HipHop Talks Podcast
Introducing "Hip-Hop Talks Podcast/Media'' - a captivating experience that immerses hip-hop enthusiasts in the boundless world of the genre and its cultural impact. Join hosts Shawn, Coop, and Adriel as they pay homage to the foundations of hip hop, from its origins to the present day with a diverse take on Hip Hop. Shawn, takes you through the boroughs of New York, while Coop provides a provocative, yet daring take on the South’s stake in the Hip Hop game. Adriel brings the unique perspective of Hip Hop through the lens of those that cling onto the lifeline and purity of Hip Hop. Combining their thoughts and views, is liken to your favorite superhero team assembling to lean into each other’s strengths. Through insightful conversations, passionate debates, and meticulous breakdowns, they explore the intricate fabrics of hip hop, including its powerful lyrics, infectious beats, mesmerizing breakdancing, vibrant graffiti art, skillful DJing, and electrifying MCing. "Hip-Hop Talks" is the ultimate destination for fans seeking to deepen their understanding and appreciation of this influential art form. Tune in and become part of the unified community that celebrates the timeless legacy of hip hop.
HipHop Talks Podcast
It's Kendrick's World? Grammys, Halftime Show Predictions, Wayne, 50/Ross/Meech, MORE!
Outro Music what is up? Welcome to Hip Hop Talks, where we don't throw subpar, just throw subs, especially the people that don't give current content. Anyway, click, like, share, subscribe to the page. Make sure you like, share and subscribe. I promise to be as petty as I've ever been this year, just in a more effective and maniacal and silent, murderous type of fashion AG. Sean, what's up how you doing? I know, sean, you just telling me, you just touched down how you feeling.
Speaker 2:Jet lagging, but I'm drinking a little bit of turmeric and some coffee. I'll be good. Okay, all is well. This came back from the Bayou.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I thought we were going to get some better bayou news today, but we didn't. Yeah, yeah, man, we got put on pause for real, but that's neither here nor there. Um, so let's go ahead and jump right into it. Uh, fellas, uh, get rich or die trying celebrating its 22nd anniversary, february 6, 2003. So my question to you, gentlemen, as we celebrate this classic, is get Richard Dot Ryan a top 10 rap album all the time. Is it top 10? And if it's not top 10, where do you have it? Or you can just give me, and you can give me a range of where you have it, like, no, it's not top 10, but I have it. 15, 20. Ag, what do you say?
Speaker 3:I'm going to say not top 10, but the impact of that record was palpable at the time and it was undeniable. And it was just so many bangers on there. I've never really even thought about that Coop, but just off the top of my head I think anything lower than 30 would be kind of crazy. So I'm going to say it might fall in around top 25.
Speaker 1:Top 25? Yeah, okay, okay, sean, what do you think? What are you trying all the time?
Speaker 2:Man, I listened to it this week just to kind of go back in time for a little while. And, man, that's an amazing album. It is.
Speaker 2:I think it fluctuates for me over time. I think there was one point when I had it as a top 25 album, but then I started thinking about how it was aging and it ages differently for me, because I remember when it came out I was differently for me. I remember when it came out, I was in war mode. We were just fighting a war in Iraq. This is 2003. We were doing the thicker things. It was very aggressive music at that time. My aggression was different at that time as well. When I listened to it this week, it was different at that time as well. But when I listened to it this week, it was different man, it hit me different.
Speaker 1:I think, Sean, you make actually a very poignant point when you state the state that the country was in at the time that some of the hip-hop music was coming out, because that was probably that era. That time was probably the most tenuous time we've had in the 2000s as far as rap, and maybe it was just reflective of our overall climate as well. So that's a very astute observation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a different time, man, and because of the aggression I was telling AG, I said, man, listening to it, now you can hear a lot of pain in 50. He was going through a lot of stuff at that time.
Speaker 1:I think he was still mad at a lot of people, very mad.
Speaker 2:I think he was mad at a lot of people still Very bitter, very bitter at that time, but the best music came out of it. So, to answer your question, I don't know if I have any of my top 25 albums. I probably got it in that top 40, though.
Speaker 1:Top 40?. So, if I can, if I may, I think, sean, you made another good point. When I go back and listen to it, it doesn't hit me as hard as it used to hit me. I'm not going to lie, even though I understand the gravity of the bangers, it doesn't hit me as hard as it used to hit me. I'm not going to lie, even though I understand the gravity of the bangers, it doesn't hit me as hard as it used to. So I think some of it was just the mode and the time and for the air.
Speaker 1:But when I look at the impact of the album, I mean as far as impact, though it might be top five in terms of its impact though, and so I think, because of the impact being so large, just think about it I mean this is, I mean, not being funny. This is essentially the first guy, the first black rapper, to sell a legit 10 million. You know what I'm saying. And he didn't. And he didn't. And he didn't do it like like he. He did it the fast way, the schemax way.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying like he did it. A certain kind of way too, where it was like, wow, he did it that way and it won like that big. It literally was like hitting the lottery. The empire that he sits on today, this is the foundation of that, and so when I look at all of those things and then when I look at the fact even though it does I don't know, dated isn't isn't fair to it, because you don't talk about other all time great rap albums that way, and that's what this album is. It is still the best hook performance all time that I've heard, and so about all oh.
Speaker 3:Oh sorry.
Speaker 1:Who said oh laptop, laptop Just sleep, no, no, no, laptop just slid, no, no, no, almost lost $500, right there.
Speaker 3:Oh shit, I thought you fell sitting still no, that's the laptop slid.
Speaker 1:It hit the phone. You know when these screens crack on the Mac shit. You know what I'm saying. Yeah, you got good reflexes, coop still got. It feels good at this stage, but to finish up. But to finish up my point, the thing about it is that all of those things are so hard to deny. Like it is one of those things where, to quote Sean, there are so many quantifiable facts about the album that make it great that it's hard for me to keep it out of the top 20,. Guys, it is, it really is.
Speaker 3:That's what I want to ask y'all, because you bring up an interesting point, because I don't think it's off to say it's top five impact all time right. So how do you weight that? How do we average albums like that? Just say if the musicality of it all is like top 30 to 40 but top five impact wise, so where would you say that would land overall? Because it's a lot of albums that's the inverse of that. They don't have nearly the impact of get rich or die trying, but they, the musicality of it is much greater.
Speaker 1:So so here. So here's what I'll tell you. When I hear something like a liquid swords or a moment of truth ag, I think it's better and it holds up better than the get rich or die trying. But I think, because of those things that I just talked about, it it's hard to put those albums ahead of it. That's the problem. Yeah, it's too big.
Speaker 1:It's too big for those albums it's like like the record sales are too big, the, the songs are too big, the moments are too memorable, the aura is too. The presence of it, the feel about it, the vibe that, that, that vibe that sean's talking about, that warm old vibe that he kind of bought back to the game a la dmx, you know it's, you know it's so hard to ignore those things. So when I just hear it musically, is it Liquid Swords to me, no, but am I putting it? Ahead of Liquid Swords? Probably. Yeah, I'm probably going to have to.
Speaker 3:Two things that I want to point to that you all both brought up with. The impact was that this is an album it's not many albums in my life, but music marks time and this is an album where I think for everybody, you know where you were and what you were doing when it came out. You know what I'm saying. I remember specifically I was in college. It's my going into my senior, junior or senior year of college I think it was junior year and I remember going to driving to four different stores before I could find it. Like it was that hot of a commodity. Like I remember going to the mall with that had a sam goody. I remember going to best buy. I remember going to circuit city everybody was sold out of it.
Speaker 3:Finally went to a record mom and pop shop and found it and copped it, rode around to it and then at the time I was working, you know, as an athletic trainer for Marshall University, working with the football team. So they did weightlifting in the morning. So I remember opening up the weight room like mad early, like 5 am, so they could get lifts in right and just on the speakers I would play. You talked about the aggression. I remember playing this album every morning in the weight room, blasting it for the football team so they could listen to it while they was lifting, and everybody was, like you know, crazy over this album. And then if you switched it up, put something else on, they'd be like you'll put that 50 back on, like it was just.
Speaker 1:It just marked a moment in time for everyone and then I actually went to the tour that same year, um, where 50 performed the album and it was. It was fire. I mean, ag, you're right, I worked out to it every day, me and my roommate. I'm actually almost got into a fight because I was playing 50 so much. He's like if you play, it's like if you play many men. He said if you play many men. He said if you play many men, one more motherfucking time, nigga. So it was like that. So shout out to one of the all-time great rap albums Get Rich or Die. Trying Fellas. We got some new music coming up, oh real quick, real quick.
Speaker 3:Sorry, coop, my fault. Real quick before we move on Everybody's favorite song.
Speaker 1:If I can't Favorite, yeah, everybody's favorite song. If I can't favorite, yeah. If I can is up there. Oh, if I can't, a banger um yeah, if I can't in my top three. I'm gonna tell you like I don't know if it's my favorite song still, but many men is still the best song on this album. That's saying a lot, a lot of great songs, and so I'm still gonna tell you many men, but I'll tell you the sleeper on the album is, um, like my style okay, that's a different pick.
Speaker 3:I don't hear many people say that one.
Speaker 1:You got a little yayo feature on there it's one of those things when you get to that part of the album and his hook game is still so strong, it's like, well, you know yeah uh for me.
Speaker 3:I was gonna say, um, what up, gangster? Because I think that's like one of the best hip-hop intros ever. That never gets talked about or brought up. You know just the way that comes in, uh. But I'm not gonna say that I'm gonna go with heat, just for the simple fact that heat has my favorite 50 first of all. Dray goes crazy on that beat and, um, heat has my favorite 50 cent First of all. Dre goes crazy on that beat and it has my favorite 50 cent bar ever, which just shows how much of a psychopath he is. He said if I was you, I'd be shook with me, because I get tired of looking for you. Spray your mama's crib and let your ass look for me. Once I heard that bar, I was like yo, this guy's a psycho, psycho for real. So but yeah, heat's with the guns cocking and the beat and all that stuff. Man, it's crazy.
Speaker 2:Aggressive music man had me zoned out. I'm ready to go at Alcada by myself.
Speaker 1:It was the start of everything. It was the start of so many things. Think about G-Units run. You know what I mean. Think about the game. Think about the documentary Beg for Mercy.
Speaker 2:Hunger for War.
Speaker 1:Straight.
Speaker 3:Outta Nashville.
Speaker 2:The Massacre, and they all had dope features on here.
Speaker 3:Two great Eminem verses on this album.
Speaker 2:The crazy thing is, to your point, coop, you saying that I've got to be thinking all over again. It opened a new chapter of hip-hop because we had just the chapter of Nas and Jade. That battle was already subsided by that time in 2003.
Speaker 1:Pete Richards and Dot tried to open up a whole different chapter. Yeah, how about this? It wasn't like everybody was wondering who got next. Well, he just took next. He's like no, no, I got next yeah.
Speaker 2:Move out of the way. You got to move out of the way.
Speaker 3:All right I got next what I will say before we move on. If you don't have this album as five mics, the only thing that I take off for this album and you poop I know you don't really count bonus tracks like that, but those tracks Life's on the Line and You're Not Like Me. Fire Records. And life's on the line and um and uh, you're not like me, fire, fire records. And then wankster too, all fire records, but especially life's on the line and you're not like me there, where they were older 50 records. It's a clear divide in 50s tone and how he raps on those records versus the rest of the quality and the engineering quality yes, big fact.
Speaker 3:So if I'm nitpicking this album, if I'm knocking it down from a five to a four and a half, it's you know because of that. But I think for the fans that wasn't familiar with those records, I think it was a good call to put those on there as bonus tracks so how about this?
Speaker 1:that's also one of those things, too, where it's like you realize how great dre is with the mix. When you hear those other records you're like like, oh, absolutely. You're like that's why you go get Dr Dre and we got a couple super chats before we get to some preview on the new music. Cj the Kid up in the building Appreciate the $10,. Cj Can't wait to hear Coop's breakdown on how the industry is rigged against Drake after what happened at the Grammys.
Speaker 1:Who said I was going to say that his breakdowns are legendary? They are, thank you. I remember you hitting at this last november. I did thank you again. I was cj actually just to say about to say well, I said this last year, niggas, good night. But since you said it for me, cj, I'll actually have to come up with some new material by the time we get to that portion of the show. Thank you for stealing all my materials. At least you paid ten dollars to do it, unlike other people who are bigger than me making much more money than me doing this. Cj the Kid with a $2 super chat once again. Also, coop, hope everything is okay since the last pod. Things are what they are, cj. But I appreciate you checking up on me what else we got, cj got another one.
Speaker 2:He kicked off this early today.
Speaker 3:Yo shout out to. Cj.
Speaker 1:Yo, yo, throw that up there. Tde looking like death row At the 95 Source Awards, cj, dot, cesar and Dolce win awards and then, after Dolce puts another record On Daylight Violets, joey, cj Flying Conductor, and NYC with Absol, come on East Coast. I don't know. Talk to your folks, I'm in Atlanta, georgia.
Speaker 3:We're fine down here. Everything's okay, babsoul, come on East Coast I don't know.
Speaker 1:Talk to your folks. Talk to your folks. I'm in Atlanta, georgia, we're fine down here, everything's okay. Everything's okay with us down here. Cj the Kid Also RIP, yeah, rip.
Speaker 1:Irv 50 is pretty savage, but if you know, you know, yeah, we'll talk about that briefly. Cj, give us a little time. 're gonna, we're gonna, marinate. Cj, stop stealing all the material. Brother esquire with the five. Ala, ala. What's good, fellas, hope, all is well. Random do you watch women's hoops? I do. Juju watkins, hannah hidalgo, olivia mills and a few others equal must see tv. I concur, I concur, and I think I think juju is, um, you know, uh, potentially like a chameka Holesclaw. Cheryl Swoops, diana Taurasi level, type of Maya Moore type of Cheryl Miller type of player. She the deal, deal. Yeah, I agree. Where are we going next? Tj499,. Appreciate you. Peace, fellas. Thoughts and prayers to her family. One of my favorite Murder Inc songs is the Pledge featuring Nas. Eh, I think they got about 10, 15 bangers. I put ahead of that, but I hear what you're saying I'll be like that, I'll be like that.
Speaker 3:Yo you do kind of look like John from the video.
Speaker 1:I ain't gonna hold you Don't do that either. Don't encourage me. Okay, fellas. So we got some new music Coming up. Unfortunately, LiAngelo has gotten Lil Wayne to do the remix to Tweaker. What are your expectations? Yeah, that's right. What are your expectations? Because I mean, you know, Wouldn't you agree that, along with J Cole, that Lil Wayne has been the best feature artist of the 2020s? And Method man?
Speaker 2:And Method.
Speaker 1:Man yeah, no, no, no, I'll put Method in there too. So what do you think you think he's about to add to this song? Is this about to be a great Wayne verse? Are you about to be disappointed in Wayne? Is this just still a throwaway? Tell me what your expectations are, guys, and tell me quickly, so we can talk about something that I actually give a shit about.
Speaker 2:I don't have any expectations. That's my take.
Speaker 3:Well, Wayne be tweaking a lot of times, so it should be a layup. So his verse probably going to be fire.
Speaker 2:Those are bars, those are bars AG you those are bars.
Speaker 1:Those are bars, ag. You wanna know what? I don't really think there's anything else to say. Sean, do you got something?
Speaker 2:no, I don't.
Speaker 1:I don't.
Speaker 2:I'd like to.
Speaker 1:AG, I'd like to thank you for making two guys who like to talk shut up. We'll just move to the next thing Larry June the alchemist and 2 Chainz guys who like to talk shut up. We'll just move to the next thing. You know, larry June the Alchemist and 2 Chainz have a project getting released at midnight. Guys, what are our expectations for this project?
Speaker 2:I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:What's the name of it? What's the shit called?
Speaker 2:Life is Beautiful. Life is Beautiful.
Speaker 1:Life is Beautiful. They got to do better than that.
Speaker 2:That's the title. That's the title. That's the title. It's by Alchemist Life is Beautiful. Life is Beautiful. That's the name of it. Yeah, that is not what I want to hear Pips talking like. Yeah, and that's what it's going to be. It's going to be on some really pimp talk. That's what it's going to be like. I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:I'm looking forward to uh chains more than anything man, me too there better be a lot of hoes on the on this album for my life like chains over alchemist man.
Speaker 3:Chains is what you just mentioned. Feature artist chains is one of my favorite feature artists of all time. His feature run, like in the you know what I'm saying late 2010s is like pretty epic. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:He was killing everybody in those features. Yeah, no one would say so.
Speaker 3:I'm excited to hear what the you know and I think that's a good pairing. You know him and Larry June and I'm interested to see what it sounds like. But I'm more excited. You know Alpha Miss is my guy. You know I mess with Larry June, but I'm more excited for Chains than anything.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's like Shaft meets Superfly. Can't wait, can't wait yeah.
Speaker 3:So excited yeah and that I can't wait. So excited yeah, and to that point real quick. Chains, I think, is a better artist as a feature or a collabing with somebody else. I really don't tap into Chains' music for his solo stuff, but when he's paired with somebody else he just shines man.
Speaker 1:I think he does suffer from some of the same stuff that Method man and Jadakiss suffer from from the perspective that it's like well, is the album whack? It's like no, I didn't say the album was whack. It's just not as classic as I would like it to be, for what I've heard from the artists when I hear them featuring on other people's stuff, he does kind of fall into that category. In a lot of ways. He is the Southern Method man that way, because he doesn't have the catalog of a Jeezy or a TI. Right yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can see that, or a Ross.
Speaker 3:Speaking of which, Sean, how did you take that when Ross beat him pretty bad in the versus While doing the massage fight?
Speaker 2:I didn't like that match. That was a bad matchup. Anyhow, you don't put Ross in. I agree that was terrible. That was terrible. Give me Ross and TI. Probably that's better. No, give me Ross and James. No, no.
Speaker 1:See, I think TI can beat Ross strategically if he puts it together properly, absolutely.
Speaker 3:I would like to see Ross and Jeezy. That would be a good one.
Speaker 2:That would be a real good one.
Speaker 1:You know, the only problem with that is that you know Jeezy may have lived the actual life more, but this isn't the actuality of the life. This is sometimes about who picks the better beat, who rides the beat better, and so some of Jeezy's best stuff is in trouble against Ross's best stuff. The beats Ross pits, oh, it's a little bit better, and the flow sometimes, oh it's better. And so it's Jeezy in a hard place, even though it's some of his best stuff, Like when Jeezy plays put on, it's like, oh no, Ross got records to beat that. You know what I'm saying. A lot of Southern artists don't have records that can be put on with Ye down here.
Speaker 2:Ross. Can I think Gucci gave Ross I mean, I gave GZ a run for his money. I'm not going front. I don't think it was a blowout. It shouldn't have been that close. It shouldn't have been that close. It shouldn't have been that close.
Speaker 1:It shouldn't have been that close at all. Gucci low-key actually let people know how strong his catalog was low-key.
Speaker 2:Yes, he did.
Speaker 1:That was one of the more surprised verses where it's like you want to know what. I don't want to say that Gucci was more of a fad than Jeezy, but I think sometimes we forget how dope those records was when he made them. And when you go back and listen to him again you're like oh no, he did have shit on lock for a minute.
Speaker 3:It's like hold on yeah, jay-z had a cult following, but I think gucci, during his run, had a bigger cult following bigger cult following, but not bigger mainstream following right right today, and this is what I mean.
Speaker 1:I don't like how jay-z played, because I don't think jay-z played the right records against Gucci. He tried to beat Gucci at Gucci's game and it's like, well, your catalog is more diverse. It's like you should have hit him everywhere. You know what I'm saying. Jeezy wasn't thinking about it. He was thinking about it being on a street level and he should have been thinking about bringing out Neo for Leave you Alone. Yeah, you feel me. It's like oh, no, no, no, I got records that you can't. You know what I mean. You don't get records like this. You know what I'm saying, right, yeah, so that's kind of how I feel about that. Where are we going to next? We're actually kind of like staying with some of the people that we've already been talking about, because apparently 50's been talking about Meech and Meech doing stuff with Rick Ross, most notably the car show that is down here every summer on the south side, very close to where I work, actually, yeah, it is.
Speaker 2:yeah, I passed it a few times yeah.
Speaker 1:About 15 20 minutes away, yep. So fellas Meech has responded by calling 50 an internet gangster.
Speaker 3:Yeah, this is going to get ugly.
Speaker 1:Well, hold on. Well, now see, the problem apparently, according to sources, is that there is a person named like Tame Cousins who is a co-producer on BMF or Power. One of 50 shows that used to have ties to Meech. That apparently has information that has been shared with 50. That has been shared with 50. And so 50 has been walking around saying, potentially, that Meech is actually a snitch, based on the things that this cousin's person may have shared. Now, with all of that being said, what do you, gentlemen, have to say?
Speaker 1:I use the term gentlemen like so loosely too.
Speaker 3:You want me to go first, Sean?
Speaker 2:Yeah, please.
Speaker 3:Yeah, think. I think this just could get real messy real fast. Man, it's um, you know 50, threatening to cancel the second season, and oh, I mean not second season but the next upcoming season of bmf, and um leaking out the text messages between you know him and Big Meech's son, which is 50s, petty, is unmatched man. His level of messy is like crazy. So I don't know where this is going to go. But I mean it's kind of interesting from both angles, because if I had to pick Rick Ross's biggest record his biggest record is BMF Wouldn't you agree? Ooh.
Speaker 1:I don't know. I think Hustlin' is still bigger.
Speaker 3:Okay, well, that's fair. It's one of his biggest records.
Speaker 1:No, no, top five, top five.
Speaker 3:And if you know he was showing big meets love and you know help putting bread in his pocket, then you got that but granted 50 on his side of things, looked out for his son and was putting a lot of money in his son's pocket with the show. So it's kind of an interesting situation. But I just think it made things go south, south. When you know, meach decided to kind of appear with ross. You know what I'm saying, so you know now okay.
Speaker 1:So now here's the part about it that I don't like. If he's doing first of all, we all know 50 is going to be petty absolutely what he does best every day of the week and twice on Sunday right, let's not be surprised about what we know.
Speaker 1:But the part about it that I don't like is when he's clowning Big Meech, somebody who is infamously and famously known for being a drug kingpin being exonerated and free. Known for being a drug kingpin, being exonerated and free and finding legal ways to accumulate money. It is not a good idea for somebody in 50's position to clown that be like oh, this nigga need money, he over here doing this for Rick Ross. I don't like that aspect of it because it's like well, so he's been glorified by so many of you in rap culture, including you 50. You feel what I'm saying. So now that he is actually finding ways to do stuff legitimately off of his name because his name is that big in hip-hop lore like let's not like down that or frown upon that. That's actually what he is supposed to be doing. Am I wrong?
Speaker 3:yeah, I just more so don't like it for his son, you know, because according to those text messages like you know, the infamous why's it fuck me for? Like that's essentially what his son is saying, like yo, let him get bread over there, like what's that got to do with me, you know yeah, hey, that's between father and son, definitely not getting in the middle of that yeah, I don't know man, I'm torn by it because 50 is big on loyalty.
Speaker 2:He's like you staying close to that guy and you know I got issues with him.
Speaker 3:I got issues with you now because you, yeah, look at, look at his own son, how you handle that situation right and and and, and.
Speaker 1:There's, like you know, some gzy floating around in all of this too, because a lot of people's eyebrows were raised, you know, just because, even though Ross and Jeezy have squashed it, it was kind of like oh, why ain't we seeing me and Jeezy, but we seeing them with Ross and seeing them with 50.
Speaker 2:Right, and I think that's the thing with 50s looking at it like yo I put money in your family's pocket while you was locked up and was locked up and ross wasn't really how he looks right, ross wasn't doing this.
Speaker 2:All he was doing is shouting you out and putting your name in songs that you know, talking about affiliation. So no one was really doing that. But fifth, he was putting together a legacy show for this guy you know, and you get out and you stand close to a person that you know been disrespectful to me for all these years. I might feel the way, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know one of my favorite Jay-Z lines, ag. It comes off the blueprint. When Jay says what you eat, don't make me shit. Yeah, and so respectfully, even though I understand where 50 is coming from, that's one of those things or, personally, I might stop getting down with you about that. But business wise, I understand. For somebody that used to live a life of crime that is now up here getting money organized and legally Well, those avenues are different. It's just like these rappers with a lot of these beefs, like I'll never forget what pusha t was like. Oh no, I was just on the elevator with drake. It's like did y'all say anything to each other? He's like no. He's like didn't know fight or nothing. He's like no, dude, he's like this rap like you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:Like we oh, I didn't know that happened yeah they was on elevator together.
Speaker 1:That's wow, yeah they'd be at the same places at the same. It'd be hard to avoid each other. A lot of this stuff don't be real, guys. It really do be for entertainment. That's what it's supposed to be. It's just like when ray was sitting down with joe rogan and he's like when martin scorsese writes it, everybody loves it. When we write it, it's like we're fabricating violence. Right, right you know what I'm saying so.
Speaker 1:It's like a lot of that is in play when it comes to rap and so when those avenues get open for somebody to make money, it's like, well, if Ross is offering him an avenue to legitimately make money, he should take that avenue and 50 should be okay with him taking that avenue from him and from 50. There should be plenty of ways for Meach to get paid for everybody else that has shouted his name so much. He should be making money with Jeezy Ross 50, all at the same time and it shouldn't be a problem, because other people have been doing it right in front of y'all's faces for years and it hasn't been a problem. Somebody like Puff been doing it with y'all. Why is it okay for P? You feel what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's crazy Politics, man.
Speaker 1:I don't know. Let's talk about somebody who, quite frankly, I wish would stop making albums. Dj Khaled is about to release album number 73 called we, the Rest. We Need A Rest. No, it's called Alarm Of God. Now there's been a lot of talk that Drake is not going to be on a Khaled album. Those are lies, guys. Those are lies. There can't be a Khaled album without a Drake feature. Don't people understand that? That's how this whole music business works, you see.
Speaker 3:Khaled is he kind of dropped the hints that he wasn't on it man he tweeted out, or maybe it was IG. He said I guess he's talking about drake bell, he's not talking about me so nobody believing that.
Speaker 1:I believe that when I see it, drake is gonna be on this album my, my assumption is on all 96 of khaled's albums he he is.
Speaker 3:My assumption is that khaled has had, because I think khaled has possession of these songs or else he wouldn't have put them in his blockbuster slash Transformers movie promo, like he got the whole Transformers saga cast in there doing explosions and shit, like he was wilding on there.
Speaker 3:But anyway, I don't think he announces that in a promo if he doesn't have them. But I think from Drake's perspective, he's basically saying he's not going to clear those records because those records might have been, you know, recorded earlier and then you know, nowadays anything drake, whatever he puts out, is going to go. People are going to go through with a fine-tooth comb to, like you know, dissect whatever and see if it has anything to do with kendrick or what have you. So I think whatever he was saying in those records, he's like nah, we're not putting that out. I think he's going to be real careful going forward with what he lets be released as a feature, because this is not the first time he's pulled a feature. I think he pulled it was a couple other features that he pulled right after the beef happened. I can't remember off the top of my head what they were. I don't think it's going to be on there.
Speaker 2:I think Drake is about to get into his petty season and he's going to start pulling everything Any resources that he has with these guys, he's going to pull it. He's going to pull it, and I think Khaled is one of them. Drake, probably looking at it like yo, you're a rock nation. When I was getting stomped out by the world, where were you? Where were you? You didn't come out.
Speaker 1:You didn't get stomped out by the world, you got stomped out by one guy. There was a lot of people going at him.
Speaker 3:That's why he came out at his concert in Australia with the bullet hole hoodie with the smoke coming out the back. You know what I'm saying. Looked like somebody had a minigun.
Speaker 1:A lot of people taking shots yeah.
Speaker 2:That's what he insinuated in that concert. He came out there, Like you know. Yeah.
Speaker 1:He did insinuate some better records.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's the thing you're getting your back blowing out of Paul's by everybody in the industry across the board that's what he's showing. I said Paul's, though I mean hell, we actually kicked him a little bit. You know what I mean? We kicked him while he was down.
Speaker 1:I did not kick him while he was down, I requested. I gave him until October to give me my OVO jacket, not the jacket, and after I don't get my jacket, it's free bands on your ass again.
Speaker 3:Would you take it if it had the bullet holes in it too?
Speaker 1:I definitely don't want his bullet holes. I can get shot at without. I definitely don't want his bullet holes. Okay, I can get shot at without you. I don't need Drake to get shot at, definitely not have you met my family before.
Speaker 3:Nah, I don't need your help. I know this is kind of like you know off topic a little bit, but y'all checking for that party album on the 14th who? Some sexy the collab album with party next door, some sexy uh songs for you. I think it's called oh, really no no actually, we'll check that out yeah, drake dropping on valentine's day, but um here's the thing.
Speaker 3:I will give him credit that. You know he can get his ass kicked and rap and then, you know, fall into another bag because he has a lot of different bags he could tap into. So you know this is not going to be wrapping Drake, so you know we don't have to worry about that. This is, you know, he can fall into the R&B bag and still, you know, be fairly popular. But what I'm interested to see is how the fans will accept it and what the numbers look like, because I think Drake will be around still for a long time, but this might be the end of his dominance era, and nobody was dominated for this long, if we say it's 15 years or whatever. But I just think it's ironic and somewhat poetic because if you look at his start taking over the mainstream, it goes back to so far gone in 2009, which was released on Valentine's Day. So here we are.
Speaker 1:Which was also really Kendrick's entrance into the sphere.
Speaker 3:Right. So here we are, 16 years later, coming out on Valentine's Day. We're going to see if people are still receptive to his music, because I don't think Party has enough fans to really push this album.
Speaker 1:See, here's the thing. I think, the only thing that this is. I hate that I keep having to bring it up. It's like, no, he needs a chocolate factory. That's what fixes it.
Speaker 1:It's not going to be the numbers. It's not going to be the numbers, it has to be the music AG. Yeah, numbers, it has to be the music ag. Yeah. Yeah, it has to be good, but it has to be one of those things it's like oh, no, no, no, that's the drake that we know and love. Because when people hear that, that's what's going to drive the numbers, because now the narrative see the narrative, low-key for a minute has already been that well, the music hasn't been as good, the hits haven't been as big. We still love the guy we're still going to support, but it really hasn't been the same. Now it's been like, man, you got molly walk by the boogeyman on top of the music not being as good as it used to be, you know, and that and that. That's why the numbers are down. It's like, well, here's the thing.
Speaker 1:What kendrick did, by winning the battle in the fashion that he did, is he gave people a reason for the first time to tune out on drake, where it's always been like well, I know this isn't his best, but it's still good enough and it's still better than most. Kendrick just so thoroughly dismantled him that it made people be like I really don't even want to touch it anymore. And when people do that with you, that means you need to give them a quality product. That's why he needs to make a Chocolate Factory, and this is why I say Chocolate Factory. Oh, I don't think Chocolate Factory is 12 play. You know what I'm saying. But it's good enough, damn it.
Speaker 3:Well, I think the fatigue, the fatigue. That was a great album, but the man I can't believe. I just said that the fatigue was real even prior to the battle, like if you look at those lineups of albums like the Certified Lover Boy, followed by Honestly Nevermind, followed by For All the Dogs, it was pretty lackluster and pretty people were getting fatigued Even then. This just put the stamp on it. But, sean, I'm going to ask you this question. So let's pretend you're a Drake. Stand Right. This album, this collab album, a Party Next Door, comes out and the first week numbers are more than GNX. If you're a Drake, stan, what are you saying online with your Twitter fingers?
Speaker 2:They're going crazy. We told y'all. We told y'all they're going crazy. They're wrapping up right now. I mean, if you think about it, look at some of the Drake fans right now they're waiting for something to drop like this. That's going to do numbers. And it's going to do numbers, guys.
Speaker 1:Let's be honest, it's going to do numbers, it's going to stream. It's going to stream very well, so this is okay. So when you say that this is what I mean, this is what kendrick did and this is what's going to be interesting to follow. I'll give you a personal example of it. I don't know if you guys do this, but like, do you ever? You guys ever go on our youtube channel and just you know, like, play our stuff, like for the views, just play all? Do you ever go up there and just play our shit?
Speaker 3:I haven't did that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, y'all need to do that because that's how we get more streams and stuff. Drake has more of that than anybody else has ever had. People that, even if they don't have time to listen to him, because they're such big fans of him and what he does, when he drops it they literally will just put it on play in the background. I literally did that for Mirror Music and Hip Hop Talks all last Saturday. I just played all of our stuff concurrently on a loop to give it the views from different devices. You know what I'm saying? Because YouTube gives you the play all but option.
Speaker 1:Drake has that in spades, usually with people. These numbers are dropping because that hasn't happened anymore, because Kendrick has made it Not cool. You know what I'm saying? Drake's not cool anymore Because of all of this. Like. Drake needs to make himself Cool again, however. He needs To do it because those same people that were so down For him that were just playing him in the background at work or in the shower while they're cleaning the house like I was no, no, no they're not doing that anymore like they used to.
Speaker 3:Well, if he needs to make himself cool again, he ain't off to a good start with those boots he had on stage the other night, so he need to do something about that. But I do have an idea though, and Kendrick's pretty diabolical, and we'll get to this later. If I'm Kendrick, it's already been rumored that he has a G and X deluxe in the tuck. Drake dropping on the 14th, kendrick performing on the Super Bowl this coming Sunday. I'm letting the G and X deluxe go on the same day as Drake for it to go head to head, and I think it would be similar to a Meet the Grams type of situation.
Speaker 3:Right, the thing about Meet the Grams it didn't have to be better than Family Matters. It just had to be good enough to step on it and take away all the steam that Family Matters had. Take the wind out of its sails. So if he drops VNX with about three to five more songs those songs are, you know, pretty damn good, some slappers or whatever then that take. You know that'll take a lot out from Drake. I think you should go ahead and drop it, kendrick.
Speaker 1:Let me give you some appropriate rebuttal to that. If Drake's team doesn't recognize that and isn't making sure that this project is a quality like you have to, sean, you know about this from the middle. You have to prepare yourself for impact. That's what I'm talking about. The quality of the record he needs to make an album that can withstand all of these things and people still be like like here's how the talk needs to be. The drake album needs to be good enough that what you talk about happens, ag and be in the. And people need to be able to say be like.
Speaker 1:That little extra three to five piece Kendrick gave us. Oh it ain't hitting like. This new Drake is Like that petty move didn't work. That needs to be the rhetoric. Drake's material needs to be that strong, because only strong material is going to change that Narrative of Kendrick does that he has to make himself inflappable to it in music because at the end of the day, it's still the music business. Now that you're going to sell the records and we know that we're going to sell the records, but now you're officially at the point, because of what happened to you, that the quality of music that you make is going to affect the business side of it, because people need to not be able to pull up on that Kendrick 3 to 5 piece on the deluxe and be like, oh, that's just as good as Drake's whole project.
Speaker 1:If that could happen like, like, because if that happens, oh, we about to have a big problem for him it could happen, cause he has the people's ear and that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:Family matters from top to bottom was strong, but meet the grams was just strong enough.
Speaker 1:I don't think it is better, it was just strong enough to you know, I don't want to give too much away, but we need to actually have a conversation about GNX, about some of the conversations we're going to have later. But let's slide to the next topic, which, coincidentally, is well, you know, kendrick did a press conference today, essentially about a Superbowl performance upcoming and just about you know everything that's going on. It's in the past year he sat down with ebro at apple music and, uh, what were your oh yeah, yeah, I mean, what were your early thoughts about the interview? I have a lot of, um, I have a lot of journalistic thoughts, so I have a lot of artistic and like stylistic thoughts.
Speaker 2:But go ahead, sean give me one second, guys.
Speaker 3:I'm trying to get something in the chat go ahead, go ahead and go AJ um, personally, uh, I thought it was a decent interview. I kind of knew they were going to ask him many of the real hard questions like yo, do you really think homie's a pdf file? Like they wasn't going to do nothing like that. But you know there's a lot of burning questions that they left on the table. But overall I think it was pretty good.
Speaker 3:The highlights for me were him talking about his mind state between Mr Morale and GNX and how he had to switch that up. You know what I mean, because that's something you speak to a lot Coop and also his conceptual writing style and kind of later in the show at the end, hinting at you know his set. That is going to be like tell a story. So I thought that was pretty fly because Kendrick's a conceptual writer anyway. Pretty fly because Kendrick's a conceptual writer anyway. So if you curate your track list like you're curating a concept album or telling a story, I think that could go over pretty crazy. I think that'll be really dope. So we have to see what he has in store. But that was my best takeaways from the interview.
Speaker 1:Okay, here were some of my takeaways. First of all, he told me he had a staff of 30 people. Okay, having a some of my takeaways. First of all, he told me he had a staff of 30 people. Okay, having a staff of 30 people is why Hammer went broke. Kendrick, fire some niggas. Okay, you need to fire 5 to 10 niggas. That's how Hammer went broke.
Speaker 3:Hammer had more than 30. Way more than 30. Hammer had about 300. He had all of Oakland. He had the whole bay on his staff.
Speaker 1:You need to watch it. You need to watch it. People think I don't like you. I love you. I'm just looking out for you. Brother to brother. All right, watch that. If you only got $30 to $50 million and you got 30 employees, who are you going to be on tour for a long time, kendrick? Hopefully. I don't know. Okay, ag, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm going to be honest with you. I didn't love the interview and it wasn't because of Kendrick. I actually thought Kendrick actually gave a very good interview for somebody who doesn't normally give these types of interviews of this gravity and this magnitude, and he got progressively better as the interview went along, like some of his last statements and in these statements were some of his best stuff because he got more comfortable and settled in into the interview. They just came off as fans as far as journalists are concerned. Ag.
Speaker 3:Nadeska was pretty starstruck up there man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it was just fan behavior and fan questions and so I'm going to question the journalistic integrity. But I want to be clear about that. I'm not questioning Kendrick, because Kendrick actually did give a good interview and I liked and appreciated a lot of his answers. I just feel like the questions that he got asked were softballs. I felt they definitely played the fan role to varying degrees at varying times. Like Ibro literally made the crowd applause one time Like oh, y'all need to clap for this. This is Kendrick. I was like stop making them applaud. When he said thank you for fighting for hip-hop, I'm like yo fam is nice. He's not Chuck D from Public Enemy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was some pandering going on, but I watched the interview.
Speaker 1:It was some look-a-who and a rubbernecking going on. That's what we said.
Speaker 3:I wasn't surprised when I watched the interview because you know, like, if you watch, you know other shows. When they talked about him and the situation, you know, I expected it to go how it went. So I didn't really grade it that hard in that regard because I expected it to go like that. But I more so took from it what you talked about, what Kendrick's answers they were softball questions but his answers were, you know, I like where he took his answers and how he did the interview and he's somebody who doesn't interview a lot and I think you know I just want to point that out for a little bit a lot of these artists in the social media age where, um, your fandom and your, your, you know, stand base or fan base does the promotion for you, they don't have to get out here and do interviews and speak their piece or whatever.
Speaker 3:They can maintain an aura of, like you know, just mysteriousness or whatever, have this mystique around them because they don't talk to a lot of people. In the era we came up in, when people were working their albums or whatever, they were hitting every radio station MTV, bet, doing interviews or whatever and they were getting their voice out there. Now you can maintain a level of aura just by not saying nothing to nobody when a lot of people have unanswered questions that they want to get at you. So I mean it was, it was okay interview. You know what I mean. It was a lot of questions left on the table, but kendrick probably won't be doing any more interviews because this is like the biggest promo thing he's doing as far as the super bowl and then, you know, setting up for his tour.
Speaker 1:So I don't see those questions getting asked or answered anytime soon, ok, so this is what I mean, and, Sean, you can jump in after this when he says when, when he is saying stuff well, I did it for the culture. He said that a lot. It's like. What does that mean to you? Like, like, like it's easy to say that. Like, don't just say that to me. Like to whom much is given, much is expected. Like you're sitting in this position for a reason, like, don't just tell me that you're doing it for the culture. Explain to me, like, what that culture means to you, especially when the interviewer is saying at the end of the end of the interview thank you for fighting for hip-hop.
Speaker 1:And I've always told you all this people think I don't like him. No, no, no, I love his music and I'm a big fan of his catalog. I actually went and listened to good kid mad city earlier this week. I might have to put it up higher on my list, like, like, like, listening to it, like the way that it's holding up is phenomenal, like, and when I mean putting it higher up on my list, I mean ahead of my beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy, because it's the only album from its era that I have it ahead of, actually, and I was thinking, oh no, that might be a title, or it might be Kendrick, because it's like that, but we really still don't know what it is that he represents culturally for this you do, I, do, I what it is that he represents culturally.
Speaker 3:For this you do, I do. I think you missed the nuance that was writing a face coop. This whole bad, this book, this whole battle has been marketed from a standpoint Like Kendrick is our cultural representative, drake is not of the culture.
Speaker 1:What when you're saying he's a cultural representative? That's what I'm saying Like what does that mean?
Speaker 3:for him Everything that's to represent the purity of hip hop. He played the angle himself, which was genius.
Speaker 1:He doesn't represent that he uses the word bitch more than Ice Cube.
Speaker 3:That's what I'm saying but we're talking about, there's a perception and there's reality. It's how the fans perceive it.
Speaker 1:So I'm talking about the reality. I'm not talking about the reality, I'm not talking about the perception, the reality is the word.
Speaker 3:He played the angle to perfection, though. Remember in. You know what I'm saying. This is not me, this is what the culture's feeling. That came out of his mouth. So he automatically put the culture behind him and say we as a collective whole feel this about you, drake. And then everybody got on board with that. So that's the undertone when they say thank you for representing the culture, thank you for representing hip hop, because you slayed the giant that's out here. That's not hip hop that you know. That's that's the message.
Speaker 1:I understand that and I respect that. But, AG, I didn't miss anything. That's what I'm saying. It's not me that's missing it. It's the journalists that are missing it when they have the opportunities to interview him and ask him deeper questions so that we can actually align the perception and the reality more appropriately. That's what I'm saying. I'm not missing what's in front of me. That's the reason that I'm complaining, and I'm not complaining about him at this point, because they should have asked him to elaborate.
Speaker 3:is what you're saying?
Speaker 1:to elaborate. Is what you're saying? That's exactly what I'm saying, because the reason that I don't have answers to my questions isn't because he's not doing his job as an artist. It's because they're not doing their jobs as journalists by unpacking the music appropriately. They're just using generalized statements like thank you for fighting for hip hop, and letting him use generalized statements like I did this for the culture. Those are general statements as an interviewer and interviewee can use, which means this interview is as safe as safe can get, which is how all of his interviews are. It just happens to be a good interview from him because it's coming at a time where we really haven't heard from him and heard from him on this level in a while, and so it's insightful to hear how his mind works. But, from the framework, if we're looking at it like a journalist and we're looking at it like an artist, it's like, well, he didn't unpack anything about his music for us. I do like how he did. He did, he did unpack some of the process, right.
Speaker 1:That's what I like and, by the way, the part that he unpacked about GNX was the stuff that people said that I was crazy for and that I was saying a hater, and all I was saying was what he just said. It's like no, just make some like West Coast shit, though, like you know what I'm saying. That's all I was saying the other day and he was saying oh, I just got back to dope beats and dope rhymes I was like oh, you mean that West Coast shit?
Speaker 3:Yeah, but you're not held accountable to unpack a lot of stuff if you're charismatic we know that with artists. I think he was charismatic in this interview.
Speaker 2:Nah, I don't see it that way, guys.
Speaker 1:I don't see it that way guys. I felt like at the end he was very poignant and made some very astute things that made me think, but I didn't find him to be charismatic. Jay-z is charismatic. Yeah, I think Tupac is charismatic. Ice Cube is charismatic. Like he's not charismatic like that, in my opinion.
Speaker 2:I gotta shoot them some bail. Honestly, guys, you're talking about the hottest artist right now on the planet and you're getting a chance to get in front of him for 30 minutes. You're going to have to be on pins and needles because you don't want to say anything to disrupt that. And I understand what you're saying, coop. As far as the journalistic integrity, you push the boundaries, but they may want to try to get another opportunity to get in front of this guy at some point. The purpose of this meeting or this interview was really to talk about, you know, the legacy of him being on the Super Bowl. It wasn't to do a deep dive per se on a hot topic you know at hand.
Speaker 1:So, Sean, when you're saying that if this is a legacy conversation because and it was a legacy conversation because it's talking about his ascension to the Super Bowl Well here's my thing why are we not unpacking?
Speaker 1:Well, he did some he personally did some unpacking of the rhetoric on Good Kid and Mad City, but there was no rhetoric on to pimp a butterfly and damn which, which, quite frankly, in terms of explanations from the artist, we don't have two pieces of work like that, from a greatest artist like that, where we don't have an explanation from them, that we can go back and literally YouTube or listen to interviews from that really give you an explanation of what that process is like for them, what the album is like for them, what some things mean and represent from the perspective of the artist. And here's what I mean about perspective of the artist. When Jay did Volume 1, one of his favorite songs was Lucky Me. That's in most people's bottom three or four on that album, but for Jay that was the top of the album. But that stuff, that's the type of stuff that Jay would share with you, though they would share with you, though they would share that with you?
Speaker 1:No, no, no. He's like I fuck with this other stuff. I know y'all playing a million and one questions.
Speaker 2:Lucky me is my shit. Jay would tell you that, but Coop, that wasn't. I don't think that was the goal for them. I think the goal was to say you know what? Hey, we got this guy. We the only one that got him. You can't tell me the records you like.
Speaker 3:Well, no, let me ask y'all wouldn't you want to be remembered as the interviewer that asked the tough questions? And do that Because if only so many people get an interview me personally, if I was in that spot, I would want to be, even if it ruffled some feathers or whatever, I would want to be seen as the person who asked the memorable questions. I don't think in modern media we have somebody. Remember what's his name? Kevin Powell, the one chick from MTV, tabitha, I can't think of her name, but she had the POC interview. They were asking the great questions you know what I'm saying, the major questions that everybody wanted to know the answer to. They weren't like softball pitch questions that were being asked back then. And granted, we always talk about we're from a different era, I get that, but still like.
Speaker 1:Think about this Barbara Walters is getting the interview Whitney Houston. Do you think Barbara Walters is going to accept the interview if she can't talk about all the rumors and speculation around Bobby and Whitney's drug addiction?
Speaker 3:Right, but that's not even in the hip-hop sphere. I'm talking about people who did great hip-hop interviews.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, I'm just talking from the perspective of journalistic integrity in terms of having room to ask questions. It's like I can't ask this hoe about her drug addiction. Where's she getting her cocaine from? It's apparently better than mine. It's ruining her life. My cocaine addiction is not ruining my life. I want to know where she getting her cocaine from.
Speaker 3:They pre-game for all that stuff. Now they pre-game.
Speaker 1:No, they used to pre-game for that stuff then too, AG, that's what I'm saying. But it used to be okay to ask a certain level of questions as a journalist without ruffling the feathers, and the person and the PR person and the person that's responsible for handling the artist would prepare the artist to answer those difficult questions. It's like now they've just taken that off the spear. It's like no, you're not allowed to ask tough questions because we don't have time to prep these things.
Speaker 3:Yeah and it off the spear. It's like, no, you're not allowed to ask tough questions because we don't have time to prep these things. It was only a half an hour interview, to start with.
Speaker 2:I get what y'all are saying, but you got to think about who you're talking about. You're talking about the guy. You're talking about the one who's in pole position right now. Paul, this is Kendrick. His team straight up and down. This is where you don't go. You don't go with this, you don't say this and you've got to make sure you touch on this. It's too many boundaries that they're going to put in place, too many controls they're going to put in place to make sure this interview doesn't go off the rails or go into a different space that he doesn't want to go down that road with. That he doesn't want to go down that road with. I give what you're saying, trust me, but it's no different than the major artists. Nas was one of the drink champs. Think about how many softball pitches that Nori was giving him.
Speaker 2:Yeah he didn't ask no tough questions.
Speaker 1:I tell you what I don't love that interview, outside of the fact that it's like oh look, nas popped up for a few hours. When does he do that? It's the same thing that this is, but here's the difference.
Speaker 3:To your point about Neskideskin Nas is my guy, but Norrie was acting too much like a fan, granted him and, but that was part of the problem with the interview. They didn't even address the attention they had with each other, and people wanted to know stuff behind it.
Speaker 1:Correct, but at least Nas pulled up for a few hours, so at least you got a few hours it was one.
Speaker 3:He pulled up for one hour. That's Dream Champ's shortest interview ever. Promo. Yeah, that was a promo. Because he had just Cabasa P was also on Lost Tapes 2 was coming out.
Speaker 1:But you want to know what? But this interview felt a little prime Nas-ish to me, and I don't mean that in a good way, I mean that it's like. I mean that it's like, well, the interviewer doesn't have much time to get to know this artist that traditionally doesn't give these type of interviews on this stage, and the interviewer in the in the interviewee isn't used to giving these interviews, and so some of the responses are really great, some of them are just okay, some of them are good. It's very much reminded me of an old nasa interview. I don't mean that in a glowing way. When I'm talking about an interview being glowing, I do mean a Tupac interview, an Ice Cube interview.
Speaker 3:I don't think Nas is one of the best interviews for whatever question is going to be asked, because he doesn't open up that much.
Speaker 1:He's 15 times better in the last 15 years than he was the first 15 years.
Speaker 3:To that charisma thing, he's more. You know, he opens up a little bit more.
Speaker 1:He's more comfortable now with those things.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the old interviews. You could tell he don't want to be there Like I don't even want to talk. Or be blazed out of his mind.
Speaker 1:So I mean so overall it was overall a good interview. I don't feel like he was challenged, I don't feel like I learned anything new and I asked myself like how much are y'all playing gmx guys?
Speaker 2:I still play it. I play from time to time yeah, like like, like how much like, like, like.
Speaker 1:Is it like sitting with you and like really staying with You're like man. This is great.
Speaker 3:I let the album run. I mean I still have certain skips or whatever. How?
Speaker 1:about this. Do you think it's better than Damn?
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 1:Or To Pimp a Butterfly.
Speaker 3:Yes, for me. I know To Pimp a Butterfly is more critically acclaimed, but I enjoy this much more. I never put on To Pimp a Butterfly just for enjoyment, if.
Speaker 1:I want to listen to Kendrick. No, I didn't ask you what you enjoyed more. I asked you what was better.
Speaker 3:No, it's not better, but if I'm listening to Kendrick, I'm playing Good Kid Damn or this Album, that's what I'm listening to Okay, this has more ride factor because of the West Coast vibes to it than To Pimp a Butterfly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it's not a better album, no, it's not, but respectfully to it, though it's not touching to Pimple Butterfly, and this is coming from me that has criticized to Pimple Butterfly Right, not having a ride factor to it and asking him to make something with a ride factor. Him making something with a ride factor like this, it's still not to Pimple Butterfly.
Speaker 3:Yeah to Pimple Butterfly is more like an art piece, like it's not an album. You could recognize it for what it is, as a classic, but a lot of people not want to listen to it. I don't hardly ever hear people playing To Pimp a Butterfly, but you know it's an art piece.
Speaker 1:So I say this to say this respectfully.
Speaker 3:Is this album a classic, definitely a classic moment. Me and Sean talk about this all the time, like if the Carter 3 can be held as a classic for the quality that that album is because of the moment attached to it, then I don't see why this can't be considered a classic. This is just a big of a moment. It's a quality album and I think it's up there with the Carter 3.
Speaker 2:Wow, carter 3? Yeah, I'm, and I think it's up there with the Carter III.
Speaker 3:Wow, really Carter III yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm going to put that far up there.
Speaker 3:I don't have it as a classic.
Speaker 2:I have it as a really really dope album, really dope moment. I think the moment is bigger than the album I do too.
Speaker 3:That's how I feel about Carter III. That's why I'm saying that.
Speaker 2:Probably think we got some stuff on there, though Wayne was going crazy on Carter.
Speaker 3:III there's some skips on there too, the replay value on the Carter III is way better than the replay value on this in my opinion, it's still too early for me to say that you know what I'm saying, because I'm still playing G and X now and it's not even a year old, and if we get that deluxe, then that might change that too, like how about this?
Speaker 1:Carter III was great enough to me that, even though I didn't feel like it was better than the Carter II, even after the first few times that I heard it, I still did play it over and over and over and over. And this album I did not do that with. That's what I'm saying. I was still playing the Carter three, like Mr Carter, a Millie.
Speaker 3:But you're a bigger fan of Wayne than you are Kendrick, though.
Speaker 1:See, that's the thing. That's not true. I prefer good kid Matt city to anything Wayne's ever made. I'm actually a bigger Kendrick fan than I am a Wayne fan. I just grew up on Wayne more, but, artistically speaking, kendrick actually does more of the things that I like my artists to do than Wayne.
Speaker 3:I have them next to each other in my all-time rankings. I have Kendrick at 10 and Wayne at 11.
Speaker 1:My musical preference is going to listen to Kendrick's best over Wayne's best. How about that?
Speaker 3:I'm with you there. I'm with you on that one yeah.
Speaker 1:So actually, no, I'm more of a Kendrick fan than a Wayne fan. Actually, I just grew up on wayne and I am from the south, and so it is different about holding him high. But but no, can I like I have them right next to each other too? Ag, like, like wayne, is one of those people that it's hard for me to put kendrick ahead of wayne, even though I prefer kendrick stylistically and artistically and even album-wise, because of the fact well, no, you don't do mixtapes, you don't do guest appearances, you don't do interviews, like you don't do all this other stuff this guy does. Oh, no, you got this guy beat lyrically content album, everything else, wayne.
Speaker 3:I think we put a lot of stock in how hard Wayne worked. Shout out to the homie LT. We had this conversation.
Speaker 1:It's having the willingness to do the work.
Speaker 3:The willingness is one thing. Yeah, that's totally different. Shout out to the homie LT. I had this conversation with him the other day. I think it was a time there where Wayne was just putting stuff out. The quality of the work wasn't matching the him. The other day, I think it was a time there where Wayne was just putting stuff out and the quality of the work wasn't matching the quantity at a certain point.
Speaker 1:Was he putting stuff out, or were his people putting stuff out because he was recording at such a vociferous pace?
Speaker 3:I think some stuff could have just been left on the cutting room floor towards the end of that era.
Speaker 1:He's the only rapper whose legacy might be hurt by putting out too that era. He's the only rapper whose legacy might be hurt by putting out too much material.
Speaker 3:That's kind of what I'm getting at. When he was on fire, he was on fire.
Speaker 2:We got a lot of super chats. Let's get these super chats real quick, no doubt.
Speaker 1:Where are we going?
Speaker 2:Can you see it cool?
Speaker 1:Is Mad Max the first one? No, we got Esquire the first one.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, hold on, jermaine Johnson, you got this one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I see you, jermaine Johnson, with the $4.99 Super Chat. Jermaine, 50 is gross. His trolling of Irv is not funny at all. Irv's body was still warm. We shouldn't allow anyone to disrespect our legends, not even 50. We're going to talk about it briefly. Yeah, yeah, don't even worry about that, jermaine. We got you Joe Young with the $10 Super Chat. What's up? Good work, coop. You're correct about the Drake situation, about a quality album. I remember when Jay made Blueprint 2, it didn't hit like that after the battle when he made Black.
Speaker 1:Album oh, black Album. The album was classic. I was about to say BA. I was like what is that? Bachelors of the Arts? See, I was thinking academically, like one time, it's like Jay got a BA. I was like what did he get his BA in crack music? Got a BA in crack music. Okay, what's the it's like Jay got a BA. I was like what did he get his BA in Crack music? Got a BA in crack music. Okay, what's the next super chat? Oh, mad Max. Thanks Mad Max. It's Pepper Butterfly Trash, gnx Trash. His interview was trash. No charisma. He on GNX rapping and fighting little B Talks about damn baby saying BS like boom bat ding bow, mad Max.
Speaker 1:You gotta love Mad Max. Mad Max is the only person who probably you could say is a bigger Kendrick hater than me. According to the post, absolutely, absolutely, boy, does he hate? He does a great job at hating too. I want to let you know you are a legendary hater, mad Max.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't know. Mad Max and Maul is like a photo. Finish.
Speaker 1:You were great at it. First place I did Mad Max, though.
Speaker 3:You coming in third Coop, you got the bronze medal. They threw the bronze at you.
Speaker 1:First of all, sean's a big hater, sean's a big, big hater. Jack is a big hater. Sean and Jack are big haters.
Speaker 2:Jack and.
Speaker 1:Mad Max need to have a hater off to fight Sean to the death.
Speaker 2:That's crazy. No, I can't beat Jack. Jack is a different animal man.
Speaker 3:Jack's like a bot, he don't stop.
Speaker 1:They need to have a hater off, because never have two young men talk so loudly about hip-hop and known so little at the same damn time.
Speaker 2:Jack is a good guy.
Speaker 1:It's ridiculous how little they know.
Speaker 3:Jack be in the Discord. I want to know do you talk to Tex or text literally that fast, man, because Jack be going crazy. I'm still trying to rebuttal.
Speaker 1:Look here Jack vs Mad Max Hip-hop talks. We need to do a Twitter spaces. We need to set that up? Yes, it's like the intro music is going to play what's Beef from life after death. We're going to have what's Beef playing in the background and we get to hear these indignant ass motherfuckers talk about a bunch of shit they don't know nothing about.
Speaker 2:Jack is an institution you cannot mess with. That Jack needs to be put in an institution.
Speaker 3:Jack is a legend, not in a institution.
Speaker 1:In a institution, the Winter Soldier, not in a institution.
Speaker 3:In a institution the Winter Soldier.
Speaker 1:He needs 30 days. He needs 30 days, he needs 30 days.
Speaker 3:Shout out to Jack and everybody in our Discord man, I read Nonplussed.
Speaker 1:He needs to go somewhere where the LB objects are not allowed. Where sharp objects are not allowed. Okay, where sharp objects are not allowed, we got to do a super chat.
Speaker 2:We got to do a super chat.
Speaker 1:My mere thoughts with the 999 super chat. My number one critique of Wayne is he can never stick to a subject matter. When he rhymes he's all over the place, no matter the song. That explains most of Mad Max and Jack's takes on Twitter. Thank you, my mere thoughts.
Speaker 3:Yo, when I say that a couple weeks ago, like I was getting cooked because I was saying that Wayne was incoherent, I wasn't trying to be disrespectful, but that was my point. What disrespectful it was not disrespectful Chief.
Speaker 1:And then with the $2 super check, catch y'all on the block tomorrow. Salute, catch y'all on the block tomorrow.
Speaker 3:Chief a good dude. He be in our discord.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we got Jarb in the chat. What up, jarb?
Speaker 1:can I ask you?
Speaker 2:what Jarb just said. He said work around the corner doing. I ain't gonna say that I thought it was gonna be good in 2025. Nah, fuck it. Doing a show on Cash Money versus no Limit, doing a Cash Money versus no Limit show in 2025 is wild, though. You got it. Who who we got.
Speaker 3:We got more Super Ch chats man Hold on hold on who is doing that.
Speaker 1:Hold on, hold on we doing. First of all, hold on we doing, we doing we doing what man?
Speaker 2:you know people got to do what they got to do. You know what I mean. You don't mess with nobody, but you know doing shows on no Limit and shit. I don't think no Limit is doing shows on no Limit versus Cash Money, if I'm being honest. But let me chill out.
Speaker 1:Let's keep the show going. My bad, my bad, ag. Let's talk about the Grammys actually getting it right and us still getting it wrong. Who got it wrong?
Speaker 3:Who got it wrong? Us? Us, as in hip-hop talks.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no, no, not us.
Speaker 3:Oh, I was about to say.
Speaker 1:Apparently, there are people doing cash, money, all right man On a. Thursday night. That's so bad man that is nasty work. That is nasty work.
Speaker 2:That is nasty work are they really being petty like that? Like, okay, it's my fault, my bad, I apologize guys, I don't want no beef for nobody out there. Y'all super thugs out there.
Speaker 1:I don't want no beef, no, okay, so, so legitimately, about things that matter currently. About things that matter currently. About things that matter currently that are going on, that are happening, yeah.
Speaker 2:Current news.
Speaker 1:I think that the Grammys got it right this year, but I think the problem is is that we care too much that they got it right, like, why do we still care? I think this is the problem with us. I think the bigger conversation isn't like the wins, the kendrick wins, uh, rhapsody. Like like, uh, beyond check, like it's not that, it's the fact that we keep on pulling away when we feel like we're done wrong, which is 90 of the time, but then that one time, every like you know, literally five years, because I feel like in 2020 was about the last time they like got it right. Right, it's like. So every five, ten years, they throw us a bone and we're like, oh, here we go, we salivate at it. It's, it's like how. It's like how blacks are with the democratic, uh, with the democratic party. They do not understand that the democrats and the republicans are filling out the same sheet. At the end of the day, we don't have these niggas make lemonade or pick cotton. It is the same agenda. It is just about how you go about the agenda. So why do we even care that they got it right this year? I thought we didn't care anymore. See, like our problem is is that we can't stick to our guns about anything. I think that's the bigger problem.
Speaker 1:I'm finding the Grammys to be a microcosm about some of the issues that we're having within our community sphere, about how we don't create healthy boundaries for ourselves. We say that we're done with it, but we don't be done with it. And then when they do something right, it's like look how people have been riding for the Grammys. It's like, oh, people have been riding for the Grammys. It's like, oh, kids are going five times and, and and TDE and Dochi and da, da, da, da, da. And it is a beautiful thing, but it was fucked the Grammys two, three years ago, guys.
Speaker 3:But it is because it's never truly being done with it. When people say that themselves or the artists is trying to convince themselves Like they're never truly done with it. You know what I'm saying. It's like you know after Grammys until you win one, and then you, you know what I'm saying, so what?
Speaker 1:I just realized we're in an abusive relationship with the Grammys. I mean, it's the same song and dance for years.
Speaker 3:But, like I said, it's never truly we've been getting beat on and accepting getting beat on. I think you know what I'm saying. The perfect example of that is Jay-Z's like you know long-winded speech last year at the Grammys. You know, disgruntled because Beyonce didn't win. And then you know she turns around this year and they damn like well, we ain't in the. If it was after the Grammys then whether she was nominated or not, you wouldn't pull up to this event, would you not? But you know they was like well, we'll hand you one, since you was just run to. And then you know they say that you won and you're like let's act surprised for the camera and shocked, or whatever. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:I'm like come on now like I thought she was going to start breaking, like I thought she was about to start break, dancing the way she was jerking.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's like, come on, man, like at the end of the day, we're never truly done with it. And when black artists say that they're just trying to convince themselves, we, as like fans and viewers, we say we done with it. I personally didn't watch it, but I'd be damned if I'm not here right now talking about it. You know what I'm saying. So it's the same song and dance every year. We care about it. Let's just admit that we care about it.
Speaker 1:See, that's where I feel conflicted, ag, because I find myself as somebody that's in this space now, but before I was in this space, ag, I had stopped watching it, and it wasn't about like. It wasn't about like on some superhero black shit either. It was just about the simple fact that, well, quite frankly, I didn't think they were giving a good show and it wasn't just as entertaining.
Speaker 3:It's not something I regularly tune into.
Speaker 1:Right and as an adult, I just had better stuff to do. I didn't feel like they provided me with big enough moments that I could get into Like Beyonce, enough moments that I could get into like Beyonce performing with my idol, Prince singing the beautiful ones.
Speaker 1:Oh, no, no that was big, I was sitting my ass on the couch like, oh, beyonce performing with Prince, no, that's big. They weren't providing me those type of moments, so I didn't watch as it grew. It wasn't anything personal for me. I find myself having these conversations because I'm in this podcast world and because I'm a writer and because I write music reviews and cover music stuff and even go to music events and go to PR events. I find myself in this sphere where the Grammys do matter to a degree and it's like, well, it didn't matter to me until I got put in this sphere.
Speaker 3:Let me ask you this, both of y'all If you don't watch the Gram'all, if you don't watch the grammys and you don't care to watch it, aren't the next day you still tapping in to see who won what? Because if you do, then you care. In my book that's like shorty breaking up with you or whatever, and you saying like, nah, I don't even care about shorty or whatever, I'm done with her, and you checking all her socials. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 1:like so you care. So this is what I mean. So it's almost caring by affiliation for the love of music. Because here's what I'd submit to you for all those years that I didn't watch and it was probably about six or seven years I really didn't watch ag.
Speaker 1:Well, but because I did music, because I'm around music people, because I love music people, oh well, it's hard for me to escape the conversation because all I got to do is pull up my social media and see the DJs that I've done stuff with the artists that I've done stuff with the producers that I've done stuff with talking about what the Grammys the day after. So even when I didn't watch it, ag, I was still informed because I'm part of a music sphere, I'm part of the culture, and so there is no way for me to avoid it. And so you're right, there are years that I didn't watch it and I was informed on stuff just because all I had to do was cut on Facebook or Instagram and somebody who I knew, who I used to do music with, was talking about what they saw. I don't believe they did the Mac Miller-Kendrick thing. Oh, I didn't know that that happened. I didn't watch those Grammys. I had been stopped watching the Grammys.
Speaker 3:Oh, you mean not Mac Miller, it was Macklemore.
Speaker 1:Macklemore, mac Miller, eminem, peanut Butter, eminems I don't give a damn no, there's a clear difference in all three of them. Look here. All I'm saying is when Kendrick got hosed, I wasn't even watching. I had to find out on social media the next day. I was like they went and gave this motherfucker over good kid Mad.
Speaker 3:City. So do you think they're trying to overcompensate and make up for that now Like too heavy handed? Like Drake said, kendrick opened his mouth. Somebody give him a Grammy right now. Or they think you know they got to make up for that flood.
Speaker 1:So I mean, this is going to kind of go into our headline topic, which is essentially, like you know, what Kendrick did at the Grammys. But what I would submit to you guys is that well, I don't want to sound like a hater Did.
Speaker 3:Thriller win five Grammys. No, thriller won eight, it was eight or nine.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, bad didn't win any, though Bad got shut out.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, I was about to go down the list. I was about to go down the list for you. How many did Purple Rain win?
Speaker 3:Nine Did it win one. Did it win one.
Speaker 1:Won two.
Speaker 3:Won two Okay.
Speaker 1:I thought it was maybe one, and I think it won Best Original Song and Best Screenplay or something like that, because it was movie affiliated more than music affiliated.
Speaker 1:Right, that's what I was saying it wasn't music affiliated, it was movie affiliated. Bad doesn't win any Grammys. Lauryn Hill's the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill wins five Grammys. Stop calling me a hater when he wins five Grammys. Listen to the stuff that I just named out for you. Like what's going on, dude, you know how many. Like how about this? He won more Grammys in one night than Marvin Gaye won in the 70s. Y'all Like you, don't think? You don't think it's a little skewed? You don't think the media controlling the narrative a little bit? I'm going to say that again. He won more Grammys last night, the other night, than Marvin Gaye won in the 70s. Don't tell me that the media is not driving this shit.
Speaker 3:Well, let's keep it in the same spirit. Drake has five. It's not about the music.
Speaker 1:It's not about the music is my thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, drake has five total himself. You think about all the genres that Drake crosses right, the big hits he has, and you know the Grammys a lot of time like the act plugged in, like they're in the know on. You know certain things like the obscure artists, or you know the. You know how they do and then sometimes they give it to the bigger records.
Speaker 1:Drake's AG. Drake's best songs are very, very black, though.
Speaker 3:Right, but he only has five Grammys total.
Speaker 1:Because his best songs are actually really really black.
Speaker 3:Yeah, kendrick, I think, is third all-time in hip-hop behind Jay-Z and Kanye. But what I will say about Kendrick, I think if you look at his Grammy resume, I think more of that's predicated on his catalog than Jay-Z or Kanye, which is more predicated on collaborative stuff Kanye with the producer stuff and then Jay-Z with the collaborations. So if you look at it from that angle, kendrick might be the most decorated Grammy hip-hop artist, more so based off his catalog.
Speaker 1:But what I'm trying to tell you is that five Grammys. Think about this. He won five Grammys. It took Lauryn Hill, one of the best albums literally of the last 50 years in music, to get five Grammys.
Speaker 3:Which Grammys did you think he didn't deserve to win? Which categories?
Speaker 1:Do you think it was the best song of the year? Yes, like period. Yeah, deserved to win which categories do you think it was the best song of the year? Yes, like period yeah what?
Speaker 3:what else did he win? He won. He won record of the year, song of the year, which I don't understand. The difference between those.
Speaker 1:Okay I think song is songwriting.
Speaker 3:Credit credit record is the entirety of okay record of the Songwriter, like maybe something else could have won that, because not like us is not fantastic lyrically, but it's a big smash hit. He won best music video. I don't tap into music videos like that, so I don't even know what else was up for nomination, um, but I can't speak to that. He won best rap song that's a definite yes. He won best rap performance that's a definite yes.
Speaker 1:I'll give them rap song and rap performance. I can't give him the rest. Just clearly Not record of the year. Not just Scott Free, not record of the year.
Speaker 3:Scott Free, can you name a record that's bigger this year, even outside of hip-hop? I can't think of no, no no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm saying. I understand that it's bigger than hip-hop About a lot of my personal matters. Last year I didn't really tune into outside music, outside of hip-hop, like I normally do. To make that call fairly, If you want to tentatively slide on that third one, I'm cool with that. But five Grammys is a lot for one song, Guys. They're essentially saying that it might be the best song in the history of the Grammys. Is there a record of anybody else winning five Grammys for one song? I wouldn't know. Think about that. Five Grammys for one song, that's beyond Stevie, that's beyond Michael Jackson.
Speaker 1:That's what you're saying when you were making. It's not that, it's not. Stop telling me that. It's that like. Stop expecting me to buy that level of it. Is what I'm saying. It's like. If you want to tell me that it's the rap song of the year, that's a landslide. If you want to tell me that it's even record of the year music wise because off the top of my head I can't give you anything else from last year. But I also wasn't tuned in like I usually am, I'll give you that. But if you're telling me it's the most well-written song from last year, it's like first of all, it's like what was he really saying in the song? Like, think about it. Some of the lyrics in the song like that's songwriting of the year Like hold on.
Speaker 1:AG, ag, that's songwriting. Yeah, not songwriting, but I hear what you're saying.
Speaker 3:I hear what you're saying, but when you see the footage, I don't think I've ever seen A reaction like that From other artists when somebody's name was called when everybody held out A minor. When you got Taylor Swift toasting and dancing, beyonce dancing, jay Z cheesing from ear to ear, I don't like. It's hard to say that record is not that level when other artists' reactions were like that.
Speaker 1:First of all, that's all for camera AG, and then video-wise it's like. I'm gonna be honest with you. My thought on the video is I thought the video was really dope. A whole lot of the video was very reminiscent of All Right, then you and King Kunta. It's reminiscent of that time. He's done those types of videos before In terms of innovative and ingenuity. Video-wise, it wasn't like it was anything groundbreaking. No, it wasn't that. Stop telling me that an 8 is a 10. If you want to tell me that it's an eight, it's like oh no, that's an eight. Stop telling me it's a ten. Is what I'm saying, what you got, sean?
Speaker 3:yeah, I got it we can slide on to the next one. What? What about the? What about the Dolce win, though? Good for Dolce. I think that deserved rap album of the year. We sung high praises on that album. It was definitely top five and she's a star, so I think that was a good win.
Speaker 1:You know, some people just catch the public's attention and you're happy when they catch the public's attention, and she's just one of those people. And so I think, even though I didn't watch these ceremonies, when I went back and watched the highlights, watching her win Best Rap Album was the highlight of the show for me. In my opinion, even though it felt like a little stage, it was like, like you said, ag, here's my thing with her winning. You know, rap is still about rags to riches and I think last year nobody epitomized that more than her.
Speaker 1:She literally came, I wouldn't say from nowhere, but made such a quality project that it had people like you and I and sean who I wouldn't say that we're necessarily hip-hop purists, but I think we have a traditional hip-hop ear look at somebody like her and be like oh no, that's some of the best shit I heard this year. That's a top five rap album. Like that's hard for somebody, that's hard for a male rapper to do in this sphere today in our demographic. So the fact that a woman did it and then won Grammy Album of the Year, that was the highlight of the evening in my opinion, and Rhapsody too.
Speaker 3:That's just as big of a feat, because we praised her album too, and then she won for best melodic Rap Performance. So shout out to Rhapsody on that.
Speaker 1:I don't even know what that Grammy necessarily means, but shout out to Rhapsody and shout out to you.
Speaker 3:We're in an era where melody is carrying rap songs more so than lyrically driven verses, so that's like a fairly new category. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:So what are they saying when they're saying melodic? That's what I'm saying. So what are they saying when they're saying melodic? That's what I'm saying. Are they saying it's like jazz, inspired and influenced contemporary, like instrument? What's the definition and criteria by which they are defining the musicality of it? I couldn't tell you that they just be making shit up. Is what it sounds like? Ag, cj the Kid, $5. Damn, you guys inherit the beef. As time goes by, an eye for an eye, we in this together. Son, your beef is mine so long as the sun shines the light up the sky. What's CJ?
Speaker 2:talking about. I don't know what CJ's talking about.
Speaker 1:I have been playing the Infamous, though I've been playing the Infamous and Good Kid Mad City a lot. I might have to boost both of those up. Stuff like QU Hectic is not a top five song on your album, but anyway. Cj the Kid, $2.00. Coop Theories about Dre and Lucy and High Five. No, no, we're not touching that tonight. We got to stick to the script. Cj, I might hop into Discord and we'll talk about that a little bit more.
Speaker 3:What do you think about Kendrick's Canadian tuxedo? He's continuing to troll this man in real time.
Speaker 2:At some point you got to be like alright, enough is enough. If I'm Drake, I'm pulling up somewhere, I don't care, he got to see you at some point At some point.
Speaker 3:That's so subtle, man, it's so subtle, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:I feel like the subs should have been in effect for Drake. He should have never. I don't know. I'm the type of person Scarface got this rhyme on the fix. He's like I got an amazing record 47 and 5, and the nigga had to fight me every time that I seen him. You know what I'm saying. He's pretty much saying like oh no, the same dude beat me. But it's like oh no, no, I kept on fighting that dude. It's just a mentality about how you approach things. I will tell you this I love Kendrick's mentality and approach way more than I love Drake's mentality and approach. So it's like I don't know what Drake's management and people been telling him about how to handle this, but they've been telling him wrong. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, kendrick, just so, like, don't you love it? He'll wear that and let you figure it out. And just smiles and accepts his Grammy, don't say nothing to you S-Quire with the $5 Super Chat.
Speaker 1:Dolce's album was dope, but I personally wouldn't call it album of the year. My opinion aside, Grammy slash critics put a premium on artists who make avant-garde music. What does it mean to be avant-garde in today's era where you can literally get it, grab it and go from anywhere? What does that mean to be avant-garde? Because GNX isn't avant-garde, that's just some dope West Coast shit. You feel me? There ain't an avant-garde about that album outside of Gloria.
Speaker 3:Well, let's talk about that then, because this album ain't avant-garde, it's generic.
Speaker 1:If that was up for the Grammys, would it that then, because this is album, this is album ain't avant-garde, it's janae we're gonna talk about like if, if that was up for the Grammys, would it have one?
Speaker 1:I mean what? Okay? So, like when y'all was talking about playing the album, it's like I'm playing songs off that, but I'm really not playing the album like that. And so when you're talking about it being album of the year or even rap album of the year if it was released in this time, it's like well, I would tell you like how is it like like be honest with yourself and tell me like, is it moving like the way other rap albums that tend to win these, uh, these awards do, or is it about this one song?
Speaker 1:We keep coming back to this one record, guys, guys, and that's why I was like never has a rapper this great made a diss record that really belongs in their top 10, 15 records, and so this record has changed everything. And listen to what I'm saying. I'm not blaming him for this, because really, what this record has done is forced us to have different level conversations about what it means to have a diss record that gets this type of notoriety out of it. You feel what I'm saying? Like it's not totally on him, we just have to address the situation. It's like the closest thing that we have to a rapper having a diss song be this great, going this high on their catalog would probably be ice Cube with no Vaseline, and I still don't know if no Vaseline is one of Kendrick's 10 best records. You could argue this is one of his 10 best records, couldn't you Sean?
Speaker 2:It's up there, it's up there.
Speaker 1:That's what I mean. When we first heard the record, I went and told y'all I said this shit's a banger.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a whole bop, it's a banger. It has everything. It checks all the boxes for a dominant song. I wouldn't call it. I personally wouldn't call it a classical song. I call it a dominant song. I just don't see it. I don't see it other than that. I really don't. I just don't.
Speaker 1:When you say dominant song, give me an example of something else that you would consider to be a dominant song.
Speaker 2:When I think about a dominant song that's not really truly a classic. It's a song that just it come at the right time, hit you at the right position, the right timeline. This song hits you at the right time, so it's dominating the timeline, it's dominating everything that's around it Now. Would it hold up later on this year? Maybe, maybe not. It's just people right now.
Speaker 1:Hold on. Do you think when you were saying that I thought of a Millie by Lil Wayne? Is that what you mean by a dominant rap song?
Speaker 2:Very, dominant rap song. Because the time that it came out, it just captured everything. It captured everything. It had so much momentum behind it. Because the time that it came out, it just captured everything. It captured everything, right, he had so much momentum behind it, right? Nothing could stop it.
Speaker 1:Because I love a Millie, but it's not even one of my two or three favorite rap songs on that album and that's not my favorite Wayne album, but that's his moment though.
Speaker 2:That was the moment. Everything was behind it. So much momentum was behind a Millie. He messed around and sold a million records in one week. A milli, a milli. All of that was going on at the same time and everything was just moving like a freight train.
Speaker 1:That's what this song right here is you got five.
Speaker 2:Grammys off of one song. Like you keep saying, it's like it's a freight train that continue to move forward. Everything getting in front of it is crushing everything. It's a big, big moment.
Speaker 1:It got so much momentum Five Grammys off of one song. I think Stevie Wonder and Prince are probably the best songwriters ever. They don't have three Grammys off of one record.
Speaker 2:Not off of one. It captures everything. It's so dominant, it captures everything. It captures everything. It's so dominant, it captures everything. It captures everything. Hell man, it might be classic, it might be classic, it just.
Speaker 1:I think it's a great, great record. It is hard for me to say that this is a classic record. It is more of a classic moment to me than a classic record. Even if the record is classic classic record, it is more of a classic moment to me than a classic record. Even if the record is classic, it's still more of a classic moment than a classic record to me.
Speaker 2:When do you categorize or place a song as classic? I think sometimes we give something classic too soon. We give an album a classic too soon.
Speaker 1:I think it's something here's how I classify a classic it's something that blows your mind when you hear it, because it gives you that feeling that in 20 years it's still going to be blowing your mind. It gives you that feeling and that vibe, like where you hear something in it where you're like oh my God, like this is, this is a piece of genius that is going to stay and stand with me to the point that, musically, when you listen to it, it gives you chills. And so this doesn't and that's what I've always said about him. I've never knocked him or knocked his career. I'm like well, the only album that does that for me is Good Kid Mad City, and I still feel that way after all of this, because it's like no, it doesn't give me that. It doesn't give me that chill. It doesn't Like it's one of those things that you can't recreate, like one of my mentors taught me that you hire what you can't teach.
Speaker 1:You know there's an intangible quality that comes with classic albums, that comes with classic moments, that's truly, truly hard to recreate because it's so authentic and it's so organic. This isn't totally authentic. This isn't totally authentic. It isn't totally organic. It is hurting the classic nature of it. In my opinion, even if you feel like the record is there, it does feel almost like too calculated for its own good. It lacks some of the aggression that you want a rap beef shit to have, even though he knows it's rap beef battle shit. No, vaseline feels the way it feels because it really feels like Ice Cube wants to fuck these niggas up for talking shit. It feel that way.
Speaker 2:We got a two-part chat. I want to ask you all a question though.
Speaker 1:You can't recreate making somebody feel that way. I used to tell people it's like yo, mobb Deep, you saw, would almost be dangerous to listen to because Mobb Deep will make you want to go rob a nigga Like you be wanting to go mask up and go grab a Mac and hop in the act and go get it done. They make you feel that way. That's so dangerous that they have the capability of making you feel that way because they're doing such a good job about bringing you into their world. No, I do not feel felt drawn into this world of this beef by him, but I can look at the record for what it stands on and what it represents and how I know Cali niggas ride and what they like to ride to. I can look at all those things and tell you stroke of genius, job well done. But you have to make me feel it.
Speaker 1:That's the intangible quality that our great classics really have. That's intangible that we all see. We feel it. On a certain level it's like no, that's that shit. Think about this when Snoop Dogg's rapping on the shiznit, he's not saying any bar seminar level stuff, but we all love that record to death, don't we? It is, it's like what you just said, sean. You said it's Snoop. Yeah, prom Snoop. It just makes you feel a certain type of way are y'all talking about songs or albums?
Speaker 1:I pointed out. A song on an album as in like a moment. It's like no, when you're in that zone, you can just pick a song from the project and it's like it out. A song on an album as in like a moment. It's like no, when you're in that zone, you can just pick a song from the project and it's like pick a song, pick a record. You identify with it. It's like no, this moment isn't like that, Even if you feel like the record's like that.
Speaker 3:You had a question, sean. Like you want to do the super chat and then ask your question. Yeah, super chat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Michael Williams.
Speaker 1:Michael Williams with the $5 Super Chat. There's no way Not Like Us. Isn't a classic? Cultural impact alone makes it one by default, and it's the cornerstone of a historical battle. That's fair, that's fair.
Speaker 2:I didn't say it wasn't a classic. I didn't say it wasn't a classic. That's fair. I don't see. I don't know if it's organic versus manufactured is what I'm getting at, because if you think about some of the the classic records that were organic, you know you think about. I don't want to compare it to thriller, by no means. But remember thriller, the song was like what? The third or fourth single of thriller, the album. And when that song dropped, that album was sold with a 200% bass point jump. It took out the stratosphere, it went crazy after the song and the video dropped.
Speaker 1:But the video it gave people connected to it. It was a moment that people connected to. It was an organic moment. They didn't know when they made that Thriller video that that was going to be the organic moment that people connected to. Like they didn't know that they had records, they had Billie Jean, they had everything they had Billie Jean. Like it wasn't Billie Jean that made Thriller pop the video. The Thriller made Thriller pop Thriller. The song don't have shit on Billie Jean. No. People identify with the moment. Thriller pop Thriller made Thriller pop Thriller. The song don't have shit on Billie Jean, no.
Speaker 2:No, I'm just asking People identify with the moment. I'm just asking I was. I don't hold it as high as the accolades are being given right now.
Speaker 3:So you're talking about Not Like Us as a song, like a diss record. Do y'all not have a top five all-time diss record? I don't, I personally don't.
Speaker 1:I mean, if I'm going to be objective, just like we were talking about Get Richer, die Trying earlier the impact of it being so large that it's hard to ignore. I would tell you personally. Personally, for me it probably wouldn't even make my top 15.
Speaker 1:But about the impact personally the impact changes it, but the impact the impact puts it easily in the top 10 and arguable for the top five. Because I mean the only things, because the only records that I can tell you just offhand, that I tell you are just superior disc records that have the impact enough to come with it to withstand or no Vaseline Ether, the Takeover and the Bitchin' you.
Speaker 3:So that's four. I have those, but I'm substituting the Bitchin' you for Hit Em Up. Those are the only four. I have those, but I'm substituting the Bitch and you for Hit Em Up. Those are the only four.
Speaker 1:I have above this. Okay, so how about this? This is how little I think about Hit Em Up. I actually prefer Not Like Us to Hit Em Up. I keep telling people Hit Em Up's not a good record. If you're familiar with Pop's catalog, that's not even a top 50 record.
Speaker 3:But if we're keeping it consistent with the impact and what it did at the time like hit him up was was major, those the only. And if somebody has not like us over, hit him up. I'm not mad at that, but I think those are the five. Like, whatever order you have them in, ether, no vaseline um, take over, hit him up and not like us.
Speaker 3:Like the story of adidon was was pretty damaging and Pusha is surgical with his lyrics, but I got to take points off if it's a not original song. You know what?
Speaker 1:I'm saying I don't, I don't, I don't love that record like that. Anyway, this is what I mean about personally. I was cited back. It's like oh no, I love drop a gym more than I love that record Not direct enough.
Speaker 3:We knew it was talking to, but it's still not direct enough to make the top five and I love that record and for pusher I've said this from day one if he does that over original music we're having a different conversation.
Speaker 1:Like that record is top five. I don't know. See, that's my thing.
Speaker 3:I think I prefer infrared and exodus to story added on, like that's me personally, but the knockout blow was Adidon If you take the level of impact over original music.
Speaker 1:We have a different conversation, the impact didn't have nothing to do with the record. For me, I do care about how the record sounds, for whatever people think about the Takeover, as Nas fans, it's like oh no, that record sounds brilliant and beautiful and wonderful.
Speaker 3:I see what you're saying, though, because, like lyrically, like if you look at um exodus, um, his exodus record, you look at infrared, those are very much euphoria and um meet the grams, but yeah, you know what I'm saying, but it ain't always about, oh, lyrical, miracle stuff. You know what I'm saying. You have to put out a good record. Wait one second. Drake laid the blueprint for Kendrick with Back to Back.
Speaker 1:You're forgetting about the blueprint, because when you're holding Not Like Us so high, no, the Bridge Is Over is better than Not Like Us, because that's actually the original. Not Like Us.
Speaker 3:I'm not mad at Bridges Over being in the top five, but as far as like a record ringing off.
Speaker 1:I can give you better disc records than Not. Like Us. The Bridges over is way more devastating. Like literally he buried a whole important burrow until not showed up. That is bigger than what Kendrick is doing.
Speaker 3:But as far as like a disc record ringing off in clubs and different settings, I don't think it's like a disc record ringing off in clubs and different settings. I don't think it's been a disc record to do that since back-to-back and before that hit them up. I think those are the three that rang off in different areas, see but you got to think about it.
Speaker 1:It's like, oh no, the bridge is over. It's still getting played in the 90s. It's an 80s record. That's what I'm saying, Like. Well, it's easy to say that People forget the bridge is over. It was getting played literally.
Speaker 3:Sean can speak to that firsthand Felt the weight I don't want to.
Speaker 2:I don't want to speak to that Right.
Speaker 1:Nigga ruined. I'm not joking. Wasn't nobody talking about Queens after the bridge is over, until the noise popped up Outside of LL making Mama's head knock you out.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But before that's.
Speaker 3:That's another dope one too. But before we go on, like you know, I wanted to say something, cause you was talking about classic field coop. Um, I was thinking while you was talking, like I think I've always subscribed to the fact I don't believe in there's no such thing as an instant classic, because I can't think of any record that I could like as far as a full album that I consider a classic. That grew on me to say you know what? I think that's a classic after so many years because enough time has passed or whatever. Every album that I consider like a five mic classic. I knew that within the first time listening to it because it provided me with a certain feeling that lasted going.
Speaker 3:But then we try to like battle with ourselves and like convince ourselves. Like, well, is it or is it not? We'll start picking apart the track list Well, this is a skip. So can it really be classic with a skip, can it not? And then we do all these things because we say we don't want to be prisoner in a moment. But anything and everything that I can think of that I've ever considered a classic album has always gave me a certain feeling from day one. So that negates the fact that it's no such thing as an instant classic, like we just talked about Jay-Z or whatever Blueprint. I was worried. I was like he killed Nas with the takeover and he got a classic album to boot. The first time I listened to it I said this is Jay-Z's best work, outside of Reasonable Doubt. After one spin of that record I've told Sean that a million times, like one spin classic stamp.
Speaker 1:Period. I think it depends on how you define a classic in terms of that. I think it depends on how you define a classic in terms of that. I think the classics that you were talking about are classics that have that all-time greatness to them that's just hard to deny, where you know that you're witnessing something special when you listen to it. I do think that there are other albums that are classic, that grow on you over time, where you go back and listen to the music and be like you want to know what.
Speaker 1:That was a really special moment and we probably didn't recognize how special the moment was. I'll give you an example the roots with illadelf half-life. That was one of those moments because the fujis were having a moment, nas was having a moment, redman was having a moment, outkast was having a moment, tupac was having the moment of all moments Because all those moments were happening. All those guys made an end-to-end player with a banger, with some of the best guest appearances in the 90s. Think about this they had D'Angelo Q-Tip, bahamadia. This is all from a group that only released one major album. They had hitters on that first Commons on that record.
Speaker 3:It just got overshadowed, but I call those cusp albums. It's a lot of albums that's on the cusp and maybe over time.
Speaker 1:So is it a cusp album? Or did we not get indoctrinated with it enough, the way we got indoctrinated with an ATL against the score it was written all eyes on me. Is it about the exposure to the music? Because what I would tell you is that the more you expose to some of the music, the more you might find great shit. I was so busy listening to all that other stuff I probably didn't realize De La Soul, stakes as High was a classic until about 1999, guys, because the other stuff that came out in 96 was Soul Supreme.
Speaker 1:I didn't spend that much time listening to Stakes is High, like really sitting down and dissecting the album from end to end, because no, I wasn't listening to it, it was written from month to end. I was listening to Reasonable Doubt from month to end. My cousin, every time I came around him, was playing Muddy Waters nonstop AT Ellions, was playing everywhere in Charlotte all the time. So those are the projects that I heard. So by the time I had made it to the roots, made it to the foodies, I was like, oh man, it's like fuck, I just missed. Like, oh shit, like I didn't even know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we used to sit with albums longer back then. So I think it's kind of hard to gauge because now people declare instant classics but they only sit with them for about a month and then don't go back to them. What I'm saying is like I just found that any rap album that I listened to that I considered a classic off the bat because of what you pointed to, the feeling of it, and like you're witnessing something great, like when Kobe was locked in scoring that 81 points. Like you know what I'm saying. It's like you know that something amazing is happening as you go through the track list.
Speaker 3:Like you listen to stillmatic it's a highlight reel from you know I'm saying that on their beginning to end and get rich or die trying joints like that. But if I felt like that initially, I still felt like that over time. So I just don't think that you know it's a lot of credence in saying like, well, you can't call something classic off the bat because not enough time has passed to gauge it. I think it's a loaded conversation, but I think from a feeling perspective, like you talked about, I think you know when something's classy, you get the chills, you know like when intro to be comes on.
Speaker 3:You know when what up gangsta comes on you know still manic intro, like you, know, like you know, I mean if you come out of the gate like that Like you know.
Speaker 1:I mean, if you come out the gate like that, you got to fumble the bag, you like. But there's a difference between. Even like you know, when you hear an intro to a classic album, like you know, when you're younger it might be harder for you to identify, but when you're listening to a stillmatic and you're 20 years old, it's like, oh no, you know, that is special. When you hear what up gangsta, you know Up Gangsta.
Speaker 3:The last time I got that feeling was listening to KD3. When I put it on, I was like get a reporter it's cool From legit on. I was like the way he's pacing, he's going to do it. This is another classic record for Nas' catalog. That was a feeling.
Speaker 1:Here's why alfredo is my favorite freddy project. It's because most of freddy's projects get better as it goes along. Alfredo is the project that starts the way. Freddy's projects usually finish like he started with 1985. It's like no, you usually get to about four, five, six, seven songs into a great freddy album before he really start going for his. Sometimes it's like, oh no, on Alfredo, he goes from this from the jump. It's like he's talking about 1985, michael Jordan I travel with a cocaine circus. I'm like yo, I'm like he is wild right now. Yeah, I'm like give me this guy right now. And then it goes into God is Perfect and Scotty Beam and I'm like, oh my God, I'm like classic. I'm like it's sounding like a classic rap album. And then it starts playing out like it and it's like, oh, by the time you get the baby shit. When you're on track seven, you're like, oh, this is a classic rap album.
Speaker 3:Well, that's the difference, because you're letting your ears dictate what you consider a classic versus like we talk about classic moments. With this Kendrick thing, the moment he's having the hope, the full year that he's having, is pretty much unprecedented as far as a year that any rappers has.
Speaker 1:So you're going to listen to the music.
Speaker 3:It is right, you want to listen to the music with a different ear because you're like how can this album not be classic, how can it not be the biggest thing I've heard you know this year because of, like, at the clip that he's operating at? So I think hearing the instant classic when you're not, don't have any expectations or whatever, is more organic than a moment surrounding an album being so massive that you kind of like it's a good album.
Speaker 3:But you know what I'm saying? It's a classic because the moment is classic. How can it not be classic?
Speaker 1:No, because here's why Classic albums really change your life. Dnx isn't a life changer. Not like us is a life changer. Good Kid Mad City is a life changer. Pimple Butterfly is a life changer.
Speaker 3:That's how you identify. Do you consider Damn a classic?
Speaker 1:No, because it's not holding up like that. When you go back and listen to the music, I will tell you that I personally do.
Speaker 1:I prefer to listen to Damn over To Pimp a Butterfly, but I mean to be honest with you. My ear tells me that To Pimp a Butterfly Is the superior product by far, just the content alone. Like you want to talk about execution of high level, conscious, thought-provoking content, like yes, it's everything. It's everything that mr morale isn't and it has the cohesion and the delivery that damn lacks, because the records on damn are stadium flow and they're big but they don't connect any dots for you. The stories on sep a Butterfly do connect dots about at least what he's striving to be as an artist, maybe not personally, but what he is striving to be as an artist on To Pimp a Butterfly. He does an excellent job of achieving and nobody can ever take that away from him. It's an excellent piece of work. If you want to talk about giving somebody songwriter of the year type of credits as a rapper, that is an album that deserves those types of accolades, even over this, not Like Us and GNX stuff. Yeah, they dropped the ball at the end. Yeah, they dropped the ball on Butterfly, where he deserves song of the year. Stuff is from the stuff on there Because, as a writer, that is his best performance as a writer. That is his best performance as a writer. Very much. It was written as Nas' best stuff as a writer. As a writer, he's in a special space.
Speaker 1:So where are we going to start? We're going to go through our press play, which is actually guess what. You know, I'm loving this. It's more Kendrick. We're doing a preview of what we think Kendrick's halftime show is going to be like for our press play this week. I'm going to start it off like I always do, so, ag, tell me what you think about my song number one. I have DNA starting off the Super Bowl halftime show.
Speaker 3:I like that pick.
Speaker 1:When I was thinking about songs, I thought about songs that I felt like, since we just picked 10 songs and we don't know how the mashups are going to go, obviously I thought about what would be a good kickoff High energy, high energy People familiar with, because this is damn so. You've already had, you know about eight years of Kendrick and so this is a familiar song, I feel like, to the masses. And so I picked DNA at number one. I got Squabble Up at number two because I think it's a good transition to go from something old to something new and modern and you have to do new stuff to promote the album. And so I picked two records from GNX, and Squabble Up was one of the two records I picked because I felt like it fit with the songs that I was choosing. Third song that I have is actually a mashup. I have a Bitch Don't Kill my Vibe and Money Trees mashup. I think that's just important to his core audience that's going to watch this show. But I also feel like you have to get to those people early so that you don't lose them. If you play too many of the big Kendrick crossover records, you might lose some of that core base, and so you have to play a record like that early to keep your core Kendrick fans in there. Right now I feel like so I have the Bitch. Don't Kill my Vibe. Money Trees mashup.
Speaker 1:Number four I got humble off of Damn. I did realize when I was making this list Damn has the most stadium flow by far. So for people who like to ride around, listen to music, I can see why they love damn so much. Aj, you strike me as one of those people. I can see why you like damn so much.
Speaker 1:I got humble at number four. I got love off of damn. At number five. I think you got to play love. I think it's one of those records, that it's one of his 10 best records, because very rarely are you a big of an artist as Kendrick and a great of a lyricist and storyteller as Kendrick, and a song like this naturally becomes a hit without you planning on it becoming a hit. That speaks to the quality of the record, in my opinion, and I really do think it's one of his 10 best songs and I think this is one of those moments where, as a rapper getting this stage as a solo artist, you need to perform your best songs, or at least a good portion of them. Number six more damn. I got loyalty because I feel like you need to re-honor appearance during the Super Bowl.
Speaker 3:Okay, so is that your first like shocking prediction for a?
Speaker 1:guest. Yeah, Loyalty with Rihanna is a must for me, and here's my thing. I feel like you got to, like you got to handle this carefully because you got to bring SZA out too, and so I felt like, after doing loyalty, he actually needs to go into element. But I want him to go into element because I feel like this is a potential mashup where he says I'm going to do it for Compton and they're going to mash it up and go into Luther with SZA. Okay, so I feel like element is going to go into Luther. You think Luther is Super Bowl worthy? I don't, but I feel like it's the song that you should bring out for SZA, and I feel like you should have SZA and Rihanna here Back to back. That would be crazy. Rihanna and SZA Like think about your pull as a rapper when you got Rihanna and SZA in the bag. Like I mean, you pretty much got two of the top four of the previous and current generation, because you don't have her and Beyonce, but you got Rihanna and SZA.
Speaker 3:That's big, that's big.
Speaker 1:You do have big records with both of them and it's a good way to keep pace of the show as you wind it up. I have Luther going in the swimming pools, okay, and I have swimming pools going in the all right, of course, which I think everybody knows is probably going to be the show finisher. I would like to think much like Usher's year was the show finisher.
Speaker 3:That's a good ten Coop and nice career retrospective, because you pretty much Um yeah, I think that's what.
Speaker 1:I think those songs are trashy, so I would never do that.
Speaker 3:I'm going to be that's what I try to do too, but any other like uh guest appearances. I remember you said that, um, you thought TDE was going to come out at uh one black hippie, I'm sorry you all kind of discouraged me from that thought.
Speaker 1:And then I really did start asking myself, well, what record? Like what? Do they have a symphony type record? No, like that's what I use. Like it's like that clicks and cruise records. It's like, do they have an international players anthem? It's like, nah, they don't. You know, they don't have anything like that. And so unless you're gonna do uh, unless I mean I know kendrick did a lot of the reference track for when unless you're gonna let j-rock come out and do a piece of when and let schoolboy come out do a piece of collard greens, and then it becomes that point where you're being funny.
Speaker 1:It's like, well, those are the two biggest records I can think of from that camp outside of kendrick. And then it's like, well, where about the rest of the crew? It's like, what ab soul record you're gonna let ab come out to? It's like inviting the whole crew kind of means inviting the whole crew. Do you have big enough records in that crew for you to do that? And then that brings me to the fact that I realized, man, these guys, to be a crew, really didn't collab like that and kendrick alluded to that on hard part six record.
Speaker 1:So he did. It's like well, you niggas really didn't do records like that together for that to be a thing, and y'all kind of put me onto that and got me to think about it, so I don't think that we're gonna get that okay, okay, fair enough, dope 10, though you ready for mine? Yeah, yeah, let me hear it all right.
Speaker 3:So for number one, um, what I envision for that is, you know, I I thought he would stay away from it, but with all the grammy wins and everything else surrounding it, I think he comes out to not like us. And the reason why I say that I kind of envision you know.
Speaker 1:Right now though, angie I think.
Speaker 3:But but that's what I'm alluding to. I think that he's going to do some interpolation of the record in some capacity.
Speaker 1:I think that I feel like that might be possible. He might be able to play the music live.
Speaker 3:Right, I think that I kind of visioned the stage being like you know what I'm saying. They're waiting for him to come out and then it it drops the I See Dead people and then the beat drops. You know what I'm saying. It comes on and then he raps a few bars before he gets into anything about Drake, the part where he says, say Drake, I heard you like him young. It's a few bars before leading up to that. He might get up to that and then the music cut and transition to something else or just have the band play the melody or something like that.
Speaker 3:I think he comes out to that and I would prefer that be at the top of the show to get it out of the way. Like, okay, we heard the song, let's move on. You know what I mean. So that would be my number one, number two, number two through five. I kind of cheated a little bit because I went back and did my research of the first time he performed at the super bowl with dre and that, um, you know little medley they had. So I kind of used that as a reference point. Um, number two I got mad. Uh. Number two I got mad city, you know say yo, that's a thing.
Speaker 1:I had that my list. That was the song that didn't make my list.
Speaker 3:Mad City is a huge banger he came out.
Speaker 1:that was his opener to his segment of the Super Bowl last time that might be the best song on Good Kid Mad City too. Ag.
Speaker 3:I'm not mad at that, it's my second favorite. My favorite is Backseat Freestyle, but this is my second favorite.
Speaker 1:Real is my favorite, but this might be my second favorite too.
Speaker 3:But yeah, that's what he came out to last time. And then he transitioned to All Right. All Right is arguably his biggest record. All Right is getting played again. Yeah, it's definitely getting played. And then he transitioned from All Right to what I have as number four is Humble and then number five, dna. Those two records off damn real high energy. I don't think it's any way that those two records don't get played. So I cheated a little bit for my 10, because that was the sequence of runoff from Mad City All Right, humble and DNA. What he did on the last Super Bowl.
Speaker 1:What about Mad City? I'd love it if he'd bring MC8 out.
Speaker 3:Oh, that would be crazy, then number six is going to throw you for a curveball. I got N95. Like I said Actually, no, ag, that didn't.
Speaker 1:That was the one song from Mr Morrell that I thought about putting on my list, because I had to give it some consideration, because I realized that this is a political game and he needs to get screaming numbers from all his albums and so there might be some project. I just have to be consistent with how trashy and assy that album is.
Speaker 3:It's trashy and but I love the record because it's high energy and I think that it would fit good in the set list and, like I said, I'm trying to do a whole career retrospective because you got to think like him. A lot of eyes and ears are going to be tapped into him that normally are not, so you don't want to point everybody to the rest of your catalog without pointing them to that album as well, is what I'm saying, ag you know what Mr Morale is.
Speaker 1:It's like a girl with a BBL. It's all right, but it's not real.
Speaker 3:Next Number seven. I think it would be a hell of a transition going from N95 to TV Off. That's what I got at my number seven. I don't like TV Off, but okay, it's a huge record for everything. It's so appropriate for the moment.
Speaker 1:It is. It's just the record where everything is so appropriate for the moment it is. It's just the beat tail is too similar to the other stuff, but I hear you.
Speaker 3:And all those thousands of people yelling out mustard would probably be crazy. But you know, at any rate, I think that's a big stadium sounding record Number eight, and this is going to flip the script a little bit From TV Off, I think, you go into squabble up and you change your mind. On the TDE thing, on the um, on the black hippie thing. Me, on the other hand, I kind of thought about what you said and I don't think they perform a record. But I think this is the record where he says well, let me let the crew get some love and get on stage. You know, you know, like Nas had everybody in the booth from Queensbridge on Represent.
Speaker 3:I think this is that moment where he brings a lot of the West Coast on stage, similar to what they did on the pop-up show with Not Like Us. I think everybody comes out to squabble up and hits the stage with them. So, tde, black Hippie, they don't get mic time, but they get to share the stage, but they get stage time. Okay, alright, number nine this is SZA's entrance. All the stars Up until this point.
Speaker 1:I think Off the Black.
Speaker 3:Panther soundtrack. I think up until this point everything else is just kind of like a medley, I think you need more GNX.
Speaker 1:That's why I didn't put all the stars. All the stars was on my outside with Good Kid Mad City.
Speaker 3:Right, but I think this is more appropriate than Luther, because you're at Super Bowl, all the stars. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 1:It is I'm thinking about running up the numbers for G and X, though, but I hear what you're saying.
Speaker 3:I got you.
Speaker 1:And all the stars is the better record in my opinion, you only get 13 minutes, I think.
Speaker 3:These other songs prior to all the stars get played in a medley and all the stars perform. It gets performed in its entirety, since it gets the burn. And then, you know, kendrick goes through all the verses and that's the, you know, big record of the night. And then, for the close, I think, I think loyalty and all right, or that?
Speaker 3:but that's fair. Um, and for the closer this is just fan fiction for me. I would like to see it happen, but I would like to see the closer be man at the garden and I tweeted a long time ago I'd like to see him. You know what I'm saying. Do a mashup of man at the garden and one mic and bring Nas on the stage. I doubt that will happen, but it would be dope to see. But yeah, that's my closer man at the garden. I think it is appropriate.
Speaker 1:I like that you took some chances with your list, aj, yeah, I like that. Yeah, yeah, that was an interesting list. I really enjoyed that. I mean, if Sean's not going to jump in, we're just going to cover a couple of small notes before we slide out of here. Unfortunately I'm sure everybody knows this already Irv Gotti has passed at the age of 54, ag Sad news.
Speaker 3:Rest in peace.
Speaker 1:Now I know it's real because Russell Simmons finally said something. Now I know it's real because Russell Simmons finally said something. We're losing another one of our brothers, way too young in this community. They are poisoning us. Do you know the number one thing that I've been talking?
Speaker 3:about in the five years that I've been doing podcasts AG Mental and physical health.
Speaker 1:Mental and physical health. Mental and physical health. The health of the men and women in this business and how the demise of them comes all too soon. 54 AG 54 years old, he is already gone.
Speaker 1:The things that this business does to you and indoctrinates into your lifestyle the poor sleeping habits, the, the poor eating habits, the drug and alcohol addictions, the women, the lack of physical fitness and care. It is a problem that needs to be addressed. It needs to be addressed by our community as a whole, but by the hip hop community specifically. We are losing this man too soon and I am tired of saying that we are losing these legends, these icons, these contributors to the game too soon. I'm not trying to be funny when I'm saying this. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' ass are still walking around. This motherfucker, after all the cocaine and drugs and women. Something is really, really wrong about not only what's being done to us understand the nature of the threat, but what we are doing to ourselves. We need to stop, look, reflect and start making the appropriate changes. I am tired of having this conversation on Hip hop podcast about having to remember somebody, but quite frankly, I feel like should be here another 20 or 30 years.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they said he was making better health after his first uh, after his first stroke he was making better health decisions and stuff, but then it's tougher. The second one. You know it's tough, but her has had a lot of contributions to hip hop like if you're a big time DMX fan. Irv is instrumental in DMX's career. If you're a big time.
Speaker 2:Jay.
Speaker 3:Z fan. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. Majorly instrumental in Jay Z's early you know beginnings, ja Rule, you know the whole Murder Inc bringing.
Speaker 1:Def Jam had two legendary runs Irv is the main man responsible for the second legendary run, because he's the man that is responsible for putting Jay-Z, Ja Rule and DMX in the Def Jam building more than anybody else. If Def Jam is the greatest rap label that ever existed, which by most estimations and evaluations over a course of time has proven to be, he's just as instrumental as anybody that ever walked through the door, Because the numbers that Ja Rule, DMX and Jay did, oh ain't. Never one guy bought three people into the door. No rap label, Nowhere that I did numbers like that.
Speaker 3:That's what.
Speaker 1:I mean about losing him too soon, because what gets lost in the fodder of 50 being petty and of Ja Rule, losing this battle of 50 and the Murder Inc. Heist and being involved with Supreme and all this is his contributions to hip hop. This is somebody that started off carrying crates for DJs in the neighborhood. His beginnings are humble.
Speaker 3:And now he got production classics to his name. Can I Live is a top 5 J track for me, and it's produced by her.
Speaker 1:It's easy, it's the moment on reasonable doubt, like if you ask people what reasonable doubt is about can I live? Is the record that you play?
Speaker 3:right and I and I also credit her with bringing something to the forefront that was right in front of our face before, like during that era where Murder Ink was thriving. Prior to that, a lot of our biggest records were R&B and rap collabs. You know what I mean. But he decided to go out, get the talent that's Ashanti, bring her in-house and you just got hits being churned out by Ja Rule and Ashanti with that R&B and rap formula that we knew and loved before that, but nobody did that within their same camp. If that makes sense.
Speaker 1:This is what's crazy about it. Irv's a street dude, yeah, even.
Speaker 3:Bad Boy Like you know Big Widow and Total Records and 112.
Speaker 1:He flipped his formula. No, no, his shit is. Can I live and get at me, dog, like the records him and jaw was doing? That's what I mean. Like that's one of, actually one of, the more tougher feats in hip-hop history. The way john earth flipped the game. Them ain't the type of records and dudes like to make. Right, they did that. They did that because they seen where the paper was at. They peeped the weakness in the rap game and sold it. To quote Tupac on Hail Mary, they peeped the weakness in the rap game and sold it. Irv was great at that in his time. He's the one that took Lior Cohen to DMX while DMX was sitting in a hospital bed with his jaw wired shut because some niggas he had robbed had jumped him and fucked him up. When people tell the story about DMX rapping with the wire through his jaw, they forget about how Lee they forget how the fuck Lee or Cohen got up there.
Speaker 1:You know how Lee or Cohen got up there. Irv Gotti is how Lee or Cohen got up there to see DMX. You get what I'm saying. That's why, like when you lose guys like this so soon and so fast the way the news cycle works they don't have time to become legend and reach icon status fast enough for us to really revere them. This is what happens when you die young. Yeah, it's a rest. When you die young, yeah.
Speaker 3:It's rest in peace to Earth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, rest in peace to Earth. I don't know. Yeah, I think we're good. I think Sean had to dip out, but rest in peace to Earth, gotti. Appreciate everybody for pulling up the Hip Hop Talks tonight. We got more coming. We'll be staying current and staying brand new. My new show, unwrapped, is coming soon. Shout out to Andrew Mirror Music. Shout out to Sean Behind the Scenes. Shout out to Hip Hop Talks. Make sure you click like, subscribe, share Almost 2K.
Speaker 1:AG. Any parting words? Or shout out yeah, yeah, go ahead and get us to 2K. Yeah, almost AG. Any parting words of Shabby? Yeah, yeah, go ahead and get us to 2k. Yeah, almost 2k. One more super chat before we get out of here. This is actually a good way to leave Michael Williams with the $5 Super chat. Is Daytona better Than magic? Two of the best projects under 30 minutes.
Speaker 3:I think it's a photo Finish like I think that's A tough one Bias, but that's, that's a tough, that's a tough match.
Speaker 1:You know, what I love is like what I say, like post the original nas prime. Pusha t is my favorite mc and when I did my 40 and older mcs, nas came out at one on my criteria and pusha t came out on number two, which made me smile. I'm like you. This is a photo finished to me, and so what I will tell you is is that it is actually the last couple of tracks on magic that put it over the edge. It's the truth.
Speaker 3:It's the closeout record.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, dedicated in the truth, like actually close the deal, because if you actually go record for record it's like, oh no, it's hard, but you get two bonus ones on magic you know it's, it's, it's, it's, it's literally neck and neck. I think the truth is the separator, because the truth is the best bar seminar between both projects, even though the projects are close and so I'll say we're talking about the mic performances.
Speaker 3:The production is real close as well between Kanye and Hit-Boy.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, I'm talking about all of it.
Speaker 1:The production between Kanye and Hit-Boy is comparable. The mic performance between Pusha and Nas is comparable. I'm going to call the production a draw. I would tell you that I personally would probably prefer to rap over some of those prime Daytona beats. The best Daytona beats to me are better than the best Hit-Boy beats on Magic, but I feel like Magic is more fitting to the artist. Like Hit-Boy did what Nas does well, more than Kanye did what Pusha does well, even though Kanye did an excellent job. It's not to take anything away from Kanye. I just think magic is special like that and I think the bar seminar on the truth on both verses is special like that. That that's the splitting hairs part. But for me, those two records and Alfredo and Victory Lap by Nip yeah, all four of those, that's all in the same pot for me you said how the records end.
Speaker 3:Who do you think came out the gate swinging the hardest? Nas or Pusha?
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying With the intros as much as I love me some Speechless If you Know, you Know is the better record. Hg. You think so. I do, if I'm being objective about it, because If you Know, you Know has more timeless legs and themes and I always give Nas the credit when he does timeless records and themes and the timeless theme to If you Know, you Know is bigger than Speechless.
Speaker 3:Yeah, both of those tracks are real strong.
Speaker 1:And I inherently do think the beat is better. I love the beat, tiff, you know you're not.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the opening bars of both tracks are crazy. The opening bars.
Speaker 1:The bar work by Nas is better, but the record's not.
Speaker 3:Yeah, good question. That was a dope super chat. Appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that was a dope chat. All right, check us out. We got more stuff coming soon. I don't know if you all noticed. We've started air and mirror music on hip hop talks and hip hop talks on mirror music. Look out for the new episodes from mirror music. Look out for new episodes and shorts from hip hop talks. We looking out for unwrapped by coop coming soon. Salute to everybody out there in.