Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Feb 6, 2012, 9:50 pm
So I'm late on this slightly because I didn't really see the initial incident while watching the Superbowl. All I noticed was the seconds late blurring by the production crew then the backlash on the news this morning. Now of course, just as I didn't think Janet's nipple was a big deal, I don't real...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Feb 1, 2012, 8:05 am
A Message from NC-17 Hip Hop isn’t dead, it’s just outgrown the crib rap purist wanted to chain it to. Rap music is our music. It’s the struggle of the Black American, the rise to fame, or the play by play of the parties thrown. Brothers and S...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 27, 2012, 7:31 pm
I had to do something while my daughter was in sewing class so I picked up "the Pact" at Barnes and Noble and between that and waiting at a kid's birthday party, I pretty much read half of the book by three 'young' black doctors from Newark New Jersey named Sampson Davi...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 23, 2012, 7:59 am
I think I would be remiss after all the Jay and Beyonce love if I didn't give credit to a Mr. Clifford "Tip" Harris for doing a show that brings family life to the forefront and attempts to stave off some of the damage that gets done once a week by Love and Hip Hop. Just this last week TI had to dea...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 20, 2012, 7:37 pm
Nicki minaj actually released a video for this adhd induced song. Honestly, Nicki is very unique and I can give her credit for that but all of the little cartoon gimmickery is old to me, especially when it's so ridiculously overused. This video also has nice color and it does have unique style to it...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 19, 2012, 8:00 am
Now I don't like to take things out of hip-hop too much when I'm posting on this blog but I think that's there is an important topic to discuss, and that is the new movie Red Tails which will be in theaters as of January 20th. Now I know a lot of people are going to say (especially younger) I don't ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 18, 2012, 7:35 am
So another issue of a dude who represents the 'real' in the streets going wrong was also recently evident in Michigan. Let me say this- if you don't belong there, keep your ass out of Michigan people, it's real up there. So apparently, there was an attempt to jump and rob Tity 2 Chainz at a club app...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 16, 2012, 8:07 am
I've been seen as too critical of a lot of artists, especially today because I think they're wack or squandering talent. One of the main reasons is that I have grown up on hip-hop and realize that to impress me it takes a lot because I have heard a lot of hip-hop. I mean all I was buying when I firs...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 13, 2012, 7:22 am
So I really thought about ignoring this particular situation because I'm like..It's Chopper...from the band...oh well. But I was moved to listen to this audio of him describing what happened to him, all the while realizing he's going to talk even tougher now. Here is the video courtesy of MTV real f...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 12, 2012, 8:00 am
Maybe it isn't as much of a conundrum as it is annoying that everyone thinks they are a boss of something now in rap. I'll give credit where it is due, Ross has certainly seemed to personify this attitude and take it to the net level, even though, just like wrestlers, it isn't what he first started ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 11, 2012, 7:50 am
So the buzz this year so far is the feud between Common and Drake which recently popped off, first with Common dropping "Sweet" which was full of subliminal shots, Drake tweeting, then Common going all in on the same beat as Drake's latest feature. I am always of the mind that beef can push people t...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 10, 2012, 8:56 pm
Let me say this, I have no hate towards Jay-z for having a kid. Hell it's about damn time. But people we need to get a collective grip for real. He isn't the first father, not the first celebrity father, and I'm pretty sure he isn't the first to love his daughter. I have no problem with him dropping...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 10, 2012, 8:06 am
After reading up on what others thought about my boy Childish Gambino's album "Camp" and seeing the comments I felt like I needed to address something that continually cropped up, the idea that Donald Glover is 'corny' because he doesn't talk about the streets. At least thats what my assumption is, ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Jan 7, 2012, 10:32 pm
So you may know I'm not a big fan of the modern mix tape, especially as is treated like an album, albeit with limited distribution and no direct checks for the artists. I understand, once 50 Cent and Gip-set were able to make a huge push in the streets with them, they became the accepted way to gain...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Dec 23, 2011, 9:33 pm
I'll say this, i like the Roots, don't necessarily love them though I have seen them in person because as a band they're just ill. Though they recently had some slight controversy on their regular gig on the Jimmy Fallon show, they still found the time to release a concept album called "Undun", and ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Dec 21, 2011, 7:40 am
This quick video tells the truth right here about what goes on in the radio industry, especially in Baltimore, MD. I took the station off of my dial a long time ago, but I dropped all of the urban stations because I don't want to hear the same thing several times ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Dec 3, 2011, 11:13 pm
After a hiatus of a couple of years and a divorce from G-Unit, everyone's favorite street-hop artists from Brooklyn are back with another album full of street anthems. The Mash Out Posse may be best known for Ante Up which has become a de-facto breakdance/pop cultural icon  but the Posse still rema...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Dec 1, 2011, 10:10 am
So I got into a heated twitter war with @OMG_its_Justin because he didn't like my assessment that Toty Boi aka 2 Chainz sucks. Actually the homie @8plus9 asked me if I had heard the Tru Religion mix tape. Here is what I said: @8plus9 yo son is one of the worst rappers ever...been th...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Nov 22, 2011, 7:36 am
Number one how y'all doing? Good, now that that's out of the way, I have a big problem with the American Music Awards. You already know I don't really mess with award shows in the first place but this was completely bogus. The nominees to every urban award were Nicki Minaj and Lil' Wayne? Even Weezy...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Nov 18, 2011, 7:18 am
Finally someone has the balls to address some bullshit that gets put out by some of these new rappers that are out now.A new freestyle from his mix tape called "Bada Boom" is generating a lot of buzz as he is going directly at a lot of people from Shawn J of Field Mob to Big Sean and Drake. The main...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Nov 15, 2011, 7:04 am
After looking at my album review of Take Care by Drake and the bit of firestorm that this new release is causing I had to come back and make this post. The controversy for me surrounds whether or not Drake is actually a great rapper and if this is a great rap album (it's not). See some people think ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Nov 13, 2011, 9:07 pm
Jay-z tried to profit off of the Occupy Wall Street movement by snaking someone else out of the phrase "Occupy All Streets" and putting it on T-shirts and selling them. In one way, it is genius, talk about the movement while bringing attention to the fact that it's not just Wall Street t...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Nov 11, 2011, 11:01 pm
Look I thought this was another mixtape so I didn't even look at the track list. This is the album version of the mix tape though and it shows that much of the street release was good enough to be turned into a studio album in your stores. There are minimal changes if you already have it, but it's o...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Nov 11, 2011, 10:09 pm
So there are a lot of new young hipster type artists coming out and many are in more of the Kanye West non-thug model and thats a good thing to have something new and different. Childish Gambino is the alter ego of actor Donald Glover who stars on NBC's Community as Troy. The image of Troy is one th...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Nov 7, 2011, 9:42 pm
So Drake's eagerly awaited follow-up album "Take Care" has leaked and if this is indeed the album, it might just be the best r and b album of the year. That's right, this isn't a hip-hop album in the strictest sense. His first one wasn't either but it's still surprising. So here is my album review o...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Nov 6, 2011, 11:19 pm
So as the fourth quarter rolls along so do the album releases. The latest is from mac Miller the latest in a series of white rappers soon to be hitting the shelves and the most laid back of them. With the album, Mac is out to have more success than the similar Asher Roth who also just talks about pa...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 30, 2011, 7:26 am
I know that when I post and talk about hip-hop I can seem unconventional at times. I'm pretty sure some people think that I am just trying to go against convention just to be doing so but believe me I don't. Those people are just as bad as the people who never question artists who are designated by ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 29, 2011, 8:17 am
By now, Styles P is a member of Hip-hop history even though it would seem to be at odds with his street persona, he is a rapper. A throwback to a grittier era, this album is a straightforward example of NY hip-hop. The album starts off with an ode to smoking "This is How i Fly" which feat...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 28, 2011, 8:52 pm
So finally, the long awaited sophomore album of DC's Wale is just about ready to drop and either solidify him as one of the brightest stars in the game or possibly drop him down to the title of also-ran. His first album was a great surprise that I gave an award to for album of the year. It was the b...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 26, 2011, 7:17 am
This year I was thoroughly disappointed by the hip-hop material that was released by major labels. The albums were few and far between and those that were released didn't live up to my lofty expectations most of the time, however this isn't my most disappointing, its my top 5 of the year. ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 25, 2011, 7:23 am
Now this might be my favorite award to give out in a way because I consider this the one that is designed to keep people honest. Of course whenever you say something is a disappointment you're going to get some opinions because you're stepping on some people's toes. 5. T.I. - No Mercy ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 20, 2011, 7:28 am
It's the time of the year where I give my thoughts and ideas on who would be the victors at my awards show if I was having one. You been around, you know what this is, so let's get it started. This year, click on the highlighted links for my initial reviews. 5. Sheek Louch- Donnie G - Don...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 18, 2011, 7:46 am
This year is more of the same, in general the same guys seem to crop up and fill up the list from one year to the next, this year the majority of the six finalists/candidates were on the list last year. 6. Wale- Two years ago I gave Wale my album of the year for his debut "Attention Defic...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 17, 2011, 8:17 am
So recently Jay-z commented on the fact that he thinks weed smoking has gotten to the point where it is affecting hip-hop music in general, making everything extra mellow and soft. A link to his comments is right here courtesy of Contactmusic.com (ironically). The first blush attitude would be to wr...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 12, 2011, 6:46 am
So this might be one of those posts people tend to gloss over because they don't see the splashy name and headline at the top but I implore you to take a look and a listen as I showcase some more of the talent that you may not know quite yet. Forst up there is an artist I have here who go...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 10, 2011, 7:44 am
So I looked at Worldstar and they have a new video about Wayne and his "Public Service Announcement" and this is a reflection of what he felt about Steve Job's death. However, I'm confused as to what the hell he is talking about. On one hand, he is talking about how he wants to be remembered. Now th...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 6, 2011, 9:37 pm
So one new issue in hip-hop is an editorial piece that Luke wrote in the Miami New times. You can go ahead and read it here: Luke's Gospel So Luke is tired of people coming into his city and profiting from the lifestyle, getting enjoyment and partying al...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 6, 2011, 7:30 am
So i have been scouring the web looking for hip-hop blogs that are more like my own, an opinion or independent idea and not just a re-posting of the same gossip and rumor that you find everywhere. Thus i ended up at The Big Ghost Chronicles . Now I'm not going to say whether or not this b...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 5, 2011, 10:50 pm
I wish I could show you my face as I watch this video of Papoose and I'm really in disbelief that this guy actually thinks he is "King of NY". Number one that title kind of died with Biggie and when Jay-z decided against volume 1 that name. Then the other crazy thing was that it's Papoose and Red Ca...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 3, 2011, 7:39 am
This may seem to be the opposite of how I seem to preach at times here on this blog, but in truth you have to have other things other than the technical ability to put lyrics together. This really came to light while listening to J.Cole's album. Now Cole can rap, fine. But ther eis nothing about J.C...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Oct 2, 2011, 6:02 pm
I used to be a fan of Puffy. Even though he had killed his own label by focusing on himself as the main attraction and couldn't launch acts successfully after featuring them for weeks on MTV. I don't drink but he built the ciroc brand into a formidable entity and his Sean John label is the only line...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Sep 26, 2011, 10:21 pm
J. Cole, Drake, and Wale are like the new holy trinity of hip-hop, all three being hyped and promoted each by another of hip-hops current heavyweights. Wale and Drake both dropped last year and Cole has been sitting on the shelf for a while, dropping highly respected mix tapes but his actual album r...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Sep 26, 2011, 7:39 am
Simply put this post is about an artist who was one of the next in line to blow around the time when Jadakiss was coming into his own and 50 Cent was beginning to get his shine on. Ironically, considered the next Shyne, Mysonne was on the sure fire path to stardom. Unfortunately, a jail stint put hi...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Sep 26, 2011, 7:27 am
So now we have my top ten and actually this section is probably anti-climactic when compared to the previous sets of ten. I know there have been some shocks and surprises along the way and I will have taken bumps and bruises and my share of criticism but every list is like this. Here we go, the fina...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Sep 23, 2011, 7:55 am
Finally, we're into the money now with the top 20. I just think I need to remind everyone that this list does include notable historical hip-hop icons such as Slick Rick, KRS-One, and Rakim just to name a few. Understanding this, there would be a lot of movement of the top 25 or so...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Sep 22, 2011, 7:48 am
We're getting to the end now and this next set is going to get us all the way to the top 20: 29. Bizzy Bone - Look a lot of people haven't followed a lot of Bizzy's work when he isn't with the rest of his Thugs-n-Harmony brothers, but they should. When listening to Bone without Bizzy, the...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Sep 20, 2011, 7:01 am
Part 4 of my series and countdown of the top 55 (56) rappers in my all time list. The last edition ended with Big Boi of the illustrious group Outkast at number 37 so let's continue. 36. Ja Rule - He is definately not the best lyricist to ever enter the game but he was the top artist from...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Sep 16, 2011, 10:48 pm
So I was looking at one of my ignant blogs and I ran across an artist by the name of Iggy Azalea and honestly I'm torn on this one. First it's not really my kind of music, now she isn't a bad rapper but she isn't good and from what I see she's just a gimmick. but here- check these out now: ...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Sep 16, 2011, 7:53 am
I stopped off with an odd number because having like 11 or 12 posts for this might be a tad much suspense but I'm back with part 3 of the countdown. 43. Eve -  The pitbull in a skirt blew onto the scene with Ruff Ryders and threw down the female rap gauntlet. The last in the golden era f...
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Steven J. posted an article on As Is Hip-Hop - Sep 14, 2011, 7:24 am
So in part two, I will continue counting down but let me also clue you in as to why some of your afvorite current rappers aren't in this countdown. I know someone is going to say Drake is better than Mase, why isn't he on the list? The reason is simple, he hasn't done nearly enough to prove himself ...
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