The 37th Chamber 12.03.08: Would You Like A Cameo?

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 12.03.2008

Artists appearing in other artists videos isn't unheard of, nor are crossover collaborations you wouldn't expect, but can it actually lead to a larger fan base?

Is it just me, or does a lot of the current batch of pop music sound exactly the same? There were tracks from Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Lady GaGa and about three or four other acts I couldn't name and every single song sounded the same.

The same horrible synths, same robotic flow, same tempo, hell, they even LOOK the same now – bleached hair etc.

Arguably, the same could be said of rap, and yes that would be true too, given the current crop of ahem, ‘artists' seem to be content in peddling mediocrity, but at least most of them sound different and are using (relatively) different sounding beats. The exception of course, is those producers keeping Casio Keyboards in a Profit margin and their insistence that what they are doing is actual music.

I kind of forgot where I was going with this, but I think it had something to do with Shawty Lo. "Break Ya Ankles"…dude sounds slow. Like, slow in the head. I'm sorely tempted to track down Units In The City even more so. It's becoming a sick fascination with his music…

In other news, I've moved up to MEDIUM setting on Guitar Hero hahaha…I still suck though. Tried playing the drums on Medium and started freaking out once my arm went numb from repeated yellow cymbal hitting.

Also, when the hell did Ron Browz start rapping? Dude needs to drop the auto-tune faster than Kanye West does. Oh, and does anyone else find Ryan Leslie completely irritating?

Reader Feedback
(May be edited for spelling or grammar etc.)

"Because of the net, Soulja Boy was discovered.

I guess the good and bad go hand in hand. " - Weng

Yeah, I read in an interview that Jermaine Dupri was scouring MySpace for "The Next Big Thing". It's a sad day when you have to turn to MYSPACE for new blood. Whatever happened to handing someone a demo as they walked to their car? You know, the good old days of stalking tracking down producers, record label owners, artists themselves, and thrusting a copy of your CD into their hand with a promise that "It's good, trust me".

There's another name on the tip of my tongue that was discovered through the Internet. Oh wait, it was Paul Wall. Yeah the Internet can bring some seriously bad things too. I got a virus the other day. Silly me.

"T.I. was one of the rappers talking big shit about how he would never snitch no matter what the situation he contradicted himself which he does a lot by the way FUCK T.I."

I think every rapper who does street rap comes into the game with that mentality, but it takes something personal and close to them to shake them out of that mindset. Hopefully, other rappers will consider that and stop perpetrating that ideal.

"I'm from New Mexico and I'm 18 i personally consider Nas to be the Rakim of my generation sadly most of my generation have no idea who Rakim is.

With You Being (a hip-hop fan born out of West Coast rap) why are u not critical on Lil' Wayne's Blood Status or him kissing his NOT biological father on the LIPS and saying "that's how we get down" (actual quote) that is the gayest shit I have ever heard do u not agree?"

Hmm, I think…well, I'll start from the beginning. When I was 12, my cousins got me into rap the worst way possible, via N.W.A. After that, I started listening heavily to their individual solo works, Cypress Hill and eventually De La Soul. The thing is, there were only a few gang (Bloods and Crips) references, and not a heavy affiliation in the lyrics.

Eventually, I started listening to Snoop, DJ Quik and 2Pac, but by then I was beginning to separate the music from the actual person. It's like when a wrestler steps into the ring. The moment their music hits, they're Jack Smith, the wrestler. But when they pass through that curtain at the end of the night, and catch a taxi back to their hotel room, they're Jack Smith, father of 2 and owner of a small computer repair shop.

With rappers, I think it's largely the same. Snoop was rapping about gangbanging on Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, whilst shooting a reality TV show about his home life at the same time. Likewise, Cube was shooting kids movies and challenging the American Government at the same time on Laugh Now, Cry Later.

That being said, with Lil Wayne it's kind of hard to separate the two, given he often references the fact that he claims Blood affiliation, particularly on Tha Carter II and Da Drought series of mixtapes (which is when I first started listening to him). With that though, since I was never exposed into gang rap when I first got into hip-hop, I never really took stock into rappers claiming one way or another. By the time I DID, I was able to look past it, so I guess I just let Wayne be Wayne. If he wants to scream Blood status, let him, just don't let it take over the music.

With the kiss, though…you can't really defend that. I have NO IDEA why he does it, to be honest, it was hard to take him seriously, actually, I still don't really take him seriously, but it was hard to look at him without laughing a little for months after the photo first surfaced. I don't take Wayne seriously because I can't any more. So why do I like his music? It's weird. He sounds weird, raps weird, looks weird (my sister has a strange fascination with his teeth, I have a strange fascination with the fact he's almost always wearing sunglasses), and tends to conjure up images of someone jumping around the booth bouncing off furniture, smacking his head into glass etc. As someone who is a self-proclaimed ‘weird one', I guess that appeals to me.

It's when he gets SUPER SERIOUS and tries to claim that Blood status, talking about dealing, or trying to be the Best Rapper Alive that annoys me.

"Anyways on my fuck Lil' Wayne status it stems from that and his "BEST RAPPER ALIVE" claim when I firmly believe that the best rapper alive is and will always be RAKIM (until he dies) I can list 20 rappers that would WIPE THERE ASS with Wayne on the MIC but for u I'll list 10 west coast artist,

10.) Mistah F.A.B.
9.) Bishop Lamont
8.) The Game
7.) Planet Asia
6.) Kurupt
5.) Mitchy Slick
4.) Ras Kass
3.) Clinton Wayne
2.) Crooked I
1.) Glasses Malone

also I would add Chino XL since he considers himself a west coast artist and many, many more" - Ramirez

As I mentioned above it was that whole "Best Rapper Alive" streak that really began to piss me off, especially after I listened to his work in more detail and began to pick apart the music in a more critical manner. Rakim will always be the Best Rapper Alive, probably even when he dies, given I can't see anybody coming close to touching his legacy, they'd have to change the entire face of rap just to scratch the surface.

You're right though, barely anybody knows who he actually is, which is a true shame because his work with Eric B. is excellent. His solo work, not as much, but still significantly better than most things coming out today.

Had the Rakim – Dre album come to fruition though, who knows where he'd be now.

In regards to your list, I'm not really a fan of Mistah F.A.B., and I actually don't know who Clinton Wayne is, but I'm looking for Crooked I's debut album to come, as well as a new Ras Kass album. Kurupt tends to dip into his lyrical pool every now and then, there was a brief period of time when I found him unlistenable due to the fact that it sounded like he'd thrown his dictionary out the window, but having listened to a bit of his latest album, The Frank And Jess Story, I can say that he's managed to find a new one at least.

Bishop Lamont is starting to piss me off, because there's no word on when the actual album is being released. I like the mixtapes and all, Caltroit and The Pope Mobile (winner of the Strangest Name for a Mixtape in 2008 in my opinion) were particularly good, and there were some fresh Dre beats scattered throughout, but nothing had that nice polished feel. Mixtapes are good, but eventually you want to hear what a rapper sounds like when they have a budget to buy some big name beats, to try and create something epic. Please don't go the Papoose route. I'm sick of the dude now. FIND A LABEL AND RELEASE THE ALBUM!

Chino XL, I LOVED Poison Pen, and according to Wikipedia, he released an album this year. I really need to keep track of more ‘below the radar' releases. That and get the hell out of Miami rap. Starting to scare me…

Anyway, the new album was called Something Sacred and is now on the list for the New Year's Resolution albums.

Incidentally, I have the same birthday as Mistah F.A.B. how bizarre.

"Can't wait for that 'Kiss album, I thought he was naming it "Kiss My Ass" though?

And I can't stand Soulja Boy's music, but he has his little corner of the game on lock, and he deserves props for that." - Ant-LOX

He was going to call it Kiss My Ass, but when he approached retail outlets, many of them were hesitant to stock an album with a name like that, so he decided to change it. I think it's a better name to be honest. Kiss My Ass is something my baby cousin says to me every time I ANNIHILATE HIS SORRY ASS IN SMASH BROS. The Last Kiss conjures up similar images to the Kiss Of Death, much like his previous album was called, or if you're a romantic, something along those lines. Which will actually allow Jada to go that route if he so desires. He does manage to make some crossover music work for him.

"What's Lil Wayne's problem with Rochester? Every time he cancels here a bunch of people always get pissed off and nearly riot." - CharlesBronson

First, it was a dental appointment I think, then a problem with the sound system, then not wanting to perform solo. Dude has complex issues going on. Eventually he'll get around to making the scheduled performance, though if you ever want to start a riot, The Boondocks have taught me that all you need to do is throw a chair. Doesn't even need to hit anybody.

"fuck Detox. Who cares about Dre anymore? That guy's time is obviously over." - guy incognito

As a product of West Coast rap, and given my favorite producer is Dr. Dre, you can imagine how long I've been waiting for this album. It's really about Dre, his first two albums certainly weren't. It's about ushering in the new generation of rappers. The Chronic kick started careers for Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Warren G. Daz & Kurupt and even RBX for a while had a promising start ahead of him.

2001 helped bring Xzibit and Eminem to a larger audience than they previously had. Particularly Eminem, who many people were quick to dismiss, were then ultimately exposed to his music on 2001. Xzibit was a name in his own right, but 2001 certainly didn't hurt his credibility with the mainstream audience. After all, Restless was released a year later and was his most successful album to date. There's also Knoc-turn'al, but dude hasn't really done much of notice, he's the RBX of the group.

So, is Dre's time up? As a rapper yes, but as a Producer, certainly not. The album is set to feature the new blood on Aftermath such as Bishop Lamont, as well as artists who haven't really had much experience with Dre beats. Then of course there are the guest producers. Imagine Eminem, with that circa Marshall Mathers LP mindset rocking over a RZA beat. Detox isn't about the man, it's about the artists involved.

"Q-Tip madddd corny he be in Brooklyn hiding his face from his fans for what? That's why his album went double plastic lol and good luck to Kanye I luv that he is taking chances on a new sound i will be at the bootlegger first thing in the morning" - misfit

Well to each his own. I'm not a Q-Tip fan, but he did sell well considering he hasn't released a solo album for almost a decade. Plus, he was never going to do BIG numbers in today's market.

I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but I did end up buying Kanye's album without having listened to anything except "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless"…and I still haven't listened to it. I DID manage to update my iTunes. I had 13 albums to rip and about 30 albums to upload from the hard drive. It was a long evening, but I can start listening…after I write this.

"I can't stand Kanye's new direction! he cant sing, the production value is horrid compared to his last work, and apparently the whole album is about one thing! He used to talk about a lot of topics this whole album is about his break-up (minus the track or 2 about his mama rip). He used to be my fave..." - BranDon

Hmm, don't give up on the guy. The last year or so has probably been pretty awful for him, losing his mother, and then his fiancé. The music is definitely a reflection of that, but I agree, he probably shouldn't have used the auto-tune to sing. The funny thing is though, he can sing! Listen to "Hey Mama" again off Late Registration as he does a little bit of singing on the chorus (there's an auto-tune presence as well, but he does sing a couple of bars without it). Now, he's not going to win any awards for his voice, but it's enjoyable in it's own right. Had 808s been like THAT, I think it probably would have received warmer reviews.

Look at it this way, now that he's gotten this out of his system, his next album is probably going to have that big-time celebration feel like Late Registration did. A more positive experience (with a bit more rapping please) I think is in store for us next year.

"The closest thing the inaugural stage has seen to a Hip-Hop performance was the inclusion of Stevie Wonder and poet Maya Angelou at Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1997."

LL Cool J performed at Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration in 1993." - J.R.

Ah, I didn't know that, thanks for pointing that out. Also for not being a jackass about it like a lot of the comments we get on the site are.

"I hope the Jay-Z thing doesn't go through. Jay is my guy, and I'm not huge on Obama--but is Obama dumb or something? Jay is probably the greatest rapper alive, but he's not exactly family friendly, no matter how mainstream he tries to seem.

As thoughtful as hits like "Song Cry" and "Hard Knock Life" are, he's violent and bigoted in a lot of his other songs. There's violence as a necessary part of a story in "Meet the Parents"--then there's pretty much every verse from "Threat" used frivolously. He was just talking about how he's "got to kill witnesses" on Freeway's album just a few years ago, and putting "stainless(es) to anuses" on the American Gangster album last year.

He's not even liberal friendly, considering how many of his verses include the word "faggot" in them. Like I say, I listen to Jay every day, but is this really the guy who should be getting a presidential seal of approval?" - Sam!

You've got some pretty good points there, didn't really consider them until now. I suppose, to an extent, this comes down to separating the man from the music like I mentioned earlier with Lil Wayne. The American Gangster album would be an exception, as that was a concept album and all, but you're definitely right about some of the other tracks you mentioned.

It boils down to the fact I think, that Obama listens to Jay as well, and after that became more public knowledge, I think Jay's team decided to use that and encourage the association. The free shows before the Election Day etc. I mean, what rapper WOULDN'T want that kind of boost from the President? Especially since we've been making anti-President music for the last eight years.

Personally I would have someone like Little Brother at my inauguration, but yeah, there would only be about 20,000 people in the world who would know who they are…

The best point you made is that last one about the use of the word "faggot" (incidentally, a hot topic in the forums too at the moment). It's an interesting debate that hip-hop uses the word excessively and that rappers, when asked about it, blow it off saying "they didn't mean it" in ‘that' sense. I read someone's defense that the reason they used it was to attack a man's manly status in battle rap in particular. Which then I figure, translated into the belief that gay men, were lesser men than straight men.

Now that's a debate for another week altogether, and I don't want to delve much deeper right now, but I believe the reason that Jay is getting a…'pass' this time, is because he is to an extent, mainstream friendly. If you look away from the music for a second, you see a businessman, a family man, and someone who gives back to his community and doesn't stir up trouble. Other mainstream rappers can't really make similar claims. 50 certainly couldn't, given his insistent nature that he got shot nine times, Eminem…nope, Lil Wayne hell no.

So in a way, I could understand if they were honoring Jay for his support of the campaign, and his work outside of hip-hop, but not really his music no.

The Rant

Last week, I posted up a video of Korn's "Twisted Transistor" video saying it was in regards to this week's rant.

If you haven't watched the video, because it was taking too long to load (it was about 7 mins 20 seconds), that's ok, I'll summarize it quickly before we move on.

The video was basically a mockumentary along the lines of the This Is Spinal Tap movie featuring Lil Jon, David Banner, Snoop Dogg and Xzibit playing the members of Korn. It was a pretty funny video, and Korn themselves appeared at the end of the video as representatives for "Fony Music".

They (Korn) were complaining that the video the rappers had just made wasn't going to sell because it lacked "bling-bling" and "booty shakin", before proclaiming that "Rock was dead".

Anyway, I'm getting to the point now, I haven't ever been a fan of Korn, and never really considered their music as something that would appeal to me. When I see a video come on that isn't hip-hop or R&B related on MTV I usually change the channel and check back every now and then etc.

HOWEVER, I had previously read before "Twisted Transistor" was going to be released, that the video was going to include the four aforementioned rappers. Xzibit and Snoop are two of my favorite rappers, and I was hoping that Lil Jon might get hit in the head with something, so when I saw the name of the video at the bottom of the screen, I watched the whole video.

What happened was that I actually kind of enjoyed the track. As I've said before, I'm a sucker for string instruments in hip-hop production, and when it comes to guitars, if it's heavy enough, it usually gets a pass from me.

Now did I go out and buy See You On The Other Side (the album "Twisted Transistor" is on)? No, because having heard the album in it's entirety, Korn still wasn't right for me, but was there a chance for that to happen? Most definitely.

You see, what I'm getting at, is that due to a ‘guilty by association' factor, we can sometimes be convinced to check out new music, often in a completely different genre than we would have before.

I'd have never watched that video had it not been for my interest as to see what was going to happen, and I never would have enjoyed the track.

My cousin never really liked rap music until Linkin Park collaborated with Jay-Z for the Collision Course album. Suddenly, I find him listening to The Black Album on his computer. He's also got that track that Busta Rhymes did with Linkin Park this year to (the name escapes me at the moment).

Chris Martin's frequent hip-hop collaborations lead me to check out Coldplay's latest album, and with the mash up with Jay as well, I'll definitely be giving that a listen. I probably would never have considered it before 2007 that I'd be willingly getting a copy of a Coldplay album for myself.

One of my friends is now searching for old Blink 182 tracks because he claims that "Travis Barker finally produced a remix for "Crank That" that doesn't make me want to hurt Soulja Boy". Also because he's remixed other tracks into more bearable listening experiences, as well as been featured on "Dope Boys" off Game's latest album.

When you get involved with side projects or other artist's work that you wouldn't necessarily be associated with, it opens up a number of avenues to explore for future crossover success. People don't really realize, but we subconsciously use a ‘guilty by association' mantra to determine many things in life.

What celebrity endorses this diet program? Who directed that movie? Who's starring in that new TV show? When it comes back to the music you may wonder why exactly your favorite artist is working with a punk rock band, but then you might just check out that band having heard them on that track. Who knows, you may end up buying one of their albums, which is one more than you would have considered buying before listening to that track.

Song Of The Week

Common – Universal Mind Control



Sorry, I can't link the actual video, I checked about 15 different copies on YouTube, and EVERY SINGLE ONE had "Embedding Disabled By Request". Bah.

Anyway, this is the first single from the album and I have to say, I'm not hating it. I was paranoid that this was going to turn into Electric Circus Part 2, and worried as The Neptunes produce seven of the ten tracks on the album. However, I don't hate this. I can see myself enjoying it.

Before We Go…

I am meant to be somewhere today. WHO KNOWS WHERE because I have lost the piece of paper I write all my important dates, such as when work wants me, birthday's etc. in the Great Room Cleaning Session Of December 2008.

Given it was on the back of a pay slip, it is understandable why it was thrown out. I need a diary I think for next year.

Catch you tomorrow!