OPINION: Jay-Z & Geezer Friends Lodge A Formal Complaint
Like him or not, until the ascension of Weezy in 2008, Jay-Z had been the titular “Best MC in the Game” for an astonishing 11 years. His reign began in 1997 with the death of the Notorious B.I.G. who had taken the reigns from Snoop in ‘95, who himself had come to power after that contentious period between 1986-1992 when the crown went back and forth regularly between Rakim and KRS-One, with Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick and LL Cool J all staking legitimate claims.
But then I turned on the radio Friday evening and heard Mr. Cee and Funkmaster Flex cackling like two geriatrics that had just discovered internet porn. Turns out, each of these two get a shout-out in Jay-Z’s latest song. Since they’ve also got some scores to settle of their own, they seem to figure that Hov’s latest is just the cover they needed to get behind for them to begin firing wildly.
In Jay-Z’s newest song, D.O.A., or Death of Autotune, Hov uses his status as a trend-setter and tastemaker to attempt to end the latest trend run amok, rappers and singers who use Autotune; that infuriating voice altering device, first brought to the surface by Peter Frampton, which makes everybody sound like Roger Troutman on crack. T-Pain, today’s standard bearer of the device’s usage, gets a special mention (well, diss) in the song as well.
It’s a good song. The lyrics are vintage Jay, and the No I.D. track is steady with occasional flashes of the spectacular. But will it work?
Sure, Jay saying that “I don’t wear jerseys, I’m 30 plus” ended the trend of grown men running around impersonating sports stars and his throwaway lyric, “I guess I got my swagger back” started the runaway usage of a word that was never even clearly defined as complimentary. We can attribute “ass-bet”, “real talk” and a host of others to him and his crew, but the difference this time seems to be that while those other culture-altering phenomenon were organic, never before has Hov attempted something so clearly contrived. Added to the risk involved is that Jay’s own label-mate, protégé and the Kobe to his Jordan—Kanye West—is completely addicted to Autotune.
Sounds like the old man’s gone off his meds.
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Comments
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wisechoice66-15-2009 8:59 am
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thirsty4truth1016-12-2009 2:48 am
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Toledo_is_mine6-11-2009 8:34 pm
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plus686-11-2009 8:29 pm
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BLACKSMITH8436-11-2009 7:33 am
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seldomseen1766-10-2009 5:14 pm
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seldomseen1766-10-2009 4:55 pm
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GrownAzzNukka6-10-2009 4:39 pm
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sexy_koolee6-9-2009 3:00 pm
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hollyhood21126-9-2009 1:25 pm
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C8nUCM3Now_G00d6-9-2009 10:52 am
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Jahz_Lynx6-9-2009 3:21 am
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Callastyle6-9-2009 12:29 am
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SLAbron20016-8-2009 9:28 pm
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Imperfect_Gentleman6-8-2009 8:42 pm
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vanityk-096-8-2009 8:16 pm
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cantmakeaname6-8-2009 4:23 pm
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CRYSTALDELIGHT6-8-2009 2:48 pm
« Previous 1 2Just because you make that fast s**t(120bpm) don’t mean it’s nice!Ain’t that some s**t! You nothing ass motherf**kers slid in the door like thieves! South Rap motherf**ker please, Weezy? Soulja Boy? and some of thar other unbalanced ass “BULLS**T” you ignorant ass f**kers call yourself “SPITTIN” from down there is a MOCKERY! I don’t care what any of you say, the “REAL” south mc’s like SUPASTITION, THE JUSTUS LEAGUE
STRANGE FRUIT PROJECT, and some other gr8ts,hardly get no love!(you some SUPERSTUPID MF!)
you know whatelse is played out?? regular playing cards.
ELEV8 YO GAME WITH COLLECTIBLE HIP HOP PLAYING CARDS BY ‘TRIPSTOPNOVELTIES’. Find em on myspace!!!
someone sounds pretty mad…lol.it kills me how people actually act like they personally know pac, big nas and hov…lol.no one knows what was going on behind the scenes.they are all great artists but dam…get pacs balls out yo mouth…lol.give props where props are due…jay z did like no other did it.maybe if they were alive he might not be where he is at now but they are dead and there are alot of other rappers with skills that were better then jigga but they didnt do it…jigga did.DONT BE ANGRY CAUSE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE BOUGHT JIGGA S**T.he nice..so was pac, big, nas…all of them.stop hatin…what u mad for son…what, you must be the mad blogger…lol
JAY Z, THE ISLEY BROTHERS, THE GAP BAND, CONFUNCTION, FRANKIE BEVERLY AND MAZE, JILL SCOTT, ERYKA BADU, MUSIQ SOULCHILD, MARY J. BLIGE, TEENA MARIE ANGELA WINBUSH, ANGELA BOFILL PATTIE LABELLE, QUINCY JONES, BONEY JAMES, HOWARD HEWITT, EL DEBARGE, SWITCH, THE JACKSONS, STACY LATTISAW, JOHNNY GILL, KEITH SWEAT….WHAT THE HELL? WHERE’S THE MUSIC I WANT TO BUY? (PHYLLIS HYMAN, LUTHER VANDROSS, MARVIN GAYE, GERLD LEVERT, ISSAC HAYES BARRY WHITE…..ALL OF THE GREATEST KEEP DISAPPEARING OUT OF OUR MUSIC LIFE. THE LIFE WHEN I USED TO BUY ALBUMS AND LISTEN TO EVERY SONG, SOMETIMES OVER AND OVER. YOU LEGENDS ARE LETTING ME DOWN. YOUR MUSIC COULD ALWAYS BE SOLD IN A WAL-MART. MY MOMMA LIKED YOUR MUSIC, HER MAMMA LIKE YOUR MUSIC. YOU DID SELL SOME ALBUMS DIDN’T YOU? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? DID YOU JUST GIVE UP ON US? WE DO HAVE JOBS TOO YOU KNOW. WE CAN AFFORD TO PAY FOR AN ALBUM OF YOUR CALIBER. I DIDN’T STOP BUYING ALBUMS BECAUSE I DIDN’T HAVE MONEY, I STOPPED BUYING BECAUSE MY FAVORITE ARTISTS STARTING GIVING UP ON THEIR FAN BASE AND SAT BACK AND LET THIS BULLCRAP HIT THE MARKET. THAT BULLCRAP ACTUALLY HAS A MARKET FOR THE YOUNG, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OLDER PEOPLE WHO STILL JUST WANT TO WOO THEIR WIVES AND GIRLFRIENDS, STILL JUST WANT TO START A REVOLUTION, STILL JUST WANT TO BE TAKEN AWAY IN YOUR MEANINGFUL LYRICS? WHO THE HELL WILL I GET LOST IN NOW? GERALD LEVERT’S ALBUM WAS THE LAST I BOUGHT AND I’M LOOKING FOR TEENA’S NOW…..ONLINE….STOP LETTING YOUR PEOPLE DOWN.
WOW. SELDOMSEEN176 NAILED IT. DAMN.
WTF does C8nucmenow talking aobut? The south had no style,the south stole swag? Get the hell outta here,please get it right because for years south rappers couldn’t even get their s**t played on the radio because of the bias industry,what did the north get a paten on style that I was unaware of? Please get it right the south didn’t steal s**t from up east coast what about how Jim Jones running round talkin bout BALLIN. Where do you think that terminology came from huh? It surely wasn’t New York, as a matter of fact I think that is what you guys called CLOCKERS back then. Yeah really original stuff comming from the originators. As for stealing east coast beats and putting a twist on it,you might wanna go back through history and know that most of the beat structure now is based upon the 120 plus beats per minute format that originated down the bottom MIA,what some of you call booty music.
Why are we having this debate? Why is it that yall act like Jay-Z is the king of rap. Maybe you all forgot he is only placed in that position by default. After 2Pace and Biggie then you people appointed him the king. F**k Jay-Z like I always said when 2pac and the outlaws was callin his ass Gay-Z he wouldn’t say s**t,the dude was talking about retirement after his first record. Then Pac and Big get killed,then all of a sudden he resurfaces as the king of New York. No potna you are not the king of rap and if it wasn’t for Pac and Big’s death he probley wouldn’t even be making records. Also I have a problem with the fact Jigga was so quick to come at Nas when they had the lil beef going on, but 2pac called him everything in the book but a child of GOD and his soft ass was quiet as kept. what a damn joke. As for the autotune thing it’s not even one in the same autotune is a plug in for audio recording software it doesn’t even have the full range of use as a talkbox,or vecoder which is used to help people talk that otherwise couldn’t due to problems with their throat i.e. (cancer). Peter Framton is the man but why would you compare him to Roger Troutman? For one thing you can’t because they use two totally different instruments so they will never sound anywhere close to the same because of the difference in harmonics of the instrument. I want you cats to do your homework before you put stuff otu there and look dumb as hell doing so to those who really have knowledge of this type of stuff. Bottom line the industry is filled with followers and to be real the main man talking trash bit his whole style from Biggie and 2pac. He’s one to talk.
Jay just saying that autone is being overused , cats a re not trying to be creative or original. I believe that’s why he had t-pain on stage with him at summer jam when he perfomred it, to show he dont hate it he just hates they way its being oversaturated
i would love to have,krs one,jigga,and rakim call out the rap game with a track called,TEACHERS…it should be a long track so they can all showcase there skills. it should be sorta of a battle track letting everyone know there just waiting to take over tha game at there own pace and that the’ve still got them flows 4 that azz..
i have a comment,about jay-z being to old to be a rapper.im so sick of people putting a age liment on hip hop.they dont put age liment on rock n roll most of them rock n n****r r in there 60’s.thats a job
DID I JUST REALLY HEAR THAT LIL WAYNE IS THE NUMBER 1 ARTIST IN THE GAME SURPASSING JAY Z!!!!!!!!!!
I DUNNO WHERE U PEOPLE GET UR INFO FROM BUT HAVING HOT BEATS DOES NOT MAKE U AN ILL RAPPER NUM 1. 2 WHEN WEEZY CAN DISPLAY THE LYRICAL SKILL THAT HOV CAN WHILE BEING RELEVANT AND SERIOUS EVERY1 NEEDS 2 STOP SAYING THAT. I KNOW U ALL LOVE THE SOUTH BUT LETS FACE IT……….THEY STLE AN EAST COAST FLOW AND PUT IT 2 THIER OWN BEATS FUSED WITH EAST COAST BEATS THEY STOLE THE SWAG AND RAN WITH IT. tHEY WASNT FLY IN THE SOUTH THEY WERE WEARING WHATEVA NOW THEY STYLE……….AND GOT SWAG……………PLEASE MY G HE WAS HOT WHEN HE WAS A HOTBOY REAL LOUISIANA MUSIC
Do you mean Kanye can sing w/o the Autotune? Are you sure? Did you see his SNL performane? He sings but he’s not really a singer. Jay Z’s wife makes good money singing but I had my remote on speed mute during all the films she sang in. Sounds like she should be out in the pasture calling in farm animals or something from the cloning lab.
I’m Old Skool. I like the pure voice of Hip Hop Artists, and I like a little Auto-tune every once and awhile. Damn! it’s being overused these days. But the kids love it, so be it.
I’ll be glad when we’re out of the woods with this auto-tunes mess. Damn it, T-Pain.
the issue is the fact that people in Hip Hop stopped trying be the next hot thing… now a dayz they just want to copy whats hot.. Puff gets praise for having an ear for whats hot, Quincy Jones was praised for having an ear for the next hot thing, sing the difference
If jay was the best mc in the game for 11 years how did ether take him apart so easily? Hiphop has been dead ever since big and pac died so who cares about these pop artist thats out now
Real talk about that swagg s**t niggaz was not using that word until jigga said something
YES…YES.. EVERYONE GET A GRIP! ITS JUST MUSIC.. BULLS**T MUSIC ON TOP OF THAT… WHAT HAPPEN TO BACK IN THA DAYZ WHEN ARTISTS HAD TO COME OUT WITH HIT ALBUMS AFTER ALBUMS. NOW A NIGGA CAN COME OUT WITH ONE HIT OR A ALBUM AND THEY ARE THE GREATEST HIP HOP ARTIST EVER? THAT S**T BEEN HASNT MADE ANY SINCE AT ALL. BESIDES YES… I FEEL THAT JAY IS OVERATED. I THINK THAT HE IS ACTUALLY PRETTY DAMN AVERAGE. BUT.. I THINK HE HAS GOOD BUSINESS ETHICS. HE HOOKS UP WITH PEOPLE AROUND HIM THAT MAKE HIS STATUS BETTER THEREFORE MAKING HIM OUT TO LOOK LIKE HE IS ON POINT WITH HIS SWAGGER. HOWEVER, HIP HOP IS TOTALLY DEAD AND HAS BEEN DEAD… ANYTIME A BUCH OF GOLD TOOTH NIGGAS CAN GET ON 106 PARK AND BE ON THE COUNT DOWN WITH SOME BULLS**T ASS RYMES ABOUT A GOOFY ASS DANCE THEN THERE YOU GO… ITS BEEN DEAD SINCE 2002