail, shoot each other, wear our pants below our asses and throw dough at strippers. In order for us to ever make things better they need understand that they have to work with the hip-hop generation and not against it.

Please go to the links we provided to get to very different (and interesting) views on this subject. One from Dr. Todd Boyd, and another from Jason Whitlock a columnist for the Kansas City Star an contributor to AOL.com, who we'll say isn't the biggest fan of hip-hop. We're sure you'll find both views interesting and as always we'd like to hear what you think. Especially the women.

On a lighter note, there are times when rappers actually profess their love for the women in their lives. Not only do these songs show another side of the artist, but in many cases it becomes classic material. We've posted some of our favorite songs where the artists shows his softer side.

As the big homie Don Cornelius would say, "We wish you Love, Peace and SOOOOOOOUL!!!!!"

Dr. Boyd - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=boyd/070416

Jason Whitlock - http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/66339.html

Have you outgrown Hip Hop?

It's a question I've found myself wondering about over the past few years (mostly about myself). In the past, the answer has always been a quick and resounding, "Hell No!" But the enthusiasm with which that answer is delivered has calmed considerably. That's not to say I don't enjoy a lot of the hip-hop music that is out today. I count The Clipse, Lupe Fiasco, Little Brother, Slim Thug, Lil Wayne and Young Buck among my favorite "new school" artists. The last thing I would want to be is some bitter older cat still stuck in the 80's and 90's. But nowadays when "heinous crimes help records sales more than creative lines" (Thanks Nas), I find myself at a crossroads.

I believe that if there was a soundtrack for our generation it would be comprised of mostly (if not all) hip-hop records. In contrast, most of our parents generation's soundtrack would be comprised of music by Motown. If I believe that, how could I ever outgrow it? How could I ever stop listening to B.I.G., Redman, Jay-Z, Nas, Big L and all my other favorites? I hear people tell me all the time that they've left hip-hop alone since they've gotten older. I usually ask them what they listen to now. "Jazz" or "R&B" is usually the answer. I'm a music fan. I've always listened to all types of music (for example, I have Criminal Minded; Frank Sinatra-Live at Radio City Music Hall, Best of Beres Hammond and We Got it For Cheap-Part #2 in my CD player at home right now), but I never hear anybody that likes rock music thinking they're too old to listen to it. Same with reggae, classical, folk, soul (R&B), etc. Why do the people who enjoy listening to hip-hop music have to "outgrow" the music. It's true that I may not listen to "Talk Like Sex" (Kool G. Rap) or "Wildflower" (Ghostface) like I used to, don't think for one minute that my CD player isn't filled with albums (both old and new) from KRS-One, A Tribe Called Quest, AZ, and Pete Rock.

There are things about the culture that bother me. The "beef" thing has been played out. The way the women (our Beautiful Black and Latina women) are treated and portrayed makes me cringe (especially as the father of a teenager). I remember Queen Latifah said she'd smack a dude for calling her a bitch. Now being a bitch is a large part of the female MC's bio. The radio and music video stations playlists are so duplicated that you listen to the radio in N.Y. hop on a plane, fly to Cali and hear almost the exact same playlist. There was a time that we liked to listen to the radio when we were OT just to see what they rocked to in whatever part of the country we were in.

I don't think my folks over 30 have outgrown hip-hop. We just want the variety and balance that was once a big part of the music. No MCs (or rappers-there is a big difference) with the same names (Lil, Young, Yung, etc.), different video girls, more interesting subject matter (no more rims or making it rain-since when did music for the strip club become mainstream?) I love lasagne, but if I had it for more than 2 days in a row I will get sick of it.

We at GFHH will never forget the "good ole days." But we'll never look to the past so long that we can't see appreciate present and/or future. We hope to provide a full-view of hip-hop music. The music is our motivation so GFHH will always be true to that. We will, from time to time, comment on social issues involving hip-hop, current events, etc. We hope that our topics make you think and, hopefully, you feel compelled to comment on some of our blog topics.

Welcome to our world.