411 Music Fact Or Fiction 12.04.08: Week 76

Posted by Dan Haggerty on 12.04.2008

Norman Williams and Joshua George put their DJ skills to the ultimate test as they take on the hip-hop scene: How good of a lyricist is Ludacris? Should Hip-Hop have its own Hall of Fame? Is 50 Cent the man to beat in the scene? Is Chris Brown the future? Plus we look at the beef between Shawty Lo and T.I. and see if Clive Cambell is the Godfather of rap!

Welcome back everyone to the reason for tuning in on Thursdays, it's the most eclectic Fact or Fiction on the site as you never quite know what we will be covering and who will be throwing down. Well, at least that's what the management tells us. The good news being we have a couple of great new talents here in the Music Zone Universe who have no beef and ready to take on your hip Hop scene. At station one is Norman Williams, also known around these parts as Stormin Norman of the 411 Country Connection. He's joined at station two by Joshua George who takes on the daunting task to review the releases you'll be buying tomorrow.

Turn the volume up, pop a cold one, let the clutch out and lets do this thing!


Round 1!


1. By delaying Before I Self Destruct and adding content, 50 Cent is will be the man on the rap scene to beat.

Joshua George: Fact: I don't think there's going to be very much competition with most of the massive releases being put out in the late part of this year. The only thing that honestly concerns me is the full length feature film. From what I've seen I don't really think much of 50 Cent as an actor, though I honestly have seen worse. The fact of the matter is, as long as it's not going against Relapse which I'm sure he wouldn't do, he'll be fine. Kanye's CD is already out and Luda's new CD is already out, so I can't imagine anything else coming out that would stand in his way. Akon, Common, and Plies are all coming out by the end of this year. There's nothing to stop him. So... fact.

Norm Williams: Fact: I could make an argument for either side (fact or fiction), but since I have been slamming 50 Cent of late so it is time to give him some props. I agree with Joshua, since Lil Wayne, Kanye and Luda's CD's have already dropped, and as long as he is not going against Relapse and with the success of his reality show (props inserted here), he could flirt with the title of man to beat on the rap scene. But in order for him to have a full on relationship with the title, he needs to start supplying some catchy 18 bar verses for radio saturated singles, do a lot of promotion for his upcoming album, I mean showing up everywhere doing guest appearances feverishly and his album needs album to have noteworthy sales numbers.

Score: 1 for 1


2. You agree with Ludacris when he says "As far as lyricism is concerned, I do feel like I'm a little underrated... I think that this album is out to prove exactly that point. I feel like that there are certain places in the top 5 or the top 10 that I need to be."

Joshua George: Fact: Here we go, here we go. Expect Luda1 to be flaming me on the comments at the bottom of this column too. Here's the thing. If you read my review of Theater of the Mind you'll know that I wasn't a big fan. Everyone's been telling me how much I suck, but honestly I don't really care what they think. The fact is that this album wasn't as good as I expected it to be. I will state for the record though that Luda is one of the best LYRICISTS out there today. There are very few people that can bring a verse like Luda and I completely agree with his statement. He SHOULD be in the top 5 or the top 10 for LYRICS. Everyone thinks that beats and co-artists on a track should "never bring down a CD's rating". But let's be honest, I rate the WHOLE CD, not just the lyrics. Anyway... off topic, so back to simply Fact.

Norm Williams: Fact: I haven't got a chance to give an in-depth listen to Theater of the Mind, but I doubt it would change my opinion of Luda as THE MOST UNDERRATED LYRICIST IN THE GAME! When it comes to lyricism, Luda is a top 3 candidate and should definitely be in the top 5. Who is in my top 5 you ask? In no particular order right now my top 5 lyricist would consist of Luda, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Juelz Santana and T.I. Every song that Luda is a guest on, I always find myself flowing along with his verse over any other artist on the song. That is with the exception of the others in my top 5, as a matter of fact, can I get a "Swagger Like Us" remix with Luda and Juelz and minus Kanye. That would be ill.

Score : 2 for 2


3. Hip Hop should have it's own Hall of Fame.

Joshua George: Fact: Three statements and three Fact answers. There's a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so why not a Hip Hop Hall of Fame? There are plenty of people that should go into the HHHoF. Want my nominees? Biggie, Pac, Rakim, Public Enemy, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Run-D.M.C, and I'm sure there are more but I can't think of any others at this point other than potential future additions of Diddy, Jay-Z, and Eminem. The fact of the matter is that Hip Hop has had it's own following and "culture" since at least the 1980s with DJ Mark James. What's so good about Rock that isn't as good about Hip Hop? The culture is there, the music is there, the advancement of the music is there, and the memorabilia is CERTAINLY there. I can't see any negatives to making one at all. So definitely, most certainly, Fact

Norm Williams: Fact: Better yet, why DOESN'T Hip Hop have its own Hall of Fame? I believe that it is time for Hip Hop Hall of Fame to be created. In its over thirty year history, Hip Hop's rich and infectious culture has transcended social barriers and grown into a global phenomenon. Not to mention, the small fact that it is a BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY! Hell, I took a couple college courses about Hip Hop and its influences on society and the music world, but there is no Hall of Fame…And of course there are a plethora of first ballot inductees to choose from, and here my top 5; DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Run-D.M.C. and NWA.

Intermission Score : 3 for 3


FACT OR FICTION OPEN CHALLENGE

Should Hip-Hop have its own Hall of Fame? Hit the comment section and let us know!


SWITCH!


Round 2!


4. After beating everyone at the AMA awards, Chris Brown is the man to watch.

Norm Williams: Fact: Chris Brown is an amazing entertainer and by all accounts seems destine for a lucrative career in both music and acting. His dance moves already have him mentioned with some of the greatest dancers of all time, and his boyish good looks and charm have allowed him to tap into the hearts of teenage girls across the world. Winning 3 AMA's and being considered the favorite male artist in two genres is an astounding accomplishment, but it is only a glimmer of the spotlight that will be shinning on his career within the coming year. With songs already being leaked from his upcoming third album Grafitti, set to be released next year, it is a testament to his diehard fans, a fan base that has continued to grow in numbers as he continues to grow as an artist. And that is a feat that many teenage music sensations struggle with. And his stock will continue to rise through 2009 with a role in the 2010 crime thriller Bone Deep.

Joshua George: Fact: I don't think anyone can honestly argue with this in the first place, let alone after his victory at the AMA awards. When Usher first hit the scene everyone thought he was the man to watch and the man to beat with his incredible vocal talent and his dancing skill. Then Chris Brown hit the scene and he became "Usher Jr." Now that Chris Brown has been in several movies and is on the verge of releasing his third studio album, the public is now more like "Usher who?" This is what I'm talking about. Chris Brown has taken the hip-hop/pop genre to a whole new level and don't look for him to slow down any time soon.

Score: 4 for 4


5. Shawty Lo and T.I. need to stop the cock fight before it escalates beyond the Dirty Awards.

Norm Williams: Fact: So basically, the beef between T.I and Shawty Lo of D4L, you know the ones responsible for that atrocity of a rap song "Laffy Taffy", is not about who is a better lyricist, nor is it about lyric or style jacking, no no no…this beef is about the hood in which they both represent, Bankhead. Bankhead is a neighborhood in Atlanta that until, TIP put the hood on his back and brought it to the lime light, was unknown to the world at large. The one-hit wonder is actually convicted felon, Carlo Walker who moonlights as rapper and proudly endorses a criminal record of 28 arrests and 4 convictions. Walker does acknowledge that T.I put Bankhead on the map, but now all of sudden wants to discredit T.I by putting him on blast and claiming that T.I isn't even from Bankhead. Here is what I think, Lo is finally realizing that his success from that abomination of a rap song with D4L is going to have some serious and if not fatal effects on his short-lived rap career. And what does someone who doesn't want their 15 minutes of fame to end do? They center themselves in conflict with someone who is more famous than they are. Unfortunately this battle will never be settled on wax, since Shawty Lo already mailed in his lyrical defeat on D4L letterhead saying that he will not respond on wax, plus T.I. would lyrically sodomize him in the long run, this beef needs to squashed before it escalates to violence.

Joshua George: Fact: This seems like a no-brainer to me. First of all I don't think there's any disagreement that Shawty Lo isn't anywhere NEAR T.I.'s level, so for there to be a beef between the two in the first place just seems rather silly. Secondly, Shawty Lo is just stretching and grasping at anything that can help him live the rapper's lifestyle for just a little bit longer. Let me tell you that calling Shawty Lo a "rapper" just then hurt and I assure you that the term was used as loosely as possible. It's obvious that Shawty Lo is just clinging to whatever he can at this point to stay "famous" and unfortunately that's pressing himself in this already extremely tense situation with T.I. It's time to just put this shit behind us and keep everyone involved out of coffins and out of jail.



Real scene from the Dirty Awards – Time to end the beef?

Score: 5 for 5


6. DJ Clive Cambell is the Godfather of rap.

Norm Williams: Fact: Two of the most important and influential figures of early hip hop are Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. They both site DJ Kool Herc as the main reason why they began DJ'ing the way they did, Grandmaster Flash even said that Herc was a hero to him. Why is a man who was so influential to the founders of hip hop, widely unknown to the casual music fan? Unlike the aforementioned Fathers of Hip Hop, DJ Kool Herc never made the transition to commercialization. Yet he is solely responsible for creating the sound that we know today as hip hop, the DJ'ing technique of breaking and B-Boys/B-Girls. Also from his style of punctuating the music with slang phrases such as "To the beat, y'all!" and "You don't Stop!" rapping was created. Essentially he is the life force from which hip hop came. So without a shadow of a doubt he is the Godfather of Hip Hop.

Joshua George: Fact: This is the third question where I really don't feel like there's any denying this. You have someone like DJ Clive Campbell who has basically birthed and raised Hip-hop/rap as a genre from the beginning and despite the fact that his name isn't very recognizable he is the primary person that we have to thank. See, Campbell was one of the first people to really do everything he was doing SIMPLY for the LOVE of the music. He wasn't worried about his sales and his money. The fact of the matter is that it's through his innovation that we get 90% of the sounds that we hear today. Everyone putting out an album in today's industry should have to throw some royalties his way. DJ Clive Campbell is BY FAR the Godfather of rap and I challenge anyone who could HONESTLY contend that statement.

Final Score : 6 for 6


Holy shit on a stick folks, it's the first every Music Zone Fact or Fiction where the writers agree across the board! Breathe it in, as it will likely by a long time before that happens again.

And on those happy words, we're calling it a wrap this week. I'm out of here so we'll see you Friday in the The Mosh Pit where I'll take on the good, bad, and ugly that is the new Guns N' Roses album, otherwise we'll see you back here is seven.