[...] Original post by Rizoh [...]

flipping the bird isn’t really social commentary.

when jay-z talked about the water initiative with which he got involved, he sounded like a confused child playing adult.

he’s got a long ways to go to be socially relevant beyond the arts, fashion and gossip blogs.

^^That’s the point I’m trying so hard to make. He feels the urge to address issues, but his approach is crass and distracting.

Well he does brag about how he doesn’t write anything down. Therefore I wouldn’t expect a full concise verse about a subject. He probably thinks of whats current, throws a witty punchline to it and then moves on to something else.

Yo Riz, i completely agree about his style of social consiousness, how its less obvious and more flippant, like his “fuck the system” verse on that dead prez remix which is so fuckin ill! ….my only criticism is that for sumbody with his immense talent, he shows this more consious side of him wayyy to infrequently

it was that verse form the “hell yeah” remix
As long as there’s – drugs to be sold
I ain’t waiting for the system to plug up these holes
I ain’t slipping through the cracks
So I’m at Portland, Oregon tryin to slip you these raps
The first black in the suburbs
You’d think I had extasy, percocet, and plus syrup
The way the cops converged, they fucked up my swerve
The first young buck that I served
I thought back to the block
I never seen a cop when I was out there
They never came out there
And out there, I was slinging crack to live
I’m only slinging raps to your kids
I’m only trying to show you how black niggaz live
But you don’t want your little ones acting like this
Lil Amy told Becky, Becky told Jenny
And now they all know the skinny
Lil Joey got his doo-rag on
Driving down the street blasting Tupac’s song (Thug Life baby!)
But Billy like Snoop, got his blue rag on
Now before you know it, you back in ‘nam
Now the police, got me in the middle of the street
Trying to beat me blue, black and orange
I’m like hold up, who you smacking on?
I’m only trying to eat what you snacking on

every rapper should be conscience @ one point or another
http://icedotcom.blogspot.com/

waiiit, he’s dissing scarface the rapper?

i wouldn’t say imus really got much of anything on that verse, but that’s beside the point…people are always going to blame music simply based on their own ignorance. it’s ridiculous to blame rap music for all the ills of society when there are so many other things going on the world to influence people

I agree that J does address issues man of his lines are just overlooked Examples -From Blueprint (H.O.V.A.) “Pay us like you owe for every year that you holded us.” Sounds like reparations to me. Kingdom Come (Minority Report) “Wouldn’t you loot, if you didn’t have the loot, and you were stuck on the roof and you baby needed food.” Defending those abandoned by govt during Katrina. On the new American Gangster first released single Blue Magic he talks about Regan and the Govt.’s role in Iran-Contra/slash crack epidemic. On othe songs he said he would like to rhyme like Talib and Common, but when he does his audience does not get it.

I agree his style is more flippant but I honestly believe in Jay’s heart of hearts he really wants to do good for his community and he is doing quite A LOT some of which isn’t as publicised in the media (and why should it?). I don’t know if cats like Nas (not trying to diss) do anything visible for their community..which really is the most important aspect of all of this.

I mean its one thing to put socially conscious lyrics into your raps but its another to actually DO something about it. You can fault Jay for not knowing enough about what he tries to do but I can’t fault him for his heart being in the right place like with the water issue, he realized his ignorance and admitted to it throughout his diaries…

The problem ppl have with him is they expect something of someone of his stature to be this archetype savior or something..I don’t know if its the complete right thing to do. I will admit he’s growing into positions where he can help ppl, and I believe he is trying as much as he thinks he is to help…I dunno I’m just wary of judging ppl from a distance when I’m not involved in their day-to-day lives..

I think the truth about Jay is that he feels a certain way (socially aware and conscious)and he acts a certain way (charitable and socially active) but when it comes to rapping he feels underappreciated unless he caters to a strictly pop crowd.

I think it used to bother him a lot more but his commercial success has made it a lot easier for him to dumb down his flow in subsequent albums.

In my opinion, If more people celebrate his conscious flows he’ll do it more and tackle it with more gravity.

I’ve always thought Jay didn’t get enough credit for his conscious side…even when he doesn’t explicitly speak on issues he’s on point with social commentary, pointing to causes and effects, describing the hoods’ relationships with the establishment…

I don’t think any of us can decide how conscious or not we want Jay to be…especially when we can find line after line that proves how socially aware he is. As he said, when he makes records like “Big Pimpin,” people call him a genius yet his entire first album took years to ascend from sleeper status. Reasonable Doubt is a socially conscious gangster rap album. It takes the bravura of its era and turns it into introspective brooding and even some sulking. “You Must Love Me” and “Hard Knock Life” also have a clear point of view about what it’s like to be impoverished and cornered.

H to the izzo

nuff said

propz riz..also that kim k pics were niceeeee

Did I just see Papoose?

Yeahh ahaa if ya say so!

Jay doesn’t get credit for his conscious side because he does outright say “fuck imus” but if “fans” actually listen they would hear alot of socially conscious shit jay drops. Jay is not Talib nor should we want him to be can believe this discussion is about how Jay-z is not conscious enough, come on y’all we got got other artist for that shit when we need it.

Jay-z is the best rapper alive. He’s the “AMERICAN Gansta” and if you don’t like it, go buy Common’s album for the conscious shit!

Jay definetly has alot of conscious lyrics but I think it goes over peoples head. ‘Ignorant Shit’ is classic shit aswell.

MOMENT OF CLARITY

2nd verse
Music business hate me cause the industry ain’t make me
Hustlers and boosters embrace me and the music I be makin
I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars
They criticized me for it yet they all yell “HOLLA!”
If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be
lyrically, Talib Kweli
Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense
But I did five mill’ – I ain’t been rhymin like Common since
When your cents got that much in common
And you been hustlin since, your inception
Fuck perception go with what makes sense
Since I know what I’m up against
We as rappers must decide what’s most impor-tant
And I can’t help the poor if I’m one of them
So I got rich and gave back, to me that’s the win/win
So next time you see the homey and his rims spin
Just know my mind is workin just like them…
… rims, that is

“Fuck being conscious. Being conscious just means you’re awake, we need to be more than just awake.”

-Immortal Technique

That “Moment of Clarity” verse always makes me smile, ’cause it has the complete opposite effect on me than it does to his current fans. They listen to it and think, “Oh, he’s so insightful! He ain’t never lied! He always been Hov!” Does anyone besides me hear that verse and think, “This nigga just completely rationalizes being a sellout?”

i remember when Skee-lo used the sample on his debut CD.. track called Superman… kinda dig that mix of it better.

man skee-lo was great… “I wish I was a little bit taller”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icr0eW1fRSs

WACK!! he should take some lessons from ANDRE3000 on how to make a “concious”song that is HOT!!

It’s great to see rappers being socially conscience, but they may not always do it in their lyrics. Master P, for example, is a producer on the new Katrina documentary Desert Bayou (http://www.desertbayoumovie.com), which focuses on 600 African Americans flown to Utah and mistreated by locals and the government, and a portion of the proceeds from the movie will go to rebuilding New Orleans. It’s good to see him using his fame to make a difference…wish more musicians did.

moneda Says:
October 31st, 2007 at 8:57 pm
“Fuck being conscious. Being conscious just means you’re awake, we need to be more than just awake.”

-Immortal Technique

That “Moment of Clarity” verse always makes me smile, ’cause it has the complete opposite effect on me than it does to his current fans. They listen to it and think, “Oh, he’s so insightful! He ain’t never lied! He always been Hov!” Does anyone besides me hear that verse and think, “This nigga just completely rationalizes being a sellout?”

^
No..thats just bein a hater

*knocks hatorade bottle out of hand*

get some vitamin water homes!

I’ll put down my “hatorade” when you remove his scrotum from your mouth.

its obvious what he’s sayin on that moment of clarity verse. he’s sayin he got the lyrical talent of kweli and common but he realizes that rhymin like “common sense” doesn’t make “cents $$$” so he “dumbed down for his audience to double his dollars”. i think thats all bullshit though. you know jay wishes he could make another reasonable doubt. look at american gangsta: clearly an attempt at gettin back at those ‘96 days. i’m glad he stepped down from his boardroom chair. now he’s got the freedom to return to the glory days.

[...] this issue, while looking out for Nicole and her kids in the process. You see, Hov just might be a conscious rapper after [...]

Iran Long Distance Call…

::Jay-Z ft. Beanie Sigel – “Ignorant Sht”“Scarface the Movie did more than Scarfac[...]…