What Is Wrong With You People?
I just finished AIMing Phil Watts Jr, and he had some disturbing news; apparently Little Brother’s The Minstrel Show is doing dismal numbers.
Now I never realized how pitiful people are. Do y’all really need the television and radio to tell you what to buy? It’s disgusting.
Scratch magazine gave The Minstrel Show a “10”!
XXL gave The Minstrel Show an “XL”!
The Source gave The Minstrel Show “Four and ½ Mics”!
These are the “Hip Hop Magazines”, and they love it. I love it. Phil loves it. I’m sure that several other people on IP will rave about it.
Do yourself a favor and pick up The Minstrel Show. It’s possibly the best Hip Hop album of the year, and it could possibly change your life.
I’m Worried About Joe Budden.
I recently copped the mixtape Mood Musik – The Worst of Joe Budden and I’m kind of worried about the guy.
Now, I’ve been a fan of Joey Jump-Off for a minute now. He was a beast on the mixtape circuit with freestyles that made me remember why I fell in love with Hip Hop. He’s witty, clever, funny and gifted. He’s got a solid flow and really knows how to ride a beat. I was pumped when I heard that he was going to drop an album.
Pump It Up was the perfect lead single. That song was a banger! The beat hit my ears like nothing I’d heard in a long time. That was one song that could get me on the dance floor. Just Blaze really laced him with that beat and Joe didn’t squander it.
So when Joe’s self-titled debut dropped I ran out and picked it up. It was a solid debut, but it had its flaws. It was a few tracks too long and Joe seemed to lack a direction. Some songs were way personal and others felt like album fodder to appease the label. There just didn’t seem to be a balance between what Joe wanted to do and what the label wanted from him.
But the album didn’t do too well. Joe blamed Def Jam. Personally I thought that Joe’s minor verbal tussle with Jay-Z would have generated enough buzz to move some units, but that wasn’t the case. Joe didn’t sell as many records as he should have and that caused me some anxiety.
Y’see Joe is a recovering addict who suffers from depression. I began to think that perhaps Joe’s perceived failure might cause him to relapse or dip into a valley. Fortunately I didn’t hear anything of the sort.
But I did hear that he was beefing with G-Unit. Actually by the time that I heard about it Game and Joe had already patched things up, which was good because I thought the whole thing was absurd and screamed of bully tactics.
When Jay-Z took over as the head of Def Jam, I thought it was kind of a mixed blessing. I hoped that Jay would have a better idea on how to push artists who didn’t seem to get the attention they deserved under Kevin Liles guidance, like say, Ghostface. But I was also worried that Jay may have held a grudge about the freestyle tussle they had. Overall, I was optimistic about the Joe’s prospects for the future.
Since moving to Las Vegas I’ve fallen out of the mixtape scene for a few reasons. 1) the quality of mixtapes has diminished due to diluted product flooding the market, and 2) being this far away from the East I don’t know what’s really good.
Still, since it was a complete Joe Budden affair I decided to give Mood Music a chance. I’m glad I did, kind of.
Y’see Mood Music showcases what’s great about Joe Budden. His freestyles are sick. Even the tracks that are obviously aimed at finding a wider audience are better than what’s on the radio right now. Joe also really opens up on several songs, which is again a mixed blessing; it’s refreshing to hear an MC so honest, but it’s scary because the guy is so tortured.
Some of the tracks sound like a cry for help. When Joe rhymes about his failed relationships or his stalled career you marvel at the talent you’re not really entertained. It’s reminiscent of listening to Nirvana where you could hear Kurt’s misery, the only difference is that Joe’s still alive.
I hope that I’m just reading into things and making a bid deal out of nothing, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was worried about Joe Budden. The guy is too good for us to lose.
The Beatnuts
Shawn actually met Kanye West. He covers other things too, but since Kanye’s such a hot topic I figured he’s sure to get you to read.
I so respect Jeff for his open-mindedness. Every year he takes trips to different parts of the globe and even eats the local delicacies. Oh, by the way Jeff has returned from one such vacation and filed his first Swindle Sheet since getting back.
KDP runs by his greatest hits.
The Liks
My magic internet machine is acting funny so this is Ian’s column from last week. This week he manages to work Ringo Star into his column, while he’s on holiday!
The aforementioned Phil is also linked via last week’s column. This week he attacks Little Brother, kind of. You’ve got to read why their biggest fan would turn against them.
Five Producers I’m Really Feeling Right Now
1. Just Blaze
2. 9th Wonder
3. Kanye West
4. Jon Brion
5. Minnesota
