The Hip-Hop Herald 03.18.10: Beg For Mercy Airtime!

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 03.18.2010

This week, Chris Brown begs, Nas talks about the importance of education and the Distant Relatives tracklisting is revealed, Ludacris and Bill O'Reilly have a confrontation, the new Wu-Massacre dramas, information on Kurupt's new album and DMX possibly set for rehab!

If I may go on a gaming related rant for a moment, feel free to skip it if you don't really care.

The gaming industry has seen declining sales what with pirating becoming more and more common place, possibly even more than in the music industry. For example, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was downloaded nearly 4.1 million times in 2009 and it was only released toward the end of the year! I seriously doubt that most hip-hop albums for example are being downloaded 4.1 million times in the space of two months or so. Then again, it could be, but those kinds of stats aren't exactly readily available.

Anyway, the bottom line, the gaming industry is losing money in various forms. One trend that I think could easily take off is reselling games for a much higher price than originally paid. God Of War, the Trilogy Edition comes in a sexy box with the God Of War Collection (1 & 2) in HD as well as God Of War 3 plus a load of other extras, retailing here in Aus for $250.

The problem is, there was only TWO PLACES TO BUY IT FROM. Naturally, both places sold out quite quickly. In fact, on Twitter (yes, I went to a Twitter site…) for EB Games, they announced that they had an additional 42 copies going LIVE for pre-order last Thursday or something at 10am Brisbane time. All 42 copies were gone by 10:04.

Needless to say, demand is very high for this game and if whoever controls the production figures for games had ANY sense in the world, they would plan on releasing more in the near future. I suppose it does in a way, reduce the ‘exclusivity' of the product, but when copies are being sold on eBay with prices STARTING AT (AUS) FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS, does it not make sense to that person to say, "oh hey, look at that, people are reselling it for $150 MORE which is essentially money we aren't getting" and try to stop that by issuing more copies?

Limited runs are fine and all, but when the demand is causing products to be resold BEFORE they have even come out (they come out well, today as you're reading this, tomorrow as I write this) at a 60% HIGHER price, someone should jump in and try and get in on that, because that's money the gaming industry isn't getting.

And I'm not just sour because I haven't managed to secure a copy. Well possibly a little. I'm going to a store first thing tomorrow morning to see if they have floor stock which I don't believe they will and won't bother calling in advance because I'll get the typical "oh we can't answer that question unless we give you an extremely vague answer" response. When the Wii came out, I remember ringing a store to see if they had any and was told a new shipment had come in. I was then told that they couldn't say how many were in the shipment of if they actually had any left but to ‘try and come in to check anyway'. Yeah because I LOVE making pointless 30 minute bus trips in the early hours of the morning to the city.

The News

Top Story

Nas Talks Education And Distant Relatives



Nas was on hand at the Boys and Girls Club's 43rd annual National Keystone Conference in Pittsburgh to drive home the importance of education and leadership. Nas spoke candidly about his personal life, admitting that he never finished high school and regrets the decision despite his years of a success as a musician.

He now plans to obtain the diploma, and urged those present not to make the same mistake.

"The reality of it is, you need to keep educating yourself, and I wish I had stayed in school," Nas explained. "Be your own leader."

It's true, although we should encourage people to chase their dreams; I believe that an education of some sort is important. Not everyone can make an Illmatic or College Dropout so it's good to have something to fall back on!

Nas, along with Ne-Yo and former NBA player Bob Lanier, were brought in by the Keystone Club, a subgroup within the Boys and Girls Club that emphasizes leadership through community service.

The organization's Vice President of Corporate and Partner Relationships, Frank Sanchez, applauded Nas' message for highlighting a desire for education in spite of his financial success and popularity.

I think that's an important thing to stress because honestly, when you look at how much money Nas made in his career, particularly in the earlier days (when albums were selling) if you could make that same amount of money without an education, I'm sure many people would jump at the chance to do so.

To date, the 19-year veteran has a resume that boasts 9 solo LPs; four which are #1 albums, and all certified gold or platinum.

"This is an incredible message, to have someone who succeeded so much in their life, but there is still a void," he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In other news, Nas and Damian Marley's highly anticipated album Distant Relatives will land in stores on Tuesday, May 18th, label representatives confirmed on March 16.

The concept album traces Hip-Hop's roots in Africa and how it was transported to the American colonies and the Caribbean during slavery, until it was finally exported to the parks and recreational centers in New York city.

"Damian and Nas have made a groundbreaking album that combines the depth and vision of these two artists with a seminal musical and cultural thread of multiple generations," stated Monte Lipman, President and CEO of Universal Republic Records. "We're thrilled to play a role on what's certain to be another pivotal album for both artists and one of the more unique collaborative efforts in recent years."

The 14-track-effort was produced by Damian Marley and features guest appearances by Lil Wayne, K'Naan, Joss Stone, Stephen Marley and Dennis Brown.

Fans will also receive a documentary film with the purchase of Distant Relatives, which also contains performances and public discussions, including portions of an event held with National Geographic Live in Washington, D.C. last December.

Distant Relatives is in stores May 18th. The track listing is below:

1. As We Enter
2. Tribal War Ft. K'Naan
3. Strong Will Continue
4. Leaders Ft. Stephen Marley
5. Wisdom
6. Count Your Blessings
7. Dispear
8. The Promised Land Ft. Dennis Brown
9. In His Own Words Ft. Stephen Marley
10. Nah Mean
11. Friends
12. My Generation Ft. Lil Wayne & Joss Stone
13. Africa Must Wake Up Ft. K'Naan

Lil Wayne and Joss Stone plus Nas and Damian Marley? That honestly sounds like the premise to a buddy/road trip movie in some capacity. I'm hoping that Lil Wayne isn't going to be auto-tune-ing all over the track and either comes in with a short hook (where auto-tune may be alright) or a quick verse, rapped entirely. These kind of albums, where the artists making it are of such a high caliber are usually pulled down, if by anything, by the guests and considering there are only a few guests, I can imagine that if Wayne pulls something ridiculous out of his hat, most reviews will read "Distant Relatives is an excellent album from start to finish with the exception of "My Generation" which is brought down by a disappointing guest appearance from Lil Wayne".

In other news, in regards to last week's title, "The Best Rapper Alive Is Finally Inside", please, please, PLEASE understand that was a JOKE. I in no way believe Wayne to be the best rapper alive or even in the Top 10 but it conveniently rhymes and Wayne's a joke in himself at times so I went with it. Incidentally, I went with a similar title last year and nobody noticed…

For Those Wondering About Bill O'Reilly



If you were wondering where Bill O'Reilly was during that last story on Nas it appears that Ludacris and O'Reilly have ended their feud at recent event they both attended. Ludacris confronted O'Reilly when he noticed his name on a guest list for the event.

"The first thing I said to him was, 'I want to meet the guy who has had so much to say about me, but knows absolutely nothing about me'," Ludacris told RadarOnline.com. "I identified that I wanted to speak to him when I saw his name on the guest list. I looked at what table he was on, and I walked my ass straight to that table."

Ludacris said that O'Reilly wasn't expecting to see him and that when he saw the rapper approaching, the look on his face was "priceless."

The rapper explained that he had conversation with O'Reilly, who has frequently attacked Hip-Hop lyrics and in particular, Ludacris as in 2002, O'Reilly helped get Ludacris dumped as a spokesman for Pepsi, after he ordered his viewers to boycott the soft drink maker for hiring the rapper.

"The conversation we had was confidential, however, let's just say it was a good conversation and good came out of it," Ludacris told RadarOnline.

The pair even teamed up for a charity event recently, but it was kept a secret.

I'm all for squashing beef but really, Bill O'Reilly has had so many negative things to say about hip-hop without actually exploring the genre properly, I'm sure the look was indeed "priceless" as he was probably imagining all the EXTREMELY VIOLENT AND HIP-HOP RELATED THINGS Ludacris was going to do to him. Whether or not O'Reilly goes public with it, I don't know, but the precedent is now there!

Honestly, I don't mind people criticizing hip-hop or the artists involved. Hell, more often than not, I'm even MORE critical about the artists I actually LIKE for doing stupid things. I don't like people criticizing it when they have a lack of knowledge about it though.

For example, if I started attacking metal by saying that ‘all metal artists are drunks who scream all the time and can't actually sing' (I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS, IT IS AN EXAMPLE! ANYONE ASSUMING IT IS SOMETHING I BELIEVE IS AN IDIOT) I'd be offending a lot of people who enjoy metal. Same principle applies to hip-hop. When people say it's all about violence and disrespecting women and so on, I get angry because there are many, many artists out there who don't record any such tracks in their entire careers.

Bone Thugs Talk About Their New Album



Bone Thugs-N-Harmony announced they will embark on a 34-date tour in support of their highly anticipated reunion album Uni5: The World's Enemy. The group will launch the tour on March 24 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will hit major markets like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston, before winding the tour down in Phoenix, Arizona on May 2nd.

As a group, Bone has sold over 30 million records. Label woes, incarceration and drug use plagued the group for years, but Layzie Bone is confident the group is stronger than ever.

"You go through things to make you stronger," Layzie said in a statement on March 11.

"All your obstacles, all the things you go through that don't seem positive at that particular time are only to get you ready for your next phase of life," Layzie stated.

The group has also officially announced the release date of Uni5: The World's Enemy, which will land in stores on April 27th.

"With the contributions we have made through songs, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will live forever in music. We've made our mark in history," added Krayzie. "To me, that is the most valuable thing."

I'm looking forward to hearing the five reunited on an album again. The next few months should be quite good for hip-hop I think. I'm still anticipating Drake's album, only to see if the hype is truly deserved or not, but with "Over" making the rounds, I'm not too sure. The hook on that is awful. Like, let's not even bother trying to make it rhyme or fit the beat awful. It COULD have been a good hook but yeah, rambling delivery like that only works if you're Lil Wayne and high off something at the time.

Lloyd Banks Debuts New Video

Lloyd Banks debuted the video for his latest single "Beamer, Benz or Bentley" on March 15. The single is taken from his mixtape V5 and has become popular on mix shows and clubs around the country, while a variety of rappers have already laid their own verses down over the instrumental to the track.

Ok, I admit, I laughed at the name of the track when I first heard about it, and even thought it was going to be ridiculous, which it is to an extent, but I'll be damned if I don't enjoy it. It's excellent driving music and the hook is so outrageously simple, it was a track that was always going to be popular in the end.



Unfortunately, songs like this make it extremely hard to defend my position when it comes to hip-hop considering the video contains lots of references to money, expensive cars and women writhing all over them in movements somewhat resembling a dance. So you know, all we need is someone running around with a machine gun in the remix and Bill O'Reilly will be happy.

Banks reflected on the success of the single and the staying power of the mixtape game in an upcoming interview.

"The success of ‘Beamer, Benz, or Bentley,' it just reminds me of all the places I've gone due to a single record," Lloyd Banks said. "One record could take an international artist back around the world."

Banks will repay Juelz Santana for his cameo on "Beamer, Benz or Bentley" with an appearance on Santana's upcoming mixtape The Reagan Era.

Banks is currently touring across Europe with 50 Cent on the "Before I Self Destruct Tour."

While the Banks enjoys playing the live arenas that 50 Cent is able to fill, he said that the smaller, intimate venues were special to him.

"We're more excited about those shows than anywhere else because….we get a chance to do the material you want to do, not the material they used to hearing," Banks said.

"To get out there and give them that mixtape material mixed in with the hits that they know…that's always a good feeling."

Beanie Sigel is featured in the video, adding fuel to lingering speculation that he will be officially joining the G-Unit camp after a falling out with former friend/collaborator, Jay-Z.

I think I also saw Maino in there at some point as well. Oh wait, if Maino is in the clip, Bill O'Reilly will be happy considering he's an ex-con and all.

Banks and Sigel performed together over the summer at Great Adventure, during a trip for neighborhood kids sponsored by 50 Cent.

"Shout out to Beans," Lloyd Banks said. "Beans came out did his record, which is like a whole new raw energy, similar to when we did the 40 Day event [in Queens]."

This whole exercise though is an example of something that annoys me about the hip-hop game in that we often get good tracks on mixtapes but not the albums. If Banks had put this (and better not put it unless it's a remix) on his upcoming album, it might have sold another 500 or so copies just based on that track alone.

Game Wanting Distance From Gangster Title



Game is seeking to disassociate himself with the term "gangster" in a civil lawsuit he is fighting in court. Game is being sued by Shannon Rodrick for allegedly striking him and pulling a gun on him during a pickup game of Basketball at the Rita Walters Complex in South Los Angeles in 2007.

Game pled guilty to the crime and was sentenced to four months in prison, although he only served eight days in the county jail, due to overcrowding.

I remember the big announcement that he was going in, shortly followed by the big announcement that he had come out which made the whole thing look like a gigantic joke.

Shannon Rodrick filed the civil suit against Game in March of 2008. In a legal move aimed at winning the case, lawyers for Game filed papers in court, asking the presiding judge to remove all references to him being a "gangster" or "gangster rapper".

According to TMZ.com, The Game's lawyers argue that the terms could prejudice the jury against him in the case. Additionally, The Game is seeking to have all references to his lyrics removed from the case as well.

Someone made the point that if an actor who plays a psychopath in a movie is convicted for whatever offense, the fact that they played a psychopath won't be brought up yet lyrics in hip-hop, are constantly brought up. It's a bit different though because acting is CLEARLY labeled as acting due to the fact that the portrayal is coming from a movie. In hip-hop it's a little different as it's not always clear if a rapper is simply playing the part of a gangster or actually lives the lifestyle. In Game's case, he very often is involved in various activities which are pretty gangster such as numerous arrests due to different reasons.

Still, I don't believe that a person should be judged like that. If Game is brought up on charges in relation to what he did, trial him as an ordinary person. Ordinary people can be involved in gang activity and if the prosecution can present such a case that paints Game out to be someone involved in gang activities, so be it. Don't bring the fact that he is a musician who happens to make gangster rap music into it. What I'm trying to say is don't assume he is a ‘gangster' simply because his music says so. Take the man for what he presents himself as.

Wu-Massacre Was Rushed?



As fans anxiously await Raekwon, Method Man and Ghostface Killah's upcoming group album, Wu-Massacre, Meth revealed that the recording process wasn't quite what he expected.

"Def Jam put a rush on it," Method Man said to MTV News. "We didn't have a lot of time to work on it. We recorded with no budget. It is what it is. We did this for the fans. It felt good to get in the studio with Rae and Ghost. The future looks bright."

‘No budget' doesn't sound good. This IS an ALBUM and not a ‘street album' or ‘mixtape album' isn't it? Why is it that labels seemingly insist on dicking around with their artists?

This may have something to do with the recent Wu-Tang albums such as Method Man and Redman's Blackout! 2, Ghost's Wizard Of Poetry album or Rae's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, not to mention lesser mentioned albums such as U-God's album (which was supposedly fairly good).

The two biggest albums in that bunch though, Blackout! 2 and Rae's album, took many years to come to fruition as opposed to a few months. Very rarely does a rushed project come out and NOT sound rushed.

Elaborating on the project, Method explained that the purpose of the album was to put out something for the fans - not to slight the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan. "This album could have been done by Deck, U-God and GZA. Either/or, it's still Wu-Tang. The bottom line with this LP, it was something fans always requested. It's like, what else was we doing? It was a given. Hopefully, we can all get back in the studio and get enough time to really work on an LP."

Yes but the fans want something GOOD! We don't want lots of quickly released crap, we want focused, planned and quality releases, regardless of how long it takes! We waited for OB4CLII didn't we? We waited for another Blackout! album! We even waited 4 years for the group album! I think it's safe to say that Wu-Tang fans are some of the most patient on the planet. The remaining ones anyway.

So PLEASE! Don't be giving us rushed crap because it will in fact, sound like rushed crap.

New Kurupt Album Tracklist

After his critically-praised collaboration album, BlaQKout, last year with DJ Quik, Kurupt is preparing his next solo album.

Streetlights, to be released April 20, finds Kurupt taking his unique lyrical approach to an album based around what goes down after dark in California. A preliminary tracklisting, courtesy of the album's distributor, Fontana, reveals that mentor Snoop Dogg will appear, as well as frequent collaborators Xzibit and DJ Quik. Kurupt's brother Roscoe is also planned to appear on a track, as well as Dogg Pound newcomer affiliates Problem and Terrace Martin, who handled production on Streetlights.

1. Intro
2. I'm Burnt Ft. Problem
3. Questions
4. In Gotti We Trust Ft. Xzibit
5. Face Down
6. Blame It On U Ft. Rell
7. Yessir
8. All That I Want Ft. Snoop Dogg
9. I'm Drunk
10. Scrape
11. Riot In The Club
12. I'm The Man
13. I'm Burnt (Remix) Ft. Snoop Dogg, Roscoe & Problem
14. Streetlights
15. Bounce, Rock, Skate (Bonus Track) Ft. DJ Drama, Snoop Dogg, DJ Quik & Terrace Martin

"Riot In The Club" (hopefully it won't get taken down)



"I'm Burnt" (same as above)



Anyway, after two teases of mostly previously ‘un-released' (but actually released but not necessarily officially) material, it's good to see something new coming. Check out the two tracks I've put up, "I'm Burnt" is a fun track that should get some decent club play.

Chris Brown Begs For Support



Chris Brown is begging fans for support. In a message sent to fans through SayNow, the young singer explained that radio stations are not "being that supportive" of his new work, including singles off his latest album, Graffiti. In turn, Brown is asking fans for help, adding that he cannot "be an underground mixtape artist."

"I ain't never really did this but right now I need all of my fans help," he said in his statement. "A lot of radio stations aren't playing my records. They are not being that supportive and I wouldn't expect them to. It's on the fans and what you guys do in your power to bring me back. That's all I need is you guys and nothing else will do that except for the fans."

Well I guess he won't have raving female groupies in the underground scene. Actually does anyone in the underground have raving female groupies or are they all relatively normal people?

"My singing and my music I do it for you guys and everything else but it won't be possible if I'm not relevant on the radio and it wouldn't be possible for me to be an artist if I don't have the support. I can't be an underground mixtape artist."

Maybe you should try it first you woman beating ungrateful side dish of ass whip! So many artists put their sweat and tears in the mixtape scene before they made it big but it's beneath you? Ass.

Earlier this year, Brown made headlines when he claimed major retailers were blackballing his music. Among other things, during that incident, Brown told his Twitter followers that he was tired of being blackballed. He went on to say more, including "the industry can kiss my ass."

Well there's your problem right there! It's like going up to your friend and calling them a dicknose or something equally childish and offensive and then turning around asking to borrow $20 after.

"The industry can kiss my ass"? Well Chris, I think the industry has made it very clear that you can kiss THEIR ASS before they will play your music again.

I'm now upgrading that Chris Brown Twitter post to "Most Ridiculous Tweet Of The Year" worthy given this ‘startling' revelation from Chris Brown.

DMX Violates Parole



DMX appeared in a Phoenix, Arizona courtroom on March 16 to face charges that he violated his probation last week, by using cocaine. DMX was sentenced to six months in prison for failing a drug test last June according to prosecutor. He was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

The troubled rapper could be released in as little as six months, since he's already been accepted by Dr. Drew Pinsky's Pasadena Recovery Center, although he's not expected to be featured on the show.

Isn't this exactly what I said didn't need to happen? Let's not make this a televised circus and allow the man to RECOVER FROM A DRUG PROBLEM in peace. I mean, I have an obvious problem when it comes to buying games and DVDs but you don't see me getting a TV show out of it.

Unless I try and rob a bank when I have no money left in which case I may appear on World's Dumbest Criminals or some other similar show. Probably because I'll try and get a shopping trolley to transport my goods in to my car but the wheels will be dodgy and I'll fall over and not be able to get back up due to being buried under a pile of PS3 games.

DMX has been held without bond in the 4th Avenue jail since last Tuesday March 9, after he was arrested by probate officers for regularly using the drug over the past nine months. DMX had been isolated from other inmates since being incarcerated in a Phoenix jail overseen by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who bills himself the toughest sheriff in America.

Arpaio called for DMX to serve time in prison, because the rapper has been arrested five times in Arizona, on charges ranging from drug possession and identity theft to animal cruelty.

"Rappers seem to go to jail quite frequently," Arpaio stated. "Why is he treated different, because he's DMX and made some movies? If he stays in the jail long enough I'll decide whether or not to put him in the drug prevention education program."

He's not treated differently, he simply says he's going to change, as does everyone in that situation, but unlike most people, manages to regress more each time.

The rapper spent 90 days in Arpaio's Phoenix based "Tent City" prison, where inmates are forced to wear pink-stripped prison outfits.

It's the prison for the fashionable male in all of us.

Arpaio himself is under intense scrutiny and faces at least a dozen civil lawsuits for abusing his power against citizens, Hispanics and even Superior Court judges in the state.

Ok so I can understand that some people in power want to abuse normal people and minorities but who would try and abuse power when dealing with JUDGES? Very bizarre.

Sales Figures

Ludacris had more good news this week with Battle Of The Sexes debuting at Number 1 on the Billboard charts with 137,000 copies sold. The Gorillaz' latest album also debuted this week at Number 1 with 112,000 copies sold. Another debut was Kidz In The Hall with Land Of Make Believe selling 2,900 copies.

Sade's Soldier Of Love continues to march towards Platinum with 52,000 copies this week putting the total for her latest album at 951,000. Lil Wayne's Rebirth sold 27,000 copies this week for a total now of 420,000.

Gucci Mane's album sold 9,400 copies for a total now of 310,000. Relapse is still selling steadily with 8,800 copies putting Eminem's latest at 1,884,000.

Finally, DJ Khaled's Victory sold 8,700 copies for a total now of 37,000 and 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct sold 5,000 copies for a total now of 421,000.

The Signoff

Sorry it's a bit short this week, nothing much was happening that was as interesting as I'd like.

Oh well, catch you Saturday!