The Hip-Hop Herald 09.10.09: F*** Jay-Z!

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 09.10.2009

This week, T-Pain says what he thinks of Jay-Z and brings auto-tune to the iPhone, VH1 celebrate 25 years of Def Jam, Kanye West and Soulja Boy working on each other's albums and Saigon has words for Joe Budden and Slaughterhouse!

The countdown continues! In just 16 days I'll be catching a plane to Singapore and hopefully NOT being left behind in the airport by my friends! Who actually would do that for a laugh, but at least they'd come back to get me.

Anyway I'm still psyched as hell for the trip AND September is turning out to be an UNBELIEVABLE month for hip-hop! First Jay and Raekwon, M.O.P. and Kid Cudi next week not to mention the Pun collection supposedly coming out and Ghost's R&B influenced album is set for release on the 29th.

But onto the News.

The News

Top Story

T-Pain Attacks Jay-Z



Jay-Z's "D.O.A." has raised the ire of T-Pain and has now supposedly said, "F**k Jay-Z" according to Fabolous.

"Yo I'm at Rehab (a club) in Vegas…T-Pain is DJ'ing…Sayin F**k Jay-Z, he old, blah blah... guess its backlash from D.O.A," Fabolous said on his Twitter account.

As you know, T-Pain heavily relies on the Auto-tune technology, which was the topic of "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune)."

Fab continued to tell what he was doing an also offered his opinion of T-Pain's shot at Jay-Z.

"So I'm here wit Rihanna, @richyungamerica, & @paulcainsf... Drinkin some strawberry/daiquiri's... Not feelin the T-Pain Jay-Z dissing... Brooklyn!"

Ironically, the person that DJ'd after T-Pain immediately started to play "D.O.A." and then a full set of Jay-Z songs, Fab revealed. Fab said that T-Pain was still in the club during the Jay-Z set. This is the first time that T-Pain has expressed this level of disenchantment with Jay-Z. Earlier this summer T-Pain joined Jay-Z on the stage during Hot 97's summer.

He seemed pleased with the recognition in an earlier interview with MTV:

"That affected me in a great way, man. I made sure I honored him as a great song writer...that's like the best song i heard in a couple years, man. And it's great that somebody that important stepped up and vouched for me."

In a recent interview with Cipha Sounds & Paul Rosenberg on New York's Hot 97 station, when asked about the T-Pain allegations, Jay simply replied "I hope he had fun saying it."

In the brief snippet Jay also mentions choosing to not discuss Dame Dash and "haters" in general.

"When you hear people's gripe against me, it's always about what I didn't do for them. They never say what I did to them, it's always what I didn't do for them."

Jay brings up an interesting point though in that people are often criticizing him for his tenure as Def Jam head, the Roc-A-Fella problems with Dash but rarely do they praise him for what he DID do. This of course, brings up the thought that maybe he didn't really do ANYTHING for anyone else, but I seriously doubt that. It does seem that the list of people unhappy with Jay is growing.

Interviewed on Wednesday on the Ed Lover Morning Show, Jay-Z reacted to the reports and subsequently leaked video of T-Pain's diatribe. Jay seemed to wave off any lyrical confrontation with the Jive Records platinum star.

"I made it very clear I wasn't talking about him," Jay-Z said. "I think he's talented, I don't think he need Auto-Tune to sell records but if that's his prerogative. 'D.O.A.' was just for the conversation."

Jay later added that he still represents the culture, "Even still with all these guys running around...I still represent Hip Hop...I represent the culture. When I have conversation with Oprah or Bill Maher, represent the culture."

This looks like a case of T-Pain trying to vent his frustrations in what he maybe thought was a fairly controlled environment, but could well be T-Pain drunk and unable to control himself.

The stupid thing is that if Jay isn't talking about T-Pain, WHO IS HE TALKING ABOUT? It's not Kanye because you know, it's Kanye and Jay. It's probably not Snoop Dogg considering he only used it for one song. It's not Lil Wayne because he and Jay are the best of friends now or not, I'm not bothering to keep track of the Wayne/Jay relationship to be honest. So that leaves…Ron Browz? We're making anti-Ron Browz songs now? Seriously, if Jay was going to go in on auto-tune, he should have gone hard and called people out directly.

In other news, Jay-Z will embark on a 21-date tour to support The Blueprint 3, which hit stores on Tuesday. Jay-Z will kick off the tour in the United States at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, before heading to Canada for dates in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Kelowna.
He will return to the United States for more dates in Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island and Texas, where the tour will conclude in Austin, on November 22.

"Run This Town" debuted at the top of the U.K. singles chart on Monday and is Jay-Z's first Number 1 single in the U.K. Jay-Z's album The Blueprint 3 is expected to top the U.S. album charts next week as well. If Jay-Z hits Number 1 with the release of The Blueprint 3, he will have released more Number 1 one albums than Elvis Presley as they are currently tied for second, with ten Number 1 albums. The Beatles currently hold the top title with 19 Number 1 albums.

You know Jay doesn't actually have a Number 1 single on the Hot 100 of his own in the United States according to Wikipedia. He's been featured on "Heartbreaker" with Mariah, "Crazy In Love" with Beyonce and of course, "Umbrella" with Rihanna which all reached Number 1 on the Hot 100, but has not had a solo track, or a track off his own albums reach that pinnacle yet.

T-Pain Bringing Auto-Tune To iPhone



In other T-Pain news, T-Pain will be bringing the auto-tune to the iPhone via a partnership with Antares Audio Technologies. Dubbed "I Am T-Pain," the phone app will give the user the full capabilities of the Auto-Tune technology and with it, fans can record their own versions of T-Pain hits like "Bartender," "Dream Girl," and "I'm Sprung."

WOW JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO! On my list of "Things I want to do before I die" this is just before "Shoot myself in the foot with a rusty nail and develop serious lockjaw" and behind "Donate money to the inventor of Twitter". Seriously though, I can see this being good for a laugh, but do we REALLY need to give people access to auto-tune technology? Can you imagine all the damn YouTube videos that are going to pop up? It's bad enough some of the versions of famous songs you see on YouTube without now adding morbidly painful versions of T-Pain tracks.

With Auto-Tune still immensely popular among artists, Antares marketing VP Marco Alpert argued that Jay-Z's "Death of Auto-Tune" proclamation was premature, and failed to factor in how the tool has solidified itself in this generation's music consciousness.

"It's been great working with all of the incredibly talented people at Smule, and with T-Pain and Nappy Boy Enterprises to bring I Am T-Pain to the iPhone," Alpert said. "T-Pain's hugely successful use of the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect has made it one of the signature vocal sounds of our time, so it's especially gratifying to be able to make the authentic T-Pain experience available to anyone with an iPhone. Maybe not so dead after all, huh?"

Idiot. Jay wasn't saying the technology was dead, he was saying IT NEEDS TO BE DEAD. IT NEEDS TO DIE A PAINFUL AND HORRIBLE FIERY DEATH AND NOT EVER RETURN TO HIP-HOP!

At press time, T-Pain is finishing up work on his fourth album UBER, the follow-up to his 2008 album, Thr33 Ringz. The "I Am T-Pain" app is available now for purchase at the iTunes iPhone App Store.

If anyone decides to buy it, please let us know how amusing it is and exactly how long it took you before you tried to punch a wall.

Max B. Sentenced To Jail



Max B. was sentenced to 75 years in prison on September 3 for his role in a botched robbery that led to a double murder in a Fort Lee, New Jersey hotel. Max B. appeared in a Hackensack, New Jersey court today with co-defendant Kevin Leerdam. Max B. and Leerdam were convicted on charges of felony murder, kidnapping and armed robbery for planning and robbing Allan Plowden and David Taylor at a Holiday Inn in September of 2006. Taylor was shot and killed during the robbery, which was planned with Max B.'s ex-girl friend Gina Conway, who testified against the pair during their June trial.

Max B. was not happy with the situation and fired his attorney Gerald Saluti, just before the 75-year sentenced was handed down. Leerdam received a life sentence, plus 35 years for his role in the murder, while Conway is facing an 18-year sentence today.

Wow 75 years, guess that's the last we'll be hearing from Max B. for a while. I suppose Dipset really will have to look for a new hook writer since there's little chance for reconciliation now.

Jin To Make Christian Rap



Former battle rap champ Jin is making his way back into the spotlight as a Christian rapper signed to Universal Hong Kong. Now a born again Christian residing in Hong Kong, Jin has changed the content of his music, but still manages to showcase his lyrical prowess. Recently Jin released a new track titled "Welcome to the Light Club".

Here is an excerpt from the track:

"I got a session booked for 7 and it's 6:35 / so I got 25 minutes to conjure up this rhyme / it's been a long time right stepped away from the limelight / but the breaks over Holy Spirit takeover / they say the truth will set you free if you so believe / Jesus is the truth with Him freedom can be achieved"

I was wondering a few months ago what Jin was up to, guess we know now.

Via his ayojin.com webpage, Jin chronicles his adventures in this new lifestyle and he describes one trip by saying, "Did a quick performance, gave a testimony and just enjoyed God's presence."

Jin initially gained his popularity as the "Freestyle Friday Champ" on BET's 106 and Park, then went on to sign with the Ruff Ryders. In 2004, Jin released his debut album, The Rest Is History, which featured the lead single "Learn Chinese." He also made his acting debut in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

So long as the album isn't more Christian rap than it is regular battle-rap style tracks we know him for, I'd give it a go. It's when you drop to the other end of the scale where every single song is littered with religious references I find it to be a bit much.

VH1 To Celebrate Def Jam

This year's VH1 Hip-Hop Honors show is poised to be the biggest, as the event will celebrate Def Jam's 25th anniversary. Actor Tracy Morgan is returning for hosting duties, and the ceremony will focus on the label's influential founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. Also, their crucial supporting cast over the years in Kevin Liles, Lyor Cohen, Julie Greenwald, Antonio "L.A." Reid and Jay-Z will be highlighted.

The performers were carefully selected to represent Def Jam's past and present rosters, along with artists that were influenced by the seminal brand.
The current performance list includes Eminem, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Ludacris, DMX, Mary J. Blige, Redman, The Roots, Method Man, ONYX, Public Enemy, Warren G, Kid Rock, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, Brett Ratner, Trey Songz, Ja Rule, Gym Class Heroes, and Scarface.

No mention of LL Cool J although given his recent criticisms and refusal to resign with the label, I suppose this isn't much of a surprise. It will be interesting to see if they mention The Beastie Boys too as Licensed To Ill was released on Def Jam and is widely considered to be an influential album. I'm also glad to see they've stuck to HIP-HOP artists for the most part and, thus far, resisted the temptation to go with performances from Rihanna, Ne-Yo or The-Dream.

In addition, VH1 has special archival footage and lost interviews that will be showcased throughout the airing. Next Monday September 14, fans can log onto HipHop.VH1.com for exclusive artist profiles, and to discuss the line-up and what selections they'd like to see. The show is scheduled for October 13 at 9PM.

Kanye West And Soulja Boy Working Together



In what may seem like an unlikely pair, Kanye West and Soulja Boy are currently working on producing tracks for each other's upcoming albums. When he's not touring on the "America's Most Wanted Music Festival," Soulja Boy has been working on creating tracks for Kanye's fifth album.

"I'm working on Kanye's next album right now. We working together on production because he makes beats and I make beats," said the 19-year-old rapper to Rap-Up.com. "Right now I'm remixing a couple of records for him."

You don't make beats; you make loops and repeat them for four minutes to make something that bears a vague resemblance to a tune.

Soulja Boy isn't coming away from the arrangement empty-handed, as Kanye is going to produce for him in return, contributing to Soulja Boy's upcoming album, The DeAndre Way. "I'm actually working on [Kanye's] album while he's working on my album."

You know, I think Kanye took the comment that he needed to be a bit more versatile with his beats too seriously. Graduation was a GOOD kind of experimentation with the beats, 808s was at times, quite good, but mostly irritating. But they were still KANYE WEST beats which destroy the best Soulja Boy ‘beat' within an inch of its shelf life.

Last year, Kanye defended Soulja Boy when Ice-T criticized him infamously. "Soulja Boy is fresh as hell and is actually the true meaning of what hip-hop is supposed to be," he blogged at the time. "He came from the 'hood, made his own beats, made up a new saying, new sound, and a new dance with one song. If that ain't hip-hop, then what is?"

Look, I have no problem with Soulja Boy wanting to do his own thing, I am not jealous of his money, but his beats are by far, the worst things I have ever had to listen to in my life and I can safely say that having listened to both his albums 4 times each.

Royce's Street Hop Tracklist Revealed



According to AccessHipHop.com, Royce Da 5'9"s long-awaited solo album Street Hop has a confirmed tracklisting. To be released on his own One Records imprint (and reportedly distributed by E1 Entertainment), this album is to be executive produced by DJ Premier. Guests include Phonte (Little Brother), Busta Rhymes and Bun B, as well as Slaughterhouse and Royce's biological brother Kid Vishis. The album is scheduled for release on October 20, 2009.

1. Gun Harmonizing
2. Count For Nothing
3. Soldier Ft. Kid Vishis
4. Something 2 Ride Ft. Phonte

Love Phonte, love Royce, will most likely love this track if it boasts a Premier beat too.

5. Dinner Time Ft. Busta Rhymes

According to my iTunes, Royce and Busta haven't done a track together before so this could be really good.

6. Far Away
7. The Warriors Ft. Slaughterhouse

There was a track of the same name used on Royce's Revival EP that was released a little while back and I think it's safe to assume it's probably going to be the same one. I don't like it when tracks get recycled like this but it WAS quite a good track so it won't be too bad to hear again. Hopefully Royce will change it up a little.

8. A Brief Intermission (Skit)
9. Gimme Money
10. Gangsta Ft. Trick Trick
11. Shake This
12. Mine In Thiz
13. Street Hop

I'm hoping this is produced by Premier and is along the same lines as "Boom". I will be EXTREMELY happy if this is the case.

14. Thing For Your Girlfriend (Hoe Jack) Ft. Kay Young

Bah…not to keen on this one.

15. Bad Boy Ft. Jungle Rock Jr.
16. Take You There Ft. Melanie Rutherford
17. Part Of Me
18. Love From The Hood Ft. Bun B & Joell Ortiz

Looks like we've got another quality release for 2009, thankfully, after I get back from Japan. All I can hope is that Premier is up to his usual excellent standard and Royce is bringing consistent goodness on the mic.

Saigon Has Words For Joe Budden And Slaughterhouse



Saigon recently had some choice words about the physical altercation that occurred between Raekwon's crew and Joe Budden last month.

In an interview with Ms. Drama, Saigon said he felt his lyrical battle with Budden earlier this year was a warning sign of things to come: "I was the first domino that did this to him," he stated.

Continuing, Saigon said, "I was mad that he didn't fight back. After talking about me when I went out like a hero…N****, it was six people. I think I could beat six people, or at least have a fair [one]…aww man."

Uh, think you're getting a little ahead of yourself Sai. Six on One is a pretty hard fight to win unless you're like, I don't know, Freddie Foxxx who is a Legitimately Scary Dude.

In terms of Slaughterhouse, Saigon gave props to the group for showing lyrical prowess on their album, but he also felt their concentration on just words was a costly mistake: "I think they can rap, I just don't think these mother f****** can make records. I don't think there's one song on there that we'll be singing two years from now."

Saigon's Warning Shots 2 is scheduled for release September 29.

There's a severe irony in Saigon saying that. As much as I love Saigon, at least Slaughterhouse got their album out. Budden and Royce have both released more than one album, Joell Ortiz has The Brick Bodega Chronicles and Crooked I did the Hip-Hop Weekly series which required as much time and effort as getting an actual album out.

Tech N9ne Going On Tour

Tech N9ne is planning to hit the road this fall in preparation for his latest album, K.O.D, due out October 27.

Taking his Strange Music crew with him including Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun and Big Scoob for the 42-date schedule, Tech N9ne will also share the stage with Slaughterhouse and Glasses Malone.

The tour will begin October 1 in Omaha, Nebraska, and make its way throughout the country until the last stop November 21 in Independence, Missouri.

Ghostface Reveals More Details On Upcoming Album



Ghostface Killah's been staying busy. Not only is he working hard while promoting his latest project Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, but he's also working on a new joint project with longtime friends, business associates and group mates Raekwon and Method Man.

"Yeah, [The Wizard of Poetry] album is older. It's mature. So, it's adult situations on it and stuff like that. Some shit that a n**** can go through. On this album right here, I focus a lot on women. I just threw my dart at women and other types of situations, too," he said, citing somewhat of a theme that fans can expect to hear from his latest offering. But, he also added that it is only the first of many "mature" albums to come and that it will usher in the rest of the music.

"As my albums go on, I'll get to the phase where you gotta talk about ‘N****, you f***** up,' talking about the men. Or, it could be 'I miss my kids' or it could be 'Yo, we gotta get our morals together,'" he said. "Yeah, [that will come] as time goes on, but, this album is a mature album. This is the album that sets it off for all that shit."

Those interested in more music from Ghost can be at ease. He let us know that he is currently working on a group project with Method Man and Raekwon, who is also currently promoting his latest Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, which features Ghost on many of its tracks, as expected.

"We gonna do that. Yup! We gonna do that," he said of the Ghostface, Raekwon and Method Man group project, before adding that it isn't completely finished as of yet. "It's not done yet [but it's supposed to be released in the] fourth quarter somewhere, maybe January or something like that, I think."

Well, Rae's certainly gotten on top of his game again and Method Man has been excellent since 4:21 and Ghost is always going to be Ghost (which is outstanding) so expect good things out of this project. Seriously though, this has been a really good year for the Wu so far. The Chamber Music album was great, Blackout! 2 was awesome and even U-God's album was pretty good. Add into this Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II and Ghost's upcoming album and 2009 has been a comeback of sorts for the Clan.

Sales Figures

Trey Songz had an impressive debut this week, coming in at Number 3 with 131,000 copies of Ready sold. Other debuts saw the Insane Clown Posse come in with their first album in 2 years and sold 50,000 copies of Bang! Pow! Boom!. Pitbull had surprisingly low first week sales considering how well the singles have been performing, selling just 41,000 copies this week of Rebelution. Beanie Sigel sold 6,500 copies of Broad Street Bully coming in at Number 77.

Maxwell continues to creep toward Platinum with 30,000 copies sold this week giving him a total of 718,000 for Black Summer's Night. Eminem sold 15,000 copies of Relapse this week, giving him a total of 1,411,000 sold. Slaughterhouse sold another 2,800 copies of their self-titled debut album giving them a total of 31,000 now and rounding out this week's numbers is Lil Wyte with The Bad Influence selling 2,700 copies for a total of 7,600.

Next week of course, will Jay-Z take out the Number 1 spot and overtake Elvis with Number 1 albums? And where will Raekwon land?

The Signoff

That's all for another week, catch you Saturday!