Hip-Hop

Here I will post videos and entertainment material related to Hip-Hop music and culture, most specifically highlighting my personal favorite artists from the 1990s until now.  For the record (because I know it may seem strange that a "white boy from the 'burbs" would grow up to love rap music), I became a hip-hop fan in the summer of 2000, when my Aunt Kira gave me two C.D's for my birthday--Nelly's "Country Grammar" and Ludacris's "Word of Mouf" (both unedited, of course)--which changed my life forever and evolved into a full-blown passion.  Around that time, my good friend Cam on my soccer team indoctrinated me to "the game" by sharing his headphones with me during an endless bus-trip out to Dallas for a tournament, which marked my first exposure to the genre's true legends and icons, as well as the qualities that make an M.C great.  From there, it was a slippery slope into what I call my "Tupac Phase," when I was so enthralled with the late rapper's rhymes, emotion, and message that everyday after school I'd get off the bus and run home just so I could throw on a wife-beater tank top, gold chain, and front-tied bandana and lay on my bed and channel my own feelings through poetry.  This in mind, after a period away from the genre--bored away by all of Soulja Boy's descendants--I'm proud to say that I'm still a fan of the classics, more than ever an advocate for black equality, and a hopeless snob for lyrics with depth a la Nas, OutKast, 'Pac, and J. Cole.  My humble opinion is that the rap industry is currently in a state of rising from the ashes of this mumble rap/trap music fad (which I must admit is catchy, despite the lyrical dumbing-down), with the two current Best Rappers Alive--J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar--leading the way into a new era of consciousness and substance that I hope and believe will finally bring real change and improvement to their communities.

Now that you have a feel for my tastes, I give you my All-Time Top 10 and current Top 5, which, in the true spirit of Hip-Hop, may be raised for debate or discussion--if you know what you're talking about.  Beyond that, I'm just going to post a long, scrolling stream of music videos, interviews, new music releases, and mixtapes, so get at me for real if you got somethin' to say about my lists!


All-Time Top 10
  1. J.Cole
  2. 2Pac
  3. Nas
  4. B.I.G
  5. OutKast
  6. Eminem
  7. Jay-Z
  8. Lil' Wayne
  9. Kendrick Lamar
  10. Eric B. and Rakim
  11. Honorable Mention: KRS-One, Big L, BlackStar, T.I, Common, Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy

Current Top 5
  1. Cole
  2. K-Dot
  3. Logic
  4. J.I.D
  5. T.I
  6. Honorable Mention: Young Thug (the only decent trap rapper in my opinion), Childish Gambino, CyHi The Prynce, Joey Bada$$, Russ, EVERYONE ON DREAMVILLE!)

Qualities that an M.C should be judged by:
  1. Flow
  2. Rhymes
  3. Storytelling
  4. Originality
  5. Message
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2/23/18

New FIRE from Logic - 44 More

Y'all sleeping on J.Cole, I swear!

J. Cole talks about his writing process

J.Cole and Kendrick Lamar talk about Eminem

Famous rhyme schemes, deconstructed

Logic talks J.Cole influence and secret verse on AfricAryan



2/15/18

Cozz - Zendaya ft. J. Cole  (new FIRE from Dreamville!)

J.I.D. - Hereditary


J.I.D - The Never Story (Mini Doc)


Not Hip-Hop but FKJ got the funk!


FKJ Freestylin'


FKJ - Why Are There Boundaries?


FKJ - Skills




2/8/18
Best Lil' Wayne Interview


Why Does Hip Hop Hate J.Cole?


Why J. Cole is the GOAT!

J. Cole and His Mom on the Grammy's Red Carpet


Lil' Wayne - Everyday We Sick


Lil' Wayne - Roll in Peace


Lil' Wayne - Bank Account


J.I.D - EdEddnEddy


Kendrick Lamar - All The Stars


Kendrick Lamar - A Milli Freestyle


J. Cole - Come Thru and Chill


J.Cole - Old School Songs


1/30/18
2Pac - Changes
The song that got me into 2Pac!


2Pac - California Love ft. Dr. Dre
Love the Mad Max theme!


2Pac - Hit 'Em Up
As savage as it gets...


2Pac - I Get Around
Legend has it 'Pac slept with every girl in this video...


2Pac - Brenda's Got A Baby

2Pac - The Lost Prison Interview

2Pac - Greed in America 1992

2Pac Interview 1992

2Pac - High School Interview

2Pac Death Announcement at Nas Concert 9/13/96

Kendrick on 2Pac

The Notorious B.I.G - Juicy
Probably the single greatest hip-hop song ever made...


The Notorious B.I.G - Big Poppa

The Notorious B.I.G - Sky's The Limit

The Notorious B.I.G - Kick in The Door
Top 5 beat ever in my opinion...


2Pac and Biggie Freestyle
They were friends!


Kendrick Freestyles Over B.I.G Beats

Nas - I Can

Nas - Nas Is Like

Nas - If I Ruled The World

Bone Thugs N Harmony - 1st of Tha Month

OutKast - Ms. Jackson

OutKast - So Fresh, So Clean

OutKast - Da Art of Storytellin'

OutKast - ATliens
"Softly, as if I played piano in the dark..."


OutKast - Southernplayalisticadillacmusik

OutKast - MTV Diary 2001

Key & Peele - OutKast Reunion

Eminem - The Way I Am

Eminem - Forgot About Dre

Eminem - My Name Is

Eminem - The Real Slim Shady

Eminem - Without Me

Eminem - Stan

Eminem - 8 Mile Rap Battles

American Dream ft. Jeezy, J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar
Cole turnin' up the heat!!!


Lil' Wayne - Dedication 6 Full Mixtape
Wayne back to his best!


Lil' Wayne - La La La
"And you know I'm duckin' 5-0 and my moms..."
The epitome of my high school years!


J. Cole - Eyez Documentary

J. Cole - 4 Your Eyez Only Documentary
J. Cole is the man!!!


J. Cole - The Disease of More
Only speaking the Truth!


J. Cole - Interview with Sway

J. Cole - Change
You want Flow?  Rhymes?  Message?  Cole is the king!


J. Cole - Immortal

J.Cole - Neighbors

J. Cole 4 Your Eyez Only at The Moon, Tallahassee, FL
The show my brother and I were at!


Hiii Power ft. Kendrick Lamar
Gotta show Love to K-Dot, too!

i - Kendrick Lamar

DNA - Kendrick Lamar

The Recipe - Kendrick Lamar ft. Dr. Dre
Damn, I love this song!


Alright - Kendrick Lamar

Section .80 Full Album - Kendrick Lamar


Mask Off (Remix) - Future ft. Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick destroys this...


J.I.D - Never
Remember the name J.I.D!


J.I.D - Lauder

J.I.D - Oochie Wally Freestyle on Shade45
Freestyle or not, these rhymes are incredible!

J.I.D - Freestyles on Flex

Logic - Black Spiderman

Logic - AfricAryan ft. J. Cole and Neil Degrasse Tyson
Wait for the secret Cole verse at the end!


Kendrick Lamar, Logic, and Joey Bada$$ - Freestyle Cypher

J. Cole - Hot 97 Freestyle Part 1
Cole with the bars!

Part 2

Part 3

Lil' Wayne - Freestyle Cypher
Wayne...lol

Lil' Wayne - Da Drought 3 Mixtape
My soundtrack from high school!

Lil' Wayne - No Ceilings Full Mixtape
Wayne's last great mixtape...

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