Posts Tagged ‘Lil’ Wayne’

So it’s officially 2009 and 50 Cent is picking fights again. 50 Cent is known for his past beefs with The Game and Ja Rule. Now he is getting into it with who else but 2008’s hottest rapper, Lil Wayne. On New York radio station Hot 97, 50 Cent ridiculed Lil Wayne’s astronomical first week sales figures with the claim that “he’s a terrible songwriter and a whore,” referring to Wayne’s omnipresence in Hip Hop and R&B.

When Wayne first heard of the insults, he acted like he wasn’t offended by claiming that it was an honor to get dissed by someone of 50 Cent’s stature. Now, it appears, he is firing back. In a track entitled “Lousianimal,” Wayne takes several shots at 50 – in one lyric proclaiming “I’m all about a dollar, f two quarters/ Bitch I’ll pour syrup in that Vitamin Water,” referencing 50’s famous ad campaign.

Honestly, though, maybe these two should duke it out to see who makes the worst album. C.U.R.T.I.S., 50’s last album, wasn’t just bad, it was downright egregious. I threw it in the trash after one listen. Wayne’s third Carter installment has garnered way too much critical acclaim for what it really is: his most uneven album yet.

So imagine the possibilities of a worst album contest. My money would have to go on Fiddy – he has made a career out of not trying. (Have you heard Candy Shop and Wanksta? I rest my case.) And for that comment I better start donning a bulletproof vest. Oh well, in the words of David Spade, “Just shoot me.” On second thought…

The Grammy nominations were announced Wednesday in a new live concert format. Performers included Christina Aguilera, Foo Fighters, and John Mayer with B.B. King. The leading Grammy nominee this year is Lil’ Wayne with eight nominations. (I know what you’re thinking: Lil’ Wayne?!?! The rapper?) Yep.

Wayne’s album, Tha Carter III is this year’s biggest selling album and fittingly, the second biggest sellers, Coldplay, had the next most nominations with seven. The album of the year category looks like this: Weezy (Wayne) with “Tha Carter III;” Coldplay with “Viva la Vida;” Radiohead with “In Rainbows;” Ne-Yo with “Year of the Gentleman;” and Robert Plant/Alison Krauss with “Raising Sand.”

My pick for album of the year is Coldplay’s “La Vida” but knowing the Grammy’s, don’t be surprised to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss win with an album nobody wants to hear. Sue me for that last comment.

The awards will be announced February 8 on CBS. Go Weezy!

Rapper T.I., who attained fame after the release of his multi-platinum, Grammy nominated album “King” in 2006 (and role in the movie ATL), released his sixth album Tuesday entitled “Paper Trail.”

T.I. attributes the title to actually writing down his lyrics for this album and not relying strictly on memorization, a practice of his contemporaries, most notably (and successfully),  Lil’ Wayne. Since smashing onto the rap scene five years ago, he has been dubbed by many as “The Jay-Z of the South” and promises this to be his hardest hitting album yet.

T.I. has been known better lately for his legal troubles, pleading guilty to federal weapons charges this past February. He was sentenced guilty and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service and serve a year behind bars. The service should be no problem; T.I.’s well known in his hometown city of Atlanta as being a proud humanitarian.

The jail sentence, however, was surely a downer but T.I. hopes he will become a better man from serving his sentence. He’s learned from his mistakes and doesn’t want to become another Tupac Shakur, a similar rapper of reverence who was cut down well before his time. So best wishes to T.I. in getting your personal life in order and releasing another successful album.

Although MTV has banished music videos to its more obscure network, MTV2, the MTV Video Music Awards continues to be must-see television for the stellar performances, entertaining fashion choices, and inevitable drama.  Here’s what to expect this year:

THE HOST: MTV ventured to the other side of the pond to find this year’s host, Russell Brand, a stand-up comedian who is better known as “the British guy” from Forgetting Sarah Marshall.   Brand, who teeters between comedic genius and completely insane, is an interesting choice to host the awards show, and he’s the first to admit it. In a recent interview, Brand manically declared, “no one knows who I am, no one!”  Brand, whose hair is just as unruly as his personality, will undoubtedly contribute to the show’s madness with his unusual sense of humor and charming British accent.

THE PERFORMANCES:  The Jonas Brothers, called “God’s favorite Virgins” by host Russell Brand, will have their set introduced by brother Joe’s rumored girlfriend, Taylor Swift. Hot mamma, Christina Aguilera, will croon her brand-new single, “Keeps Getting Better”, promising a first look at her new image and sound.  In collaboration news – Kid Rock is set to share the stage with Lil’ Wayne, and T.I. and Rihanna will debut “Live Your Life”.  Kanye West will deliver a blow-out performance to close the show, lifting his juvenile ban on MTV events.

BRITNEY SPEARS: The VMAs would not be complete without an appearance by Britney Spears.  It was confirmed (finally!) that she will open the show, and while the exact nature of her much buzzed about appearance remains unclear, MTV president, Van Toffler, assures that it will be “fun and unexpected”.  Britney’s past antics – gyrating on stage with a snake, locking lips with Madonna, and a disastrous “comeback” performance – could easily be characterized as fun or unexpected, so let’s hope those two words will assume a very different, positive meaning for the pop princess this year.

Tune in this Sunday, September 7 at 9 pm ET for all the promised music and mayhem (and a rare chance to catch music videos actually being played on MTV)!

If hip hop were baseball, The Game would be batting 1000. The scorecard now reads: 3 stellar albums in 3 tries over a span of just 3 years. “LAX,” his latest effort, earns the title of 3 peat, a boast made by Lil’ Wayne, but only befitting The Game.

In a span of three short years, he has managed to resurrect a floundering West Coast hip hop scene while in the process, alienating himself from nearly everyone responsible for the success of his debut rap classic, “The Documentary.”

What’s so endearing about The Game is that he reps the West Coast like a badge of honor. A self- proclaimed Piru blood from the rugged streets of Compton, CA, The Game rhymes with a bravado unequaled in hip hop while maintaining a reverence for the legends that came before him.

He wears the pride of his hood in the form of his several tattoos and in the gangsta ethos displayed in his rhymes. He’s the most talented West Coast rapper to come along in years and everyone, it seems, wants to collaborate with him. Fourteen artists make guest appearances on “LAX” alone. Fourteen!

Highlights on “LAX” are his collaboration with Ice Cube (his favorite rapper of all time), State of Emergency, which happens to be one of the best songs on the album. Other strong tracks include Bulletproof Diaries, My Life, and Game’s Pain. He may never deliver another album as raw and consistent as “The Documentary,” but if “LAX” is any indication, The Game will be ruling the hip hop game (no pun intended) for years to come.

Saturday Night Live has tapped Olympic Golden Boy, Michael Phelps, to host its 34th season premiere on September 13.  Lil’ Wayne, who Phelps jammed to on his iPod before races, is set to be the musical guest.

While Phelps might seem like an odd choice for SNL, we all know that the eight-gold-medal-winning phenom performs well under pressure.  Perhaps a hosting gig on a sketch comedy program isn’t too big of a stretch. Plus, Phelps can provide endless material for sketches revolving around men in too tight (and often too scant) swimwear. 

The superhuman swimmer is ratings magic, and SNL is not the only program to take advantage:  MTV has secured Phelps to make an appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 9.

There are two divergent crowds when it comes to athletes and Saturday Night Live: those who love it and those who find it agonizing to watch.  Can Phelps pull this off or will he be a fish out of water?

Attention hip-hop fans! Dr. Dre, the one and only Dr. Dre (Andre Young), legendary rap artist and best producer in the game, is finally dropping another album. The project, “Detox,” which has been in the works longer than George Dub’s presidency, reportedly is slated for a late November/early December 2008 release date.

If you are like me and consider 1992’s “The Chronic” the greatest rap album of all time and precedent for every gangsta rap album to come out for the next sixteen years, this is, needless to say, some very welcoming news. “Detox” comes nine years after the mildly disappointing “Chronic 2001″ which tried too hard to duplicate its predecessor without offering much invigorating outside of Eminem’s guest spots. Such an effort can be excused though because, honestly, how do you duplicate “The Chronic?” It’s like trying to duplicate MJ’s sweet fade-away or Tiger’s effortless swing.

“Detox” promises guest spots running the gamut from legendary to legend-to-be. Jay Z and the ubiquitous Lil’ Wayne are both scheduled to appear on the album as well as 50 cent and what should be a slate of label- mates. Mainstream hip-hop is in dire need of a Dr. Dre effort; for eight long years all we’ve heard is bits and pieces of his production of other artists; who knows what he is truly capable of? In a couple short months we will surely find out.

A crew like Doomtree makes you wonder if someone like Lil’ Wayne even knows what real hip-hop is.

The difference between mainstream hip-hop and the underground has been growing faster than 50 Cent’s garage, but it is that kind of unbalanced gap that both hip-hop fans and scientists can agree will eventually collapse.  Even now, underground hip-hop sounds like the golden age, while most hip-pop radio hits don’t make it past this summer.

With hip-hop’s rise to mainstream prominence in the last ten years, a healthy underground has flourished everywhere.  That same rise to prominence has corroded some of what made hip-hop vital in the first place though.

The idea of the crew has largely disappeared, at least as it was manifested with all MCs on equal footing.  Most “crews” now are nothing more than entourages that resemble royal courts, with courtesan MCs trying to gain favor with the king.

Doomtree, a collective structure of 5 MCs and 6 producer/DJs, released their self-titled third album last week.  After about a decade of writing beats in their bedrooms and working on their flow, Doomtree is about to go all Atmosphere on us.  The new album is strong from beginning to end, and any fan is getting twice their money’s worth in the sweat of the crew.

Hip-hop’s potential is sadly something missing from most “club hits”: explosive creative intelligence. Doomtree has it in spades, and knows how to use the power of the crew; pay particular attention to P.O.S., the uppercut of the crew (when he lands, it’s a k.o.) and Dessa, who flows like Ladybug from Digable Planets and sings like Nina Simone.

What we now call “underground” is actually the future of hip-hop – multi-cultural, multi-gender, highly local but potentially global – not in any bleeding heart way, but as a stone cold fact.  Doomtree is headed is exactly the right direction.  They’re not there yet – and their latest album is not a perfect album.  But maybe the next one will be.