Check out my new site Stuntinonprose.com (shameless plug but sometimes it be’s like that)

I know y’all are probably thinking “okay, duh” just based upon the title but I wanted to expound upon the comparison. Usually cats  are referring to the gimmicky pettiness of constant beefing in the rap game when they make this comparison, but I wanted to take it in a different direction.

Most males when they were younger loved wrestling. When I was into it–I’d say early to mid-90s–WWF was wrecking shop on WCW whose only stars were the geriatric Ric Flair, the lame ass Steiner brothers & the Crow look-alike, Sting (well, Sting was kind of cool except his signature move was the same as Brett Hart’s. Biter). None of them could hold the balls of Hulk Hogan, ”Macho Man” Randy Savage or the Ultimate Warrior. So, needless to say I was a fan of WWF. Every Monday when RAW came on around 9 or 10pm, I was watching USA–a channel that had nothing else going for it besides the WWF which was later snatched up by FX making USA obsolete. Each week I would tune in to see what happened next in the unfolding storylines or what slub would emerge from being a background crony in a crew to a champion (the Rock) or what happened on Wrestlemania (which Ma Dukes was not upping the Pay Per View dough to for). For awhile I, like most kids my age, went really hard for wrestling. It had to be for about 4-5 years or maybe longer.

Then I got older…I begin to watch it less and less, possibly because of that E True Hollywood story special exposing the truth about how fake wrestling was, possibly because I got into sports, chasing skirts and getting fresh among other things. The point is, I grew out of it. After getting older, I knew who was going to win. I knew what characters they were going to develop into “good guys” or “bad guys” and who would end up the champion. And worst of all, I knew it was FAKE. So that kind of took the allure away.

Look at the rap game and say it’s not identical. You know who’s going to win (sell a shitload of albums). There’s good guys, bad guys (Common/50 Cent). Weed carriers turn into generals (Jim Jones/Fat Joe). And 90% is faker than that rotund butt Kim Kardashian mysteriously got a couple of months ago. The older and older I get, the less rap appeals to me. Hip Hop still resides at the core of my musical taste but rap music makes it difficult for me to continue listening to Hip Hop. Just like with wrestling, I’m just kind of growing out of rap music. When you know everything these dudes are sayin’ is fugazi, regurgitated from some OG’s life or written by someone else then it kind of makes listening to rap (not Hip Hop) pointless.

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In one of my earlier posts on this section of the Internets, I explained how hip-hop is the only musical culture that doesn’t give a fuck about its fans or even its fellow man, save for when it’s time to “get that money.” But as usual, my ideals were misconstrued as “old man in the club” jibba jabba, which is odd considering that my age puts me in that same demographic the Hugo Chavezes of rap target that bullshit towards. So excuse me if I may come off as bitter because I encompass a higher level of thinking than most (word to Ms. Howse), and thus won’t fall for those insipid fallacies that are disguised as “good music” despite the fact it’s been forced upon us for some time now.

At the same time, those that do fall for the shit have the gall to call the rest of us out on it, dismissing it as “hate,” when they are sorely mistaken. Hitler’s “Final Solution,” Hiroshima’s ethering, Iraqi insurgents in Guantanamo Bay treated like pitbulls in Ron Mexico’s backyard and the overall fucking over of minorities? Hate. The fact someone feels that a popular rapper is wack, and nothing is going to change that opinion lest they turn water into the cure for The Germ? Not so much.

Many people (including myself) complain that hip-hop music has disintegrated into nothing more than minstrel-era dances (“Watch My Feet,” A.H.L.O.T? Holy shit; take me now, Black Jesus) and overused drug references, and that the people do not have a say in what can and should not get play, to which I call bullshit on. I once stated that the people who run this hip-hop shit are not the TIs that believe it’s a good idea to create a show that shows Reh Dogg in the shower (ayoooo…), it is the ones that purchase, copy, bootleg and steal this shit. We are the ones they are catering to, so contrary to popular belief, we do have the power to tell these motherfuckers, “Enough is enough.”

But who am I to say shit like I’m Raúl Castro or something? Most of today’s generation – my generation – prefer to post fruity-looking videos of themselves humping ottomans, shuffling their feet to a sample of The Lion King or having their sons puddy-pop on YouTube. Ain’t nothing “quasi” about that shit; that shit’s a full-blown, flagrant foul on homosexuality, with a dash of coonery thrown in for good measure. Does anybody else agree with me that YouTube is the new blackface?

But fuck if nobody wants to open his or her eyes, ears and minds to it. We’d much rather jump on the Internets to insult the next man, throw on some too-tight meatwatcher jeans and other such dumbass shit while whining how some tree-bark eating Jansport rocker doesn’t get enough shine. Yet we wonder why hip-hop stays losing.

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                Before I get into this, let me finish some unfinished business. The last blog was my list, but there were a lot of people shouting out albums they thought were dope that I didn’t list or mention. I love hip hop, so instead of whining, “Oh, it’s my list, fuck ya’ll” or some gay shit like that, Go check out Canibus’ “For Whom the Beat Tolls”, Joell Ortiz “Brick Bodega Chronicles”, Devin The Dude “Waiting to Inhale”, and Busta Rhymes “Big Bang Theory”…and to take it a couple years back, check out “Chemistry” by Buckshot and 9^th wonder.  Now…on with the show

“Junk mail I toss it, trash like Kelly’s trapped in the closet”
-Defari “Clowns”

                It’s getting pretty obvious this Vick shit is coming to an end. Even if they don’t have evidence on dude other than “snitches”, he’s being judged by a jury and I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be swayed by public opinion. The public has already convicted him. Sports writers are convicting him, he’s suspended (no matter what they try and say, if he can’t go to work, so he suspended), his shoes aren’t being released, his jerseys have been pulled from the stores, Fox news is partying daily, ole dick in the booty ass Russell and Al Sharpton (yea, that nigga) are writing letters, and PETA is protesting. Congratulations America……you’ve legally gone back to lynching niggas without a trial…give yourself a hand….

(break for applause)

….Normally I’m completely against this. I’m sick of hearing about this Vick shit, I’m tired of people dissing Barry Bonds, I’m glad the Garnett trade went through, it gives Sportscenter something else to focus on. There is one situation I would’ve gladly excepted the “good ole boys” pissing on the name of a black celebrity pre-trial….

….come on now. Vick is being crucified due to the words of some snitches, we got tape on this dude. I seen the shit. I had a harder time telling it was him in his music videos with the mask on then I did in the video with him and that little girl, yet and still, his music is on the shelves everywhere. Al Sharpton is supposed to be for black people, why is he all over Vick, but yet, doesn’t say shit when the Pied Pisser is on video having sex with a little black girl? Is this muthafucka’s trial even still going on? What evidence do you need?  Do they need some snitches? I’m sure lil Ray Ray seen the tape and can verify that’s R Kelly in that video. Shit, the nigga used the same house he showed off on BET’s “Cribs” rip off “How I’m Living”. The room he filmed that video in was on the show. Not that it’d make any difference, but his music isn’t even that good….it sucks, yet he still roams free.

                You got this dude on tape, giving the little girl some money, watching her dance naked, having sex with her, then getting head and pissing on her, but you can’t convict? Where’s the public outcry for that. This tells me two things:

1.       If your gonna get accused of some shit, make sure it’s a crime against people and not animals. Cuz while little girls can defend themselves, pitbulls are oh so defenseless

2.       If your gonna get accused of some shit, and your black, you better have a hot CD out (that’s where Ron Isley messed up)

On that note, I’m out

                                        -Imus Tha Don

Hip Hop News music industry

Niggren,

I’m in Baltimore prepping for our show tonight at Sonar and I have approximately one hour before I have to get so krispy and go downstairs, so I’mma make this as quick, easy, and painless as possible….

Aspiring producers/rappers/songwriters always hit me on the email asking my advice on ‘gettin in the game’ and so forth.  I’ve never been the one to really give advice, but with the record business being on the edge of shambles and so many cats trying to make sense of it all….I thought I’d give you guys some insight straight from the front lines at Ground Zero:

1.  Good music is not good enough anymore.
You have to have incredible music.  Outstanding music.  Music that is simply excellent beyond all measure.  As artists coming along in the digital age, the key thing to remember is that we are not fighting for people’s money, so much as we are fighting for their time and attention.  I mean, real rap……content is everywhere. Free downloads, screensavers, raingtones, Youtube clips, etc. Consumers are constantly bombarded with free shit, and finding your way through the bullshit to get to the good shit is TRULY a labor of love.  Part of the reason why me and Pooh made Getback a slim and trim 11 songs is to help cut through much of the clutter in today’s market, and to give the listeners the straight story…..people don’t have the time to sit through 18 songs, an intro, 5 skits, an outro, and 2 more ‘hidden’ tracks.  As artists we should always say what we have to say and PROMPTLY shut the fuck up when we’re done.  (For those of you not convinced and still pissed about the short tracklisting, don’t worry, there will be plenty of bonus cuts and exclusive material available at other outlets…) In our present age, brevity is golden.

2.  There is no better marketing strategy than great music.
Yeah, I’m talking to you, the nigga on his myspace page with his shirt off…AND you, the chick with ‘falling objects’ on her page with the words “R&B PrInC3SS and First Lady of *insert startup label/money laundering operation here*” 

While it is very true that all artists require an image to some degree, a great image means nothing if your music is shitty.  Your image may get people to look, but your music is ultimately what will KEEP them looking.  I can honestly say that in my few years in this game, everything I’ve ever gotten has been solely off the fact that people respected my music and understood what I was bringing to the table as an artist…..not because I had a big label budget and a video directed by Steven Spielberg and shit, just my hard earned respect.  Respect, in my opinion, is the cornerstone of any successful career.

Now, I will say that there’s another side to this:  To keep people’s attention, you must have either great music…..OR really, really, really, really, really shitty music that’s just so hilarious and niggerish beyond measure that it makes people laugh. There’s a reason why the Chocolate Rain nigga got over 2 million youtube views, folks…..and its not because we are laughing WITH him..

*moves away from the mic to breathe in*

Most of the music that gets passed to me from cats at shows, is quite frankly, just aiight.  Not terrible and definitely has potential, but not particularly great either.  In my opinion, this is the WORST kind of music you can make because it doesn’t evoke a listener response either way.  So either be really great or really horrible….either way, people won’t forget you and you’ll grab their attention.  The kind of attention you want to grab is all up to you though….

3.  The ‘rap as a hustle’ ethos is pretty much dead.
Make music for the right reasons.  If you’re looking to do this solely as a way to get paid, you will be very surprised (and disheartened) once you find out that there isn’t much money to be made.  Not to make myself out to be Mr. Wendal or no shit, because I do pretty well to be a nigga with practically no mainstream radio/TV exposure…..but I gotta be real with y’all and hit you with a quote from the Holy Book of Elevators, Chapter Andre, Verse 3000:

“I live by the beat like you live check to check….”

This rap shit is uncertain, yo.  And with the industry being in the state of transition that it is now, its even worse.  My heart goes out to every one of you pursuing your dream of making music in this digital age……I couldn’t imagine what its like to be a brand spanking new MC trying to be heard in 2007.  Trying to make it as a rapper in today’s marketplace is like trying to convince a woman who’s been raped to have sex with you.  I mean, imagine a woman who’s been beaten, brutalized, sodomized, pissed on, Wesley Pipe’d, fucked in and out of every hole, forced to perform any and every depraved sexual act you can think of………..and here you come, the nigga with flowers and candy whispering in her ear and telling her that with you ‘things will be different….’

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight……. (c) Dr. Evil

This is the uphill battle that we are all facing as artists:  an ever-changing marketplace, an artform that arguably has peaked financially, and a base of consumers that are much more cynical than ever.  *sigh*  Good luck…

4.  This shit really ain’t that major yo….
Always, always, always remember this key phrase:  It’s just music, people.  Yeah, I know its art and the voice of God workin through us and all that cosmic shit, but when all is said and done, school will still be open on Biggie’s birthday (c)Chris Rock  So many of us throw our lives into this, often to the point of self-sacrifice and self-sabotage, and we often forget what is really important:  the lives of those around us, and the people we really love.  So whenever this music shit gets you down, just fall back, log off, go outside and get some fresh air, have a raspberry banana smoothie, hug your girl/wifey/kids and tell ‘em you love em, and thank God that you’re blessed to see another day…..

….or if that don’t work go get the autotune plug-in for ProTools and saing all your songs like my nigga Terrycloth Pain.

Godspeed and best of luck, my fellow artists……you’re gonna need it.

Getback 9/25

In the club with his shoes off,
Tigallo

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