The top 5 reservations a self admitted Hov Stan has about Kingdom Come

I’m as excited as any other Jay-Z worshipper that he’s back, but I’m not heavily anticipating it and here’s why

5) He has no competition – Lil Wayne? His best is as good as Hov’s worst. T.I.? Needs two or three more solid albums to be considered amongst the elite, at the minimum that’s probably another 5 years. Nas (smarten up) is his employee. Jim Jones & Cam are hecklers, and while they have all of the street cred that Jay lost making rap ballads (Change Clothes, Excuse Me Miss, Song Cry) the Dips aren’t big enough to successfully throw rocks at Jigga’s tank. The Clipse would be contenders, except their shitty label won’t put out their highly demanded sophomore release “Hell Hath No Fury” until 3 weeks after Kingdom Come, this is coupled with them only having the respect of internet junkies, hipsters & “real hip-hoppers”. Meanwhile the hood considers them “those niggas who made Grindin”. The inevitable lack of promotion at the hands of those unfair crackers will hurt as well. But I’ll digress, with no one to outdo but himself, he may half ass it (pretty much every guest verse after The Black Album)

“After me there shall be no more”

4) He’s running low on topic material – I used to sell drugs, times were hard coming up in Brooklyn, try me and I’ll kill you, I have more money than your next five generations put together will amass, I’m the best
rapper in the game, I’m lovey-dovey and I treat bitches like ladies now. Your 10th album (counting Blueprint 2 as 2 albums) following a three year hiatus needs to show & prove some type of diversity, unless you’re LL Cool J who stopped caring about his legacy in the mid-late 90s. This ties into my next point.
“What more can I say?”

3) He has nothing left to prove – He’s made big money, he’s (probably) banging the most coveted black woman in America, he’s the chief at the most respected label in rap history. But for some odd reason, he still wants to rap. Anything less than a classic won’t suffice, with this easily being the most anticipated hip-hop LP since The Black Album if not in the history of recorded rap itself. He loves using this Jordan analogy, but Mike came back and the Orlando Magic beat the Bulls in the playoffs. Some would say Jay’s performance as Def Jam’s president is akin to #23 playing Minor League Baseball.

“Nine years later, now you understand us”

2) Is he too big for rap? – A more socially responsible Shawn Carter is knocking on 40’s door, wearing chancletas and saving water in Africa. Gwynneth Paltrow sings backup for him, he’s the partial owner of an NBA franchise, he performed with Paul McCartney at the Grammys, and his songs are loved on a global level (where Dilated Peoples have to travel the globe to survive, Jay-Z plays stadiums worldwide and guarantees a sold out crowd). Are we really supposed to believe this is sincere, rather than an attempt to get Def Jam’s fourth quarter numbers up?

“You can bullshit with rap if you want, muhfuckas”

1) I’m not blown away by the lyrics of the first two songs that have been released – “I am the Mike Jordan of recording, you might wanna fall back from recording” is a far cry from “J-a-y hyphen, controllin’, manipulatin’ I got a good life, man” The lyrics on the title track didn’t make me want to replay it either. He’s always made good songs, but what about the lyrics? For every lethal bar of “Lucifer” (please I’ll leave you in somebody’s cathedral for stuntin’ like Evel Knievel, I’ll let you see where that bright light leads you”) I had to stomach a line like “I was conceived by Gloria Carter and Adenis Reeves who made love under the sycamore tree, which makes me a more sicker MC” I get the Lady Saw reference and the play on words but how did that make him a good mc?

He’s 10 years older than the man who put out Reasonable Doubt, and Nov. 21st will tell the tale of whether or not he still has it. At any rate, it’s better than expecting a miracle from Nas who has been mainly inconsistent since 1998.

(Shortly before publishing this, I heard “Lost Ones” which makes me feel a bit better about this album.)

#4 - Redman - Muddy Waters

The reason I hold this album so dear to my heart is a ruthless dirtbag named Ray Morant. I came home from school one afternoon and the second I laid eyes on him I knew he didnt seem right. He was the contractor hired to work on my house and thanks to him we wound up with no heat or hot water for the winter of 1997. Forced to stay with family and push a laundry cart theough the cold to wash clothes, it was the Muddy Waters tape I survived off of (to the point where the tape popped and broke in my walkman.

Before a 10 minute introduction of dropping bombs, when Funkmaster Flex was overwhelmed by your new record he would just play it over & over & over & over & over & over and then play it four more times that night to let New York know he was feeling you. Redman's "It's Like That" was one of those records he couldnt get enough of. It was hard and it featured the return of K-Solo, so since Flex loved it, I liked it. If memory serves me right "Smoke Buddah" hit airwaves next and was an instant classic with the Rick James "Mary Jane" sample. Before the days of internet leaks you had to wait maybe 5 weeks at the most after a single dropped for the album to hit stores, not this present 3-9 month buzz building campaign the industry is on. My point is I knew I'd be buying this.

While I've never tried marijuana in any form (blunt, brownie, tea etc), this album painted a picture of its culture akin to Straight Outta Compton detailing the rage of black youth. "Iz He 4 Real" put me in a state of euphoria, "Case Closed" was what I believed at the time to be the hardest song ever. Erick Sermon took his funk to new levels with this album, topically 90% of it was 'I'm a dope rapper that smokes weed and likes women.' "Pick It Up" and "Whateva Man" exemplified what this album was about: make your lane, do what comes natural and make it sound great. To this day the humming harmony on "Whateva Man" is one of the most original out of the clear blue things I've ever heard on a hip-hop song. "Do What Ya Feel" can be argued as the best Red & meth collab that took place before their incredible Blackout album (Get you steppin like stairs, frats, sororities/dont make me bring it back I'll fuck up the majority of niggas lookin hard at me/and port em like authority)

Redman was also capable of flipping flows (drop your money in the slot if your block dont got a real representer cocked for action like my block got), switching from hard to smooth ("Da Bump"). Most of all his creativity knows no limits, from skits with radio announcers cursing to a parody of Tyrese singing about Coca-Cola that ends with a bus robbery to the shortening and mispronunciation of celebrity names in his rhymes (Lorenzo Tate, Scott Pippen, Sean Mike, Ed Griffin), and his ongoing Soopaman Luva series - this album's version with what I knew at the time to be the "One Love" sample was considered amongst enthusiasts as the best of his five.

Golden moment after golden moment Muddy Waters was Redman at his finest. Here's to hoping he resurfaces, what with Def Jam forgetting about any "old" artist not named James Todd Smith and all. Comedic genius, weedhead and incredible MC rolled into one package (no pun intended)

# 5 - Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt

When Original Flavor's "Can I Get Open" video came out, each MCs name was shown as they rhymed. In the 7th grade me and this kid named Chris were talking about how "nice" Jaze was (there was no hyphen to my recollection). Fast forward a few years, this DJ Clue tape had a great song called "In My Lifetime" (not the corny remix that I believe was produced by Dame Dash with the Soul II Soul reworking, the hook went "I need to see a whole lot of dough, I need a whole lot of dough...") Then the "Dead Presidents" video came out and "Aint No Nigga" hit radio airwaves, both becoming instant classics in their respective underground and mainstream fields. Funkmaster Flex played "Aint No Nigga" like Suge Knight held his life in the balance. "Brooklyn's Finest" would surface a few weeks before the album dropped, a collaboration with hip-hop's reigning champ at the time Notorious B.I.G. That made for three scorchers in a row. Who knew Shawn Corey Carter would go on to become the G.O.A.T.? (It's not even debatable, 8 albums in 8 years, had more influence than anyone else, made household names out of numerous producers amongst other reasons)

This album had to be for striving Brooklyn youth what Illmatic was for kids in Queens who saw no escape from disenfranchised living. It's the audio personification of what I understand the borough to be, tough confident and slick on one hand yet sophisticated on the other. Every song had Jay-Z rapping street life amazingly in a way that hadn't been done before. It's like if Lil' Fame went to charm school, coming out refined while retaining the thug streak within. In one package he was a gangster, gentleman and a baller at the time called a "Big Willie" (but his game was grown and he preferred to go by William) "Feelin' It" "Cant Knock The Hustle" and "Politics As Usual" were as smooth as "D'Evils" was sinister. "Can I Live" and "Friend or Foe" (he held a whole conversation while being the only one to talk!) captured both worlds and made it look easy to do so. The moment I hold most dear to my heart is "22 Twos", a simulated live show where he not only displays how lyrically clever he is but me pays homage to "Can I Kick It?" exclaiming "Yall mufuckas must aint hear that Tribe Called Quest shit, let's do it again"

Reasonable Doubt took a lot of shine off of Nas, dopping the same summer as "It Was Written", and surely had Biggie on his toes a few months before his untimely demise. Jay-Z was free to do him, before feeling the pressure of carrying the throne and having to go mainstream. Premier & Ski laid down tracks that many say define Hov at his finest. Sadly it wasn't really appreciated "until the second one came out."

# 6 - Common Sense - Resurrection
The first time I saw the video for "I Used To Love H.E.R." (back when Rap City was worth watching), like anyone else I was in awe at the conclusion. I had to listen closer the next time it came on. When the title song came out as a video he was 2 for 2, but my funds were still too slim to purchase the album. Summer 1998, a female I began courting had good tastes in music and she heavily recommended this album.

Insane wordplay all throughout, plus it was the first grown man hip-hop lp I heard with songs like "Thisisme", "Nuthin To Do", and "Book Of Life." He matured in a major way from the squeaky voiced misogynistic alcoholic that made "Can I Borrow A Dollar?" I believe it had to have some kind of an influence on "Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star", with Kweli admitting to Com being his favorite MC in that album's liner notes. In addition was a further continuation of the jazz rap subculture popularized by A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets amongst others, with No I.D. delivering stellar work behind the boards.

This was the album most fans would hold his future work up to. He's never released a weak lp since 94 (yes Im including "Electric Circus"), but this album was special because he started to take himself serious just entering adulthood.

# 7 - Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

I remember Funkmaster Flex world premiering “Glaciers of Ice” in the spring of 1995, coming to school Monday and talking about it. The “Criminology” video was the illest thing in the world, I didn’t understand what Ghost was talking about but it sounded great. I bought the purple tape the day it came out, at (Nobody Beats) The Wiz if memory serves me right. “Knuckleheadz” made me think U-God had it.

Raekwon could spit nearly anything and it would sound ill. It took maybe 8 years for me to grasp “you got guns, got guns too/What up sun doo? Wanna battle for cash and see who sons who?” FOR REAL IT’S JUST SLANG RAP DEMOCRACY, HERE’S THE POLICY SLIDE OFF THE RINGS PLUS THE WALLABEES

“Rainy Dayz” has to be one of my top 10 rap songs ever

“Guillotine” and “Wu-Gambinos” are amongst the crew’s best posse cuts

Everyone swears and lives by Nas’ verse on “Verbal Intercourse”, not to take away anything from it but that song is about Ghost for me (infirmary niggas is screamin I GOT SHOOK). Really he’s the secret weapon of the album, Starks’ contribution to this masterpiece has gone greatly underappreciated over the years.

This is the album they worked all of their lives to make, let’s hope the forthcoming sequel is nearly as good as the Chef is hyping it up to be.

peace Connecticut

# 8 - Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night

The author has witnessed drug snorting on stage and has heard the gay rumors. All of that aside, this is a hip-hop blaxploitation masterpiece. Ski of Original Flavor/early Rocafella fame produced most if not all of this LP. Every song has it's own personality that they bring to life from lavish (Luchini), to dark (Killin' Em Softly) to hard hitting (Krystal Karrington & Swing), and smooth (Coolie High & Sparklin). Much like Ghostface, their jibberish sounds indecipherable but they come across as fully understanding what they're rapping about. Diamond heists, adventures, women, and 70's black cinema references over all types of hitting production makes for a personal classic.

#9 - MC Paul Barman - Paullelujah

By far the most creative hip-hop album I’ve ever heard (De La Soul is Dead aside) Excellent beats, hilarious rhymes that simultaneously educate and entertain. Storytelling, various voices, spoken word pieces, you name it he does it. Flow and voice aren’t issues to be concerned with in listening to this album, just have fun, catch what you can and love it the 11th time you play it. He rhymed a palindrome of rappers names. (Eve Mika Rza Evil JD Nasir is Osiris and j live AZ, Rakim Cormega, Cage, Mr. O.C), he fantasizes about female celebrities rhyming their names with sex acts, he sings his samples after speaking on the women’s abortion choice issue. He made a whole song about burping and flatulence. Im on a crusade to spread his name online because none of my friends would be openminded enough to check for him. His long overdue followup presently titled “Tears of Joy” needs to be released for the sake of keeping hip-hop interesting. Check this album out, I dare you not to have the time of your life.

#10 - Little Brother - The Listening

This album came at a time when hip-hop needed something fresh. The first time I heard "Whatever You Say" at thejawn.com (RIP), I practically lost my mind. Most people were so impressed by Phonte that they slept on Big Pooh who showed his ass (in a good way) on their follow-up "The Minstrel Show". 9th Wonder's production made his name one to be closely watched. The stutter drums (AND THE BEAT) on "For You", "Speed" which most everyday people can relate to, the neck snapping knock of "Shorty on The Lookout", Tay G Rap on "So Fabolous" (his voice cracking doing doug e. fresh with "the lyrics on *tracks* that im spittin"), "Nobody But You" on the love tip without coming off as corny. "Nighttime Maneuvers" and the title track. Too many great moments, Im glad they're still around. Their stage show is 2nd to The Roots, Check for the DJ Drama "Separate But Equal" dropping soon.

My top 10 Hip-Hop albums of all time

I dont feel these are the best 10 of all time, they are just my favorites. Whether they hold personal meaning or I just simply love them, they are my picks. This isnt up for debate because it boils down to personal choice. The lot of them arent much older than the past decade, sorry if you have some other standard or time frame that you love.

Honorable Mentions:
LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star
Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
Main Source - Breakin Atoms
Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
Gang Starr - Moment of Truth
De La Soul is Dead
Clipse - Lord Willin

Welcome To Loud Minority b/w Divine Sheba - That's My Word

Loud Minority Music is a collective of some of the most talented rappers currently doing it. The Lessondary consists of the Loud Minority and Loosie families coming together to form as one. Tanya Morgan (Von Pea, Donwill, Ilyas), Jermiside, Che Grand, Spec Boogie, jazz songstress Nonameko, Elucid, and A Brother Named George have come together to save music from it's current stagnant state. For this project they have taken Jay Dee's Welcome to Detroit instrumentals and made magic. This is music far beyond most of what's being offered nowadays and these arent even household name yet. Pick up Che Grand's "Official Bootleg Import" EP on Itunes and other online retailers, be on the lookout for Tanya Morgan's "Moonlighting", Spec Boogie's "Brass Knuckle Rap Hustle" and keep your ears open for whatever members of this crew have to offer. http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BQOCB6HP

For more http://www.loudminoritymusic.com/


Divine Sheba - That's My Word. This is an oldie but goodie. A while back through mutual friends I was introduced to this song. Killer lyrics, killer flow, good beat.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IMMD3PQ5

For more http://www.myspace.com/shamecca26

The Treacherous Three - Live Show in Harlem, 1982

Old school pioneers, their most notable member was Kool Moe Dee who is his own biggest fan.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2OOMY896

The Greatest Skit of All Time - Parisha vs. Cons Better than Ghostface and Woodrow the crackhead, better than anything you heard on a De La album, better than anything. Consequence (great when he wants to be, mediocre at other times), a judge, drug addicts, and a grand finale. Listen all the way through. This is the kind of material you can only record in a studio where you aren't being charged.

www.megaupload.com/?d=0K62AD82

Edan - A white boy who is keeping hip-hop alive

Reading these words wont do him justice if you havent heard him before. Years ago, an associate who goes by squeeg (on the message board from which you were likely linked to this) had a bizarre song called "Lets Be Friends" as his sig. Trusting his word on what's worth a listen, I did the knowledge and was blown away. MC, DJ, and producer extraordinaire Edan Portnoy loves and appreciates hip-hop more than the vast majority of people doing it today. Lyrics are on point from serious to humorous to creatively out of this world. He puts his all into the production as well, generally paying homage to the old school but he combined this with the influences of psychedelia and other forms of 60s rock to put out my personal album of the year in "Beauty and The Beat". It took him three years to do and clocking in just over 30 minutes long, it musically has little to no peer in 2005. Here are two of his older gems "Run That Shit" which is like a b-boy tribute to NWA when they became parodies of themselves and "Clinical Rhymes" featuring Skillz Ferguson, demonstrating just how serious he takes the culture. He's one of two white mcs I feel are saving the underground from complete mediocrity. The other I will discuss in the coming weeks. Read up on more about why you should be praising Edan at http://www.humblemagnificent.com

"Run That Shit" - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VMFPJD0T


"Clinical Rhymes" - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3ZT8YMXO

Re-Up Gang - We Got It For Cheap



www.megaupload.com/?d=A455090P - We Got It For Cheap Volume 1
www.megaupload.com/?d=8VSCK90Y - We Got It For Cheap Volume 2

Mixtape series of the year, the Clipse make their long awaited return to rap after their timeless debut "Lord Willin" amd label drama while fans awaited their followup "Hell Hath No Fury." They have restored my faith in street hip-hop, primarily rapping great about drug dealing and flossing over beats that are familiar and some that are original. The Re-Up Gang includes Philly champions Sandman and Ab-Liva who is the most improved MC I've ever heard from his Major Figgaz "Yeah That's Us" days. Occasionally Skateboard P aka Pharrell shows up and he's also a damn good rapper once you get past his awkward flow. On any given song one of the four can walk away with the best verse, swagger has been redefined.

Fearless Four - Rockin It

http://rapidshare.de/files/6411631/Fearless_Four-_Rockin_It.mp3.html

This is the definition of what hip-hop was about at the start and what it still should be about to this day, making the crowd move and having fun. Chants, no egomaniacal rants about killing, rampant materialism and vulgar rhymes about women. Im not overly opposed to those topics, but an excess tends to kill one's spirit.

Camp Lo - Killin Em Softly
http://rapidshare.de/files/6273689/Camp_Lo_-_Killin__Em_Softly.mp3.html

This flamboyant Bronx duo's debut, Uptown Saturday Night is in my top 10 (favorite not best) hip-hop albums of all time. They talked about violence and sex but brought creativity telling stories about capers and flipping slang like a pimped out Ghostface and Raekwon. Sonny Chiba had the voice, Geechi Suede had the lyrics. Ski's production (Original Flavor, Reasonable Doubt) on this album is highly underrated.

Pacewon - I Declare War
http://s42.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3TQWAZJX2F7U81F0D493LRH1XG

This is a short but sweet classic that made Pacewon a name to be revered. A member of the Outsidaz from New Jersey, millions heard him on the Fugees' "Cowboys" from The Score and Im sure only a small fraction of those millions remember him. He's kept his name thriving on the underground with a few lps released and reportedly he's done an album with Madlib which may never see the light of day.

Company Flow - Patriotism

http://s39.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0KN3GBFJAJICF1UGH0EEP4SIWF

El-P's finest moment to date. I'm not overly emphatic about his music but this was undeniable. From Soundbombing 2, worth any late 90s purist's weight in gold.

Nobody - Starttherecordover
s37.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0T6615US3V36I3RBW7L0D9QYHY

One of 2005's best kept secrets. The flow by him and another nobody is off the charts, the guitar beat is insane. Hunt, seek and destroy to get a copy of "What Album?"

Jeru The Damaja - Cant Stop The Prophet (Pete Rock Remix)

s46.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=07AFR24NZWX632TO4147DFB53Y

This is a producer in the zone, those drums employ what's commonly known as knock. If Pete had a point to prove attempting to follow after DJ Premier (who did the original), he did his job well. The beatboxing/"oh my god!" sample from Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's "The Show" doesnt really belong, but it fits perfectly.