It used to be an unspoken rule in hip hop that you HAD to be authentic. You couldn’t talk about anything if you hadn’t lived it. But now, it seems as if “image” is worth more than the truth. If you have the flash (cars, jewelry, the clothes and the hoes), nothing else matters.

Everyone seems to have sold kilos and no one was just a regular Joe Schmo before their rap careers took off, or before they got down with a team that co-signed that they were the next big thing in the game. It’s more acceptable nowadays to lie to everyone — your team, your fans and to yourself — than to actually stay true to yourself. Now, while rappers lying about their pasts is nothing new in hip hop (remember Vanilla Ice & his homemade thuggish bio?), it’s becoming more prevalent.
Read the rest of this entry »

Will.i.am created a Twitter account for the first time just to address his altercation with you-know-who, because “it isn’t cool for someone to blame you and blast you with lies.” Wait, what?
Read the rest of this entry »

You may have heard that the U.S. economy is currently doing its best MC Hammer impression, but what you may not know is how the economic downturn is affecting the world of hip-hop. According to The State, rappers have had to make some significant cutbacks and alterations to their lifestyles in order to account for the effects of dwindling album sales and empty seats at concerts. The article indicates that the Slick-Rick style jewelry and ostentatious showboating are the first things to go, when rappers need to save cash:

Before, a new artist might spend $25,000 of a $30,000 advance on a chain, according to[Ben] Baller, who counts Fat Joe as a client. “Now they would rather try to spend $5,000 and $6,000,” he says, adding, “they’re willing to talk about options by using sapphires, using very, very low quality gold. Some people (are) even wanting to mix diamonds with cubics (cubic zirconia) so it would not be completely ungenuine.”

Who knew that times were so tough for rappers? Well, hip-hop heads need not worry. Your uncle Nahshon has been through these tough times before and I’ve got some tips that will keep your pockets fatter than Joe. Here are the top 5 ways that hip-hoppers can avoid bankruptcy.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, well, well, we’ve been long overdue for another “How to Rob” remix, amiright? So here’s Big City Phil to the rescue with “How to Rob an Industry Hipster,” since there aren’t just enough gimmicky rap songs out there. This song, which has been circulating for a while, finds Big City Phil lyrically sticking up “hipsters” such as Talib Kweli and Lupe Fiasco. (We’ll save the discussion on his warped definition of “hipster” for another post)

And BAM, just like that, Big City Phil is a superstar. His YouTube video has amassed an astoundingly groundbreaking 30,000 views! Hey look, he’s even featured in the Phildelphia Weekly for “namedropping a gaggle of established artists and taking them down a peg to create buzz for himself.”

You hear that, younguns? This is EXACTLY what hip-hop is about — recycling gimmicks for the sole purpose of creating a buzz. Talent be damned.

Apparently, some douchebag fired shots at Rick Ross’ concert. As you can see, the Bawse didn’t even flinch. Hey Boo Boo, is that you?

[Gun Salute to: Ill Roots]

While listening to a rap song on the radio recently, I heard some words that no one should ever utter to a woman. The song portrayed females in a very positive light. Clearly, this song violated the Unified Bitch Theory. The rapper even went as far describing his love interest as “a queen” instead of a “female dog,” which is what Dr. Dre or Dr. Snoop would’ve prescribed. I was in utter shock and dismay because of the unseemly words that oozed from my speakers.

As I squirmed in my seat, I asked myself, “Does music dictate culture or is it the other way around? Does rap music encourage misogyny or does it simply mirror a culture of misogyny?”
Read the rest of this entry »

Apparently, people are walking around with “I’ll Chris Brown A Bitch” t-shirts because it makes them wise guys or something. This is almost as mind-boggling as that time I overheard a douche bag at Taco Cabana telling his girl, “I will Chris Brown your ass.” Instead of this shirt, he should be wearing one with the picture of a brain detached from its socket.

“I’ll Chris Brown any dude I catch wearing that I’ll Chris Brown A Bitch t-shirt.” (c) Toure

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the ‘09 Ike & Tina.

“They’re together again. They care for each other,” says the source. The on-again couple are currently spending time together at one of Sean “Diddy” Combs’s homes, on Miami Beach’s Star Island.

Adds the source: “While Chris is reflective and saddened about what happened, he is really happy to be with the woman he loves.”