Hey there TR members and TR guests, how are you doing? Excuse me for being a bit late with the release of this issue but something unplanned came up so I hope you don’t mind. This week around, you’ll get the same dosage of Slim Fiasco Coolness plus Wreck’s guest article which I am yet to receive so look out for an editing in. I’m proud to present to you a great interview with Sam who happened to be in the mood and got you guys quite some answers. So I hope you enjoy it, and don’t forget to leave feedback. And guys, you need to work with me, come on! I am yet to receive a questions for me , the interviewer, or an asshole of the week submission.
Interview With Sam.
1. Hey there Sam. You may be known as a judge of rap battles, but sometimes I feel that you’re a lawyer around the forum, like standing up for members and stuff. How would you describe your role on TR?
A lawyer? I'm a motherfuckin criminal, homie. Nah, I was just kidding there. I do like to stand for things that I feel are not right. Many of us have it in them, but they never reveal them, it's them jitters that holds them back. I don't care about the shit that people say to me when I raise my opinion and stand for members here. I feel everyone should be treated equally(I'm talking about good members here). If I see others getting respect for little things and these people getting no recognition, it pisses me off. I know it's an Internet forum for fuck sakes. Like having clearly least contributing member(s) on the vet nominee list. Ignoring those who I mentioned was really stupid. I can't think of the factors that took into consideration for the nominees. Franceso deserves a Vet status. Take Le Tunesien for example, he barely comes online, he got the Vet status lately. Now, tell me what's wrong with franceso, then? This is one thing that I fail to understand. Fleka made a valid point; you need to agree with the “right” members, lol. Well, Fuck that, like I care.
To talk about my role in here. I play the role of a normal member. Nothing special. I say things that I feel, on the spot. I always have something or the other to say in every thread that I see, so I post in there. People call it spam, I say y’all are lazy to type your opinions. If you have a opinion; why not share it?
I'm that kind of guys who likes to help people on here. That's why I help writers in the CW a fucking lot. There's barely any feed, people are so lazy. I can't change them, but definitely I can be the agent of change. I genuinely do that, no hidden motive as people think I've. I love that section and would like to do things to improve it. I'm a writer, I like reading creative things, that's why I'm in that section the most.
2. Speaking of judging rap battles, tell us something more about that. Have you ever made a biased decision, or have maybe regretted some choice after the winner was declared? And just speak on the judging experience in general.
Battling is part of rap, that's why I love them both. I'm not a good battler, that's why I keep a distance from it. That doesn't mean that I can't. When the buttons are pushed, I can battle. But, that's not what I wanna put myself into. I was challenged by Enimee once, the way he called me out ticked me, I responded and won!
I've always had an inclination towards it. So, when I got the opportunity to do something I organized a tourney that Spyder won. Check his sig, I made that. (Just added text, lol). I loved doing that, the twist that I brought, battlers liked that. Since then, I'm finding an opportunity to do that again.
My experiences were really good. I've judged in many battles, glad I could read, observe and learn from the way punches are done. It was a great learning experience. I made some good friends during that period, C.R.E.A.M, Spyder, Guta, Wreck, to name a few.
I do regret the exaggeration that I showed in a battle involving Geno and COSH. I praised Geno's verse a fucking lot, that was not needed. His verse was dope, but I took it to a new pedestal. COSH got pissed, and we got involved in a heated argument and he ended up in my ignore list. Now, it's all good between us. We both are Rhyme Asylum fans, Straight Jacket Immortals motherfucker.
In the future I'll be there when anyone needs me in that section.
3. I think that high school is a precious time in everybody’s life. How would you describe your high school experience, were you popular, and is there some interesting story that you’d share with the readers?
I'm from India. Here, high school is mainly the 11th and the 12th grade. I was outta school and into college. Freedom! I just moved out from my parents house to my sisters. It was my decision to do that, I wanted to be something different, and I'm some what successful in doing that. It was the best part of my life. I met the love of my life. That tender age, the feeling was magical. For once I felt that I needed nothing in life and I've achieved everything. You know what love feels like, man. We used to bunk classes, go to movies, roam in the campus, go for long drives. It was the shit. I passed my 11th grade without studying before hand, just the night before.
I had a near death experience during that time. I got my 1st super bike, the feeling was like letting the air in my face and never stop. I was doing stunts, mad stunts. One day, I was driving in a highway. Two truck were moving along from both the sides of the road. I didn't see the other one coming from the other end. In a frenzy I went to overtake the truck before me, only then I saw the other truck. I hit the brakes as hard as I could. I was in top speed and crashed in front of the other truck. The truck driver had the presence of mind to stop, and he stopped just meters away from my nearly destroyed bike and a injured me. Thank god I didn't end up getting crushed.
There are lot of experiences, man. Just putting out a few.
4.This forum has had its ups and downs, share with us some of your favorite TR memories?
Every time when a member used to agree with the feed that I've given, and say “As Sam said”; that was one of the best memories that I have. I feel secured that I'm actually making sense in my feeds without sounding wrong or out of place. Posting in the CAPS LOCK THREAD, chatting with my former homie dR3 BOI was fun too. Other than that I don't have any memories. De-synchronised. If you know what I mean.
5. Are there any members that aren’t active anymore that you miss?
There are a lot of members that I miss, man. Most of them post occasionally. Guta, Bistnal, Raids The God, Xray(GOAT). Xras and Dark Blue: The funniest duo you'll ever find in an online forum. Yeah, ilovebender.com too(No homo). Dude was a great Rock Music Fan. Used to very random in the caps lock thread. He seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth
6. Here’s your chance to comment on the Fiasco Experiment, and give props to some of the participants:
I already have commented on the whole thing. I think it was a great idea to revive the CW Sec'n. I didn't know about this, I wasn't there when this started. But I was glad that I could witness the end of this experiment. Even though many of the participants left it mid-way; it was still a huge success. I give you props for that. No wonder you're being awarded the Vet status. Congratulation in advance, my friend. Shout outs to Mr'DGAF & Geno for giving their complete dedication to this experiment.
7. Are you into sports? If so, give us some trivia facts as in who’s your favorite team and stuff.
I'm not into sports, sorry. I like to watch them, but never took it seriously. I love Cricket, the whole nation loves it. My favorite team has to be my own country: India. We're the world champions. We won the World Cup last year. Hell Yeah! We have won it twice. That's all the trivia that I can give you. LMAO!
8. Do you think that the future of this forum is bright, and do you plan on staying for a longer time?
With the advent of FB and Twitter, ever message board faces a threat in some way or the other. I was an Admin in a certain Eminem forum; it died very soon. It was then that I realized the power of these social networking sites. It was only then that I joined here and this place was blooming with numerous thread concerning Recovery. Soon after I joined, it leaked. So, I was like a God or some thing. I think it's hard to say about the future of this forum. We just need a whiff of info on Eminem's new Album and BOOM!, we have an active forum.
Not only that, we need to discuss more rappers other than Hopsin, SH, Tech, Kanye, Lupe. Try posting a thread of any other rapper, and you'll see that it gets only 3-4 responses. And post a thread about them; 6 pages in no time. That's why the forum is very less active than it should be. There used to time when people used to post threads about other rappers and there used to be huge discussion. But, some stupid motherfuckers used to blabber about the rappers that I mentioned in every thread and took the direction of the thread some where else. So, they left. As a final result, this forum is slowly dying. We should discuss other rappers too, some times. Otherwise there would be now use of HHD.
9. Have you ever had a heated argument with some of the members? If so, what was it all about and who did you argue with?
Some? Many, lmao. Kez and Geno were the 1st few. I used to mess around and post stupid comments on any girls picture posted in Shady Shots, DELIBERATELY. I had no such feelings, I was just fooling around. People mistook that and labeled me as a stalker. How retarded can some one get? I feel pity for those who still believe that I'm a stalker. I seriously doubt their mental growth and how they live in real life. Fucking losers. After that I was involved in some minor miss understanding with the MODS. They took my sarcasm way too seriously. I also had some great problems in my personal life at that time. My mind was fucked up, yet, I maintained sanity. But, the MODS failed to see that and issued me warnings. I tried to reason with them, but to no avail. It was Big Ax-D if I recall correctly. Dude though that every thing that I say is offensive and gave me warnings. It was hilarious to see how people think. But, that's a closed chapter now.
Another time my personal life took the deepest plunge ever and I was angry at everyone, for no apparent reason. I wasn't thinking straight. I had some heated arguments with Guess_Who, TRSS, Rollin, Sweet_Tooth, DA. It was a very bad phase for me, I was fucked up all the time. Drunk, and online. Some of them knew the reasons of my behavior, yet they too argued with me. I got a warning for that, and I suppose that I called SajN some thing, I don't even remember what. That, has tarnished my image a lot and most of us don't like me and misinterpret my posts. All I've to say is: I mean no harm, I was not in the correct mind state, forgive me and fucking move on already. Otherwise, GO FUCK YOURSELF!
10. Thoughts on this magazine, anything that you’d like to see or you think is missing?
I feel that you stop making this whack ass shit and delete your account. Nah, just kidding. It feels nice to see this kind of things floating around. Shit like this keeps the forum active during dry periods. Great job. I would love to be part of this again, maybe another interview perhaps.
New Vets – 2012 Edition
This is probably the most important TR news of the past week. SajN came out of nowhere with the list of candidates eligible for the VET status, and everybody who isn’t a mod/admin and has more than 50 posts is welcomed to vote. The list of nominees includes Hesky, UofLCardFan08, EminemBase, flyingmonkey, Lello, Trimss, and me. You can only vote once and have the right to do so for up to 4 people, but writing Slim Fiasco is good enough. As I said in the thread, I was surprised to see myself included so thanks to all the people who have made it happen, and of course, for all the people who have voted for me! I’m in a great company, and regardless if I get picked - it’s much appreciated. There are a lot of other members who deserve the same thing, and I’ve only made it thus far because of you guys. If it wasn’t for all the cool members I’d have left the forum a long time ago, and I certainly wouldn’t have tried to contribute by writing rapping tutorials or magazine articles. The voting ends on August 5th. So yeah, this is more about appreciating the rest of you, and I’ll use this opportunity to give my reasons for having this forum as my preferred choice. I love that the number of members isn’t very big, but it’s still big enough, and the core members make this place to feel as an e-family or something. Another big plus is that there aren’t many elitists around, and most people are enthusiastic and open-minded towards new music, so all that positivity is much appreciated. The personalities are very versatile as well, so when the next Em album comes around this forum will be the place to be. The biggest minus is that most people in here don’t appreciate Kanye West, and it’s funny how every Ye related thread seems to turn into a him vs. Eminem debate. So I don’t know, keep thinking that Em’s been a good artist since 2003 and that “ill spitting” matters more than soul and artistry.
Slim’s Random Review
Spike Lee is one of my favorite directors, and while Crooklyn isn’t my favorite Spike Lee film it’s the one I’m recommending in this issue. The movie is about a little girl and the life of her family in Brooklyn. I doubt that any of you have grown up there, especially not in the early 70’s, but this movie takes you back man. Many of the scenes showcase children having fun on the streets, playing some random games, and I guarantee you that it will remind you of your own childhood. It will also remind you of the 90’s since the film was released at that time. It may not be the best motion picture out there, but it connects with you by creating that childhood feeling, and if you grew up with any siblings it’s going to be even better for you. It’s also great to see the urban areas of New York and with Spike’s excellent sense for scenery, awesome camera angles, and solid acting Crooklyn is a time well spent. The music is also dope with “Ooh Child” by the White Stairsteps being my favorite song off the soundtrack (part of 2Pac’s Keep Ya Head Up samples it). Given the location, time period and who’s directing it, Crooklyn also has a Hip-Hop vibe to it, and if you decide to see it I believe that you’ll enjoy the childhood mind-set which this film presents perfectly.
Slim’s Musical Review
Common is one my favorite rappers and the best of his discography makes it hard for me to pick a favorite album. You have Resurrection, Be, Finding Forever, and the album I’m reviewing for this issue – One Day It’ll All Make Sense. It may not be Common’s best album but I love the vibe that it conveys. It’s an album that is great to listen to while chilling out, and has a great Jazz touch to it. The production is handled mostly by No I.D. and he’s done a great job. Common’s vocals are less nasal on this album but he still sounds better than on most of his other stuff, and when you add the excellent lyrics to it you get a wonderful product. The ambient is truly awesome, it reminds me of early fall, it has a loneliness aspect to it, and it somehow makes me feel like I’m in Chicago. Other than that, the album has a great list of guest features which includes: Lauryn Hill, De La Soul, Cee-Lo, Black Thought, Q-Tip, and Canibus. I usually don’t like for an album to have many features but as far as this one goes, the features are a great addition and they don’t take away any of Common’s spotlight. Do yourself a favor and give this a listen. However, if you haven’t heard any of Common’s albums yet start with Be and Finding Forever, and then go back to Resurrection and this one.
Become Cooler
Learn how to learn. I don’t know about your history with the educational system but I’ve never been taught how to learn. It’s always been about the what and never about the how, and the truth is that both are equally important so there are couple of things I want to touch on regarding studying. First, let’s take a look at the human brain. The brain not only receives and generates information, but it also organizes it and stores it into related units called schemata, and a schema can be considered as something as a folder in our PCs. All of us have an individual cognitive network and in order to better understand information that info needs to be compatible with our cognitive network. There are also two types of memories which are called short-term memory and long-term memory. The capacity of the latter is very large and long-lasting. For longest retention and greatest ease in retrieval, new knowledge must be associated with previous knowledge, which means that it must be tied to existing information nodes in the cognitive network. Cognition involves all types of mental processing, such as perception, comprehension, rehearsal, elaboration, retrieval, problem solving, and thinking. Learning, therefore, is an active process and all learners need to develop learning strategies. Now I can’t go that much in depth about this, since one article isn’t really enough, but one of the things to remember is that learning is more about you rather than the source material, and your background knowledge is very important. You need to read/learn for meaning and try to connect the information with something that you already know.
The Dark Knight Rises – Theaters Excitement Is Back
I’m assuming that most of you have seen this, and it goes without saying that it’s a must watch so I don’t really plan on reviewing the movie itself. What I love about this movie is the excitement it made me feel while being in the theater. Now, I know that the Colorado incident is like a black spot to the positivity of this movie and movie theaters but it is what it is. The Avengers was dope as well, and the audience was very appreciative but after this film ended everybody was in awe, and it’s been a while since I’ve heard people applauding in a cinema. The movie is big and epic, and its quality is so consistent that you feel pleased throughout the whole film, and the excitement kicks in time and time again. I said big because the whole Gotham is at stake and The Dark Knight Rises is larger than a movie so to say. I also liked that this wasn’t in 3D, a technology very fun at first but it got boring after few movies, and it’s so refreshing that CGI effects are barely used. These two factors make the movie to feel more realistic. Another plus is the fact that this was the last film in the serial which makes me respect Nolan, for the money-driven greediness can ruin a classic movie(s) like anything else.
Battle Tournament
This ish is still going on but it almost didn’t happen. A day before the tournament was originally supposed to start, Spyder had apparently deleted the thread and canceled the whole thing, and I still don’t know why given that I was sleeping at the time i.e. I wasn’t online, but luckily SajN and Geno brought it back to life. I wasn’t expecting to do any good in it, but I was happy to see that we were still on because I was eager to read what the other battlers had to offer. In the first round, the results were the following: Geno / Menzo lost from Man1x/Crashband, me and Gummybur lost from slimsoxshady/Enimee, Zabe/Wreck got beaten by Eedee/Mr. Dgaf, and Spyder/Yah-Hah won against Lello/Trimss. The 2nd round is up and running so I suggest you to head over to the Rap Battles section and keep an eye on the TR’s MCs that are still in the ring.
I’m Out For Dead Prez To Represent Me
Dead Prez, who was also going under the name of diction at one time, is one of my favorite members on the forum, and he’s also one of the first guys who I came in contact with. In fact, he thought that I was Satire’s alternate account when I posted my first thread but we got that settled. Dead Prez is another well-opinionated persona who definitely knows his shit. He’s a fan of anime stuff and is one of the few members on this site that appreciates golden age era Hip-Hop, and moreover he’s a D.I.T.C. fan which gets the ultimate respect from me. Unfortunately though, soon after I joined TR dead prez decided to abandon this place and he’s been coming back only on rare occasions. However, his time on here was more than well-spent and since he was one of the first people who appreciated me he deserves to be mentioned in this section. Other than being educated on vintage Hip-Hop, as well as knowing the modern underground/mainstream scenes, he’s also well schooled on alternative Hip-Hop that’s from like the early 2000’s and shit. Blackalicious and Zion I may serve as an example. Diction is also a very argumentative guy and he is less likely to bite his tongue in a discussion. So yeah, that should be a good enough summary of the guy, and I hope that someday he becomes active again.
TR Quotable
I’ve been a bit busier this week so I didn’t have the time to give the proper attention to all the pieces that our TR writers got to do, so I left the winner to be decided by Sam, and he suggested one of Block’s verses on “Exit Stage-Left”:
She bottles her emotion til the mote is full of emptiness
A motive proven desperate for coping, so you let me in
You let me in to soak it up, i know it's love (know it's love)
Post another sentinel for keeping watch
He would not have let you go, a sheepless flock never grows
Still you gotta gaurd it from the pillagers and gaurds alike
Starting with the harvest all the way into autumn's light
It's not a righteous path, slamming hearts in to a cylinder
She never differentiates the gaurds from the pillagers
The lovers from the beggars... why her heart, it wasn't still a word
Mumbled as endearment, fearing everything was lost
Her desire's miniscule, she needs you just to pleasure you
To put your wants above her God's then tell you that she's dead to you
Hoarding her emotion til the bottle cracks and breaks again
The mote is over-flowing and there's no way you can take it in
Her castle's gonna crumble under cover of a vacant kiss,
A vacant misdirection set in place so we can break the skin
Reader's Corner - Wreck Is The First To Give It A Try
Nas Life is Good Album Review
01. No Introduction (Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)
No Introduction needs no chorus, & carries itself with a classic, Nas storytelling vibe, that only Nas can pull off. The first verse he attracts listeners by exploring into & bringing audiences back into his drug infested past, with generalized stories of crime & hustling. He talks about first obtaining a gun at 15, & then robbing a train at 16, & explains to listeners that "a hustler's job ain't done 'til he becomes a king (sic)." The 2nd verse explains his turn from rags to riches, & his upbringing, & the 3rd verse he explains the importance of his storytelling to those around him, & dedicates the song to his ex-wife Kelis as well.
Song Grade- A+
02. Loco-Motive (ft. Large Professor) (Produced by No I.D.)
Nas is truly the locomotive for which way Queensbridge, his native neighborhood, goes, especially given his picture painting abilities laid out in this particular song. He describes the QB hustling scene, & everything in between, from NY pizza straight out of the oven, to having money, to losing it, then regaining it, therefore expressing his love for his native QB, & how, although he has money, he hasn't forgotten his roots. Large Professor provides a spoken half-time show, backing up Nas' stories & claims, showing that some people come onto some money & leave for good, & some stay forever.
Song Grade- A
03. A Queen's Story (Produced by Salaam Remi)
This is another Queensbridge dedication song, but more so of a celebratory song, instead of a storytelling song, for the fallen soldiers, raising a glass in their memory, & for the ones that made it out alive, like Nas did. He details in the song that wherever they go, whatever they do, they are always connected, & are looking out for you.
"Gangsters don't die, ***** only become immortal
Angels don't only fly, they walk right before you."
Song Grade- B+
04. Accident Murderers (ft. Rick Ross) (Produced by No I.D.)
Accident Murderers is merely a storytelling tune of a criminal, presumed druggie, who takes aim at an enemy he's seeking revenge on, but instead kills the wrong person, & an innocent, kind hearted person at the same time, who simply just met the "wrong place at the wrong time" fate. Rick Ross elaborates from his own perspective, noting that the accident murderee owed him & his clique a sum of money, for which was never carried out.
Song Grade- B-
05. Daughters (Produced by No I.D.)
Daughters was the perfect lead single for this album, considering the raw emotion held within it. Nas talks about his own imperfections, & how he can't tell his daughter which man to love, considering he's made mistakes relationship wise, so he would only be teaching his daughter hypocrisy.
"You 17, I got a problem with it
She looked at me like I’m not the cleanest father figure but she rocking with it."
The second half of the song he expresses that he's too lenient w/ her, that she needs to be taught better, & that he takes the blame for not being more strict w/ her. This song really shows the significance of teaching kids wrong from right, but also making sure you do it in a caring matter.
Song Grade- A+
06. Reach Out (ft. Mary J. Blige) (Produced by Salaam Remi)
Possibly the best cut on the album, or second best next to Daughters, considering Nas' picture painting 1st verse, about the politics of being rich, working hard to obtain success. Mary J. Blige continues the capturing of this picture Nas paints, through the chorus, claiming that success in the music industry is a "once in a lifetime cruise." A perfect song to put hard work & determination into perspective.
Song Grade- A+
07. World's an Addiction (ft. Anthony Hamilton) (Produced by Salaam Remi)
World's An Addiction beats the concept of living fully, into one's head, from the get go, with Anthony Hamilton claiming that people never think twice about what the future holds, & instead gain their lives, just to lose their souls. Nas echoes this sentiment, but instead provides a description of how money can ruin relationships, & lead to violence, & snitching, respectively. Both state that without a purpose in one's life, one's life is dead already, & an addiction occurs within that time period.
Song Grade- A
08. Summer on Smash (ft. Miguel & Swizz Beatz) (Produced by Swizz Beatz)
Given that the album was set for, & released in the summertime, Nas comes out of his element here, & treats audiences to a party anthem, in celebration of the summertime, where "women are damn near naked," according to Nas, & that "one's body is a weapon that they can't conceal," during the summertime, according to guest vocalist Miguel.
Song Grade- B-
09. You Wouldn't Understand (ft. Victoria Monet) (Produced by Buckwild)
Nas comes back to represent Queensbridge once again here, claiming that "Harlem, Bronx, Brooklyn, let's make a bet, I know the reason you ain't make it yet."
He brags about the tough nose nature of QB, how successful he was prior to his mainstream success in music, & how he was way ahead of everybody else, claiming that:
"You never knew how to make dollars
You couldn't make orders at a drive-through McDonald's
I was fly at the Apollo with black Jason, '89 with a bottle."
Nas' confidence in his street ability, & awareness of his street cred is very evident here.
Song Grade- B+
10. Back When (Produced by No I.D.)
A reminiscent, taking you back, how it all got started, type track is illustrated here in full, including Nas reminiscing on the 1980 New York summer days, riding around town on his moped, outside of his fifth floor apartment in Queensbridge, & how it was "A jigsaw puzzle aerial view of the projects (sic)."
He shouts out different blocks as well "10th Street, 12th Street, Nightmare on Elm Street," how he doesn't get the credit he deserves for respect he gives, & how people fail to face & man up regarding their own flaws as well:
"You blame your own shortcomings on sex and race
The mafia, homosexuals and all the Jews
It's hogwash point of views, stereotypical
Anti-Semitic like the foul words Gibson spewed
And it's pathetic."
Song Grade- A+
11. The Don (Produced by Salaam Remi)
Nas claims here, & right from the get go, that he's "the heartbeat of the people," specifically meaning ghetto people amongst him, & how he's the don, or king, that holds New York high, & represents it fully.
& in the 3rd verse he delves back into New York & the street life, claiming that:
"New York is like an Island, a big Rikers IsExplainland
The cops be out wilding, all I hear is sirens
It's all about surviving, same old two-step
Try to stay alive when they be out robbing."
Song Grade- B+
12. Stay (Produced by No I.D.)
No I.D.’s thought-evoking production is the bed for this song, and samples L.A. Carnival’s “Seven Steps to Nowhere”. Dion also sampled that song with Kanye West for CyHi Da Prynce’s “Woopty Doo”. Nasir seamlessly travels from shouting out a movement and hard working men, to traitorous gold-digging women, family, riches and vixens, all interwoven by their significance
The second verse is arguably one of the finest on the album, with Nas exploring the intriguing relationship that hatred can create. All in all, he wants them all to stay.
Song Grade- B+
13. Cherry Wine (ft. Amy Winehouse) (Produced by Salaam Remi)
Produced by Salaam Remi, who introduced Nas to Amy and is a frequent collaborator with both, this is one of the LP’s standout tracks. Nas takes this time to describe what he looks for in woman, & the beauty that they include, inside & out, respectively.
The other song that features the trio is Amy’s “Like Smoke”, and is just as upper-tier. Perfect song to end the album (not the final song, but you get the point), considering the emotional & beautiful friendship Nas & Amy had, before her death, & considering the raw emotion that the album here as a whole embodies.
Song Grade- A
14. Bye Baby (Produced by Salaam Remi)
To borrow a word I used in the previous song's review, but this song is another "perfect" way to end the album, with Nas reminiscing about his failed marriage w/ his ex-wife Kelis, & how powerful (not in a good way) & harmful a public marriage can be.
Overall, a great, emotional, detailed, storybook, typical, but great, Nas album, proving that Nas hasn't lost a step, but perhaps has even gained one.
Overall Album Grade- A
Production- B+
Storytelling/Lyrics- A+
Features- A
Photo Of The Week
Shakira > Beyonce
even if you don't make it, you're still a vet in my eyes, and if you do, you deserve it. And about that last part, I appreciate Kanye West, but I still think Em post 2003 is better (Relapse & Recovery at least), and I think being artistic with your music is good, but this is rap, if your lyricism is not on par with it, you are not a better rapper than Eminem
For real, it's like saying to Lupe: "Don't do triple entendres, it's bad". Actually, it's not like that at all but you know what I mean 
