Top 10 Pimp C Tracks

R.I.P.

1. UGK - Diamonds and Wood
Even though he never shied away from gangster-boasts on his verses, Pimp C also often offered an incredible insight into the life of a drug-dealer. The final verse of Diamonds and Wood is easily Pimp C's best ever. I won't quote much here, you should just go listen to the track, from "Ridin' Dirty". When he repeats "I'm smokin' skunk and poppin' the trunk to make me feel good" as the hook kicks in for final time, he completes his perfect verse. P.S. It also just happens that the beat is one of greatest southern beats of all time - and yep, it was co-produced by Pimp C himself.

2. UGK - One Day You're Here
Another Pimp C production, this is the stunning opening track to "Ridin' Dirty." The instrumental is incredibly chilled and, coupled with Ron Isley's magical singing, takes you away from whatever is on your mind and transports you to Houston, Texas, where you will remain for the remainder of the album. Pimp also spits another great verse to finish this track.

And then when I got on my knees that night to pray
I asked God why he let these killas live and take my homeboy's son away
Man if you got kids show em you love em cuz God jus might call em home
Cuz one day you here but baby the next day you gone

3. Pimp C - Slow Down feat. Cory Mo
This is another awesomely chilled beat. Perhaps one of my favourites of all time. Pimp plays it perfectly too... "I used to sell weed, then I sold crack / I used to ride in a old-school gold 'llac" he informs us. Word em up...that's hood.

4. UGK - International Players Anthem feat. Outkast
This track, this time produced by Three 6 Mafia's Juicy J and DJ Paul, is many fans' favourite hip-hop single of the year 2007; and for good reason. Andre opens the track with an incredibly inventive verse, and then as the drum beat kicks in over the chorals we hear "Sweet Jones" and C proceeds to absolutely rip up the track:

My bitch a choosin' lover, never fuck without a rubber
Never in the sheets, like it on top of the cover
Money on the dresser, drive a Kompressor
Top notch hos: get the most, not the lesser

5. UGK - It's Supposed to Bubble
The amount of insanely high quality southern chilled beats Pimp C was involved in is staggering. Seemingly everything he touched, turned to gold. This is another prime example. If we are naming the top hip-hop producers of all time on quantity of quality beats, Pimp C is easily top 5.

6. UGK - Shattered Dreams
This track is also on UGK's latest album "Underground Kingz." Pimp gives a couple of highly positive verses right here, reminding prostitutes that it is never too late to change your ways, and encouraging youngsters to go for their dreams.

7. Jay-Z - Big Pimpin' feat. UGK
This has to be on this list doesn't it? UGK's relationship with Jay-Z (don't forget Jay quoted Pimp C on "99 Problems") was an important relationship in UGK's career and in the history of hip-hop. What you get here from Pimp C is a short verse, but typically Pimpalicious shit.

Uhhh, now what y'all know bout them Texas boys
Comin down in candied toys, smokin weed and talkin noise

8. Pimp C - Swang Down / 10 A Key
On this one Pimp came with a more intense type of track. And it's ill, with Chad flippin the classic "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" hook of Parliament's. Then mid-track the whole beat changes and Pimp starts declaring "Sixteen five, bitch that's too high." Oh shit, you better rethink that...

9. Pimp C - Young Prostitute
Word em up. C lays down his shit here, telling us "I need a prostitute". So you'd think it would be a dark track huh? Nah, he then adds that it needs to be a "clean" prostitute...and the almost inconceivably celebratory beat continues on its merry way. This is how Pimp C always did it. Turning a negative into a positive. Dude was a hedonistic mutherfucker.

10. UGK - Heaven
I wonder if there is a heaven up there for real Gs. I fucking hope so...Rest In Peace.

Watch out for GAP!!!

Probably the coolest guy in the NBA. In my opinion, anyway...

So KG is at the Celtics now. This really is a good news story. The East is stronger. Long suffering Celtics fans have a reason to follow basketball again. The ref scandal can be forgotten. Sagging TV ratings can be boosted.

And hey you, Minnesota fan, cheer up. You know for a fact that this team was going nowhere. Since a follow-up assault after the 03/04 regular season domination never materialized, this team has really needed to start afresh. And no, that doesn't mean putting a new group of players around the Big Ticket. It means starting from scratch...something they should have done last off-season. Wolves owner Glen Taylor has a lot of explaining to do...after two extremely disappointing seasons it was obvious to everyone that the current system was not working and never would. They weren't one signing away from it all clicking again. They needed to blow it up then and there...they would've got much more for Garnett than they have just received for him. But oh yeah, I'm telling you fans to cheer up, aren't I? Let's forget about those past franchise failures and focus on the future. (Do I have to remind you that, trade him or not, sometime down the track you would have to say goodbye to him. All players, Garnett included, have to retire sometime. And be happy for him. See how happy he looks at Boston? You owe him that, at least.)

Reasons Wolves fans should smile:

• Al Jefferson: this guy has some great post moves...and not just in the low post. He can find ways to score from all over the paint. His rebounding is also on the verge of being beastly. He had a breakout year last year and is still young enough for continued improvement to seem likely.
• Corey Brewer and Ryan Gomes: here are a couple of team guys that will really keep the passion KG showed out on the court alive.
  
• A fresh start: players who have reneged on their initial promise like Rashad McCants and Marco Jaric can now maybe try and find something new to work with and become the players many hoped they would.
• Gerald Green: you may know that he won the Dunk Comp...but you may not have known that this guy can shoot. He has a really great jumper to work with, and coupled with his athleticism could really turn out to be a very useful 2/3. I'm just waiting for him to explode...
  
• Randy Foye and Craig Smith: These guys showed that they will both be long-time NBA players last year. Craig Smith looks like a steal and its these type of draft decisions that can really help a franchise. Juwan Howard and Ricky D's presence can't hurt any of the youngster's on the team progression either.
  
• No more Troy Hudson: Thank God for that. Buying out his contract will free up more cap space for further experience to help the young team.
  
• Future first round picks: This will no doubt hopefully help make the team a threat in future years.

All in all, looking at all that, you guys would seem to have a better chance of going further than you ever did with KG. It all depends on the right lessons having being learned. If the Wolves office starts to make some sensible decisions from here on in then their incoming trade assets received for KG really can put them above other building Western teams. Think about it...how many other teams are able to trade a player as huge as Garnett? Maybe getting Garnett all those years ago will benefit the team now...

But let's not forget the Celtic's fans. Reasons they can smile:

• They got GAP action - Garnett, Allen, Pierce. Rondo and Perkins are also by far not the worst in their starting positions either...depth will be the real key.
  

Worst 10 Dr. Dre Tracks of All Time

Constructive Criticism? That's all...

Ok, Dre is at least top 3 producers of all time no matter who you ask. Dude is a living legend. I have already done a post about his top ten tracks. But dude is human after all. I thought I'd look at his worst tracks...

10. Eve - That's What It Is

The production qualities on this track are superb. I mean, Dre produced it, come on! Unfortunately though, it feels like it was just "mailed in". It's too obvious. You could pick that this a Dre track from a mile away...sometimes that can be a good thing but in this case it is not.

9. 50 Cent - Straight to the Bank

This new track from 50 Cent has kinda again a "mailed in" feel. Although this time, the beat is worse. Nice bass line though. But how many 4/4 Synth Orchestras do we need? Here he can't even give us a Orchestra Chord...just a solitary note repeated over and over. Then he brings in that cool sounding "Ass Like That" string instrument but the damage has been done already...

8. Jay-Z - Thirty Something

This track is pretty terrible. Hand claps. Check. Bass line. Check. Orchestra progression at end of ever loop. Check. Dope beat...uhm, nah. It just doesn't sound that good. And Jay-Z trying to prove he is still fresh by telling us how grown up he is (?) isn't really helping.

7. Busta Rhymes - Don't Get Carried Away

Nah, its not working. Dre goes for simplicity...one heavy bass "d-d-d-duh" then raise the tone "d-d-d-duh." Add, oh yeah, a handclap again. Add some creepy chords over it and even a female keyboard choir "Ah Ah Ah!" Argh indeed...

6. The Firm - Firm Family

This one I'll excuse. Dre was obviously trying something here and it didn't really work out. At all. That is a real weak beat...

5. D-12 - Ain't Nuthin But Music

Yeah this beat ain't really doing anything. It's just...there. On an album. And with D-12 over it. I don't think Dre was trying anything here and he didn't really achieve anything.

4. Eminem - My Daddy's Gone Crazy

This is just a stupid song. It's not really Dre's fault. He probably gave Eminem exactly what he wanted. He probably should've avoided getting his name on that beat, though. Maybe coulda said Eminem produced it...wouldn't be too far fetched.

3. Xzibit - Choke Me, Spank Me, Pull My Hair

What the fuck happened here? Club bangers can be dope. But if they fail, they can be absolutely horrible. Ok...so this is a failed club banger.

2. Dr. Dre - Pause 4 Porno

Lol. Do I really need to listen to this? Props to him for trying to bring porn away from the screen and into the speakers. But I prefer just watching the fly babes in your music videos to get a hard on.

1. Eminem - Just Lose It

This was just a ridiculously bad beat. I don't know how Dre managed to produce this one. What's worse, is that it is a lead-off single for an album. Actually, I really just don't want to talk about this beat...

Common - Finding Forever (Review)

First Classic of the year!

Hey what's up all. I thought I'd drop by and drop in another blog post here. It seems this place is finally getting some hits...

So without further ado, hot off the press, I present my review for Common's new joint "Finding Forever." Common is sort of in a new phase of his career. Since Kanye's star started to shine bright, Common kinda got immersed in some of the surrounding glow."Be", the first album in this new G.O.O.D. music era for Common, made number 2 on the Billboard charts. Over Kanye's sometimes inconsistent soul offerings, Common was sounding as he had been for a few years: very mature. The album was almost even contemporary adult R&B rather than hip-hop. The album was good...but not great. Too short, and all too similar. Maybe even too "old."

From the instrumental intro to Common's Pop talking at end, "Finding Forever" is very much the sequel to "Be". But it's one of those rare sequels that improves on the original. Again with Kanye executive producing, soul is the order of the day. This time however, there are no weak productions. In fact, some of the soul tracks on here are incredibly strong. With chilled out, warm instrumentals prevalent, the hook melodies are consistently memorable and varied ("The People", "Black Maybe", "Break My Heart"). Will.I.Am brings some great drums again to another R&B infused jam on "I Want You". However, there is also room for straight up hip-hop. On the raw street gem "The Game" Common is pleasingly more aggressive and even youthful on the mic. Premo providing cuts for the song just elevates it to instant classic status. When Common says "This fist is like a symbol for black" you can't help but get caught up in it all.

And yes, this is noticeable throughout the whole album. Common seems less mature, which is great. Sometimes he is just putting in word plays and rhyming for the fun of it, which is a great compliment to his deeper thoughts ("She had some D's on her, but they weren't fake though..." is followed with "They say it's hard for a pimp, but extra hard for these h-" on "Driving Me Wild.")

The album has these consistent soul gems just littered throughout. It seems pointless listing the great tracks as I can just say "every track is dope". Again, there is an epic finish featuring Common's Pop with "Forever Begins" which, must like most of this album, manages to improve on "Be".

All in all, Common comes nicer, Kanye's productions are better, J-Dilla's production is better and Will.I.Am's production is dope. It is indeed a superior product to "Be" and up there with "Resurrection" as Common's best album. It is hard to say which is better, as those two are completely different styles: one is heavily soul and R&B influenced while the other is strictly hip-hop. But the fact that both quality albums come from different ends of his career should not be lost. Common has made great music, and continues to do so. While recently sounding very mature, it has been his willingness to add a bit more of his earlier style of just "spitting" back into the mix which has elevated this album high above his other recent offerings. Now he is again as fresh as he was at the beginning of his career. A little more hip-hop style jawns would push this rating even higher.

9.3/10

Greatest Hip-Hop Songs

If it's gritty street shit, the chances are I like it.

It's kinda in a rough order...but that said, most songs here just came to my head so no doubt I would've missed a few of my favourites. The human brain has a habit of forgetting shit so yeah...

1. Shook Ones, Part II

In this list I'm putting songs here that just are hip-hop. Like KRS-One reckons he is hip-hop, I reckon these songs are hip-hop. This is the most hip-hop song. The piano sends chills down your spine. Dunno why. There's something about a melancholy piano line that does it for me (see Dead Presidents II). For that matter, theres something about songs with "II" in the title that does it for me too...

But anyways, fuck KRS...Prodigy and Havoc are hip-hop on this.

"Meanwhile back in Queens the realness and foundation / if I die, I couldn't choose a better location / when the slugs penetrate, feel a burning sensation / getting closer to God...in a tight situation now..."

Wow...the whole song is like that.

2. I Used to Love H.E.R.

Over a minimalist, eerie beat, Common drops an incredible tale, seemingly about a girl. He goes into incredible detail in this girls history. As we all know, turns out this "girl" is hip-hop. When you find out at the end of the song, you're like "NO SHIT!" and it's an amazing feeling you will never ever get back. That's it. Once you know, you know...

The thing is, listening to the lyrics you realise that, even though the title of the song says Common "used to love her," he actually he still does love her. He always will, no matter what happens. This positivity is what we should all try and grasp on to. It is now well over a decade since this song dropped, but it is still topical. No matter where hip-hop is, or goes in the future, let's try and remember Common's last line and remain positive...

"But I'm a take her back hoping that this shit stop - cos who I'm talking about ya'll is hip-hop"

3. Respiration

Common on another song here. With Mos Def, Kweli and Hi-Tek. This is an amazing beat right here. Hi-Tek really does convey the image of the city breathing. And Mos, Kweli and Common drop some of their best ever verses over the stunning instrumental.

There's Mos: "Skyscrapers' is colossus, the cost of living is preposterous / stay alive, you play or die, no options / No Batman and Robin, can't tell between the cops and the robbers / they both partners, they all heartless...with no conscience"

There's Talib: "Some cats be emceeing to illustrate what we be seeing / Hard to be a spiritual being when shit is shakin what you believe in / For trees to grow in Brooklyn, seeds need to be planted / I'm asking if y'all feel me AND THE CROWD LEFT ME STRANDED"

There's Common Sense: "Ask my God how he thought travellin the world sound / Found it hard to imagine he hadn't been past downtown / It's deep...I hear the city breathe in its sleep / Of reality I touch, bot for me it's hard to keep"

Poetry.

4. Dead Presidents II

This joint doesn't feature life-changing lyrics. But Jay-Z comes so damn nice on this. His word play is insane. The cat was on top of his game back here. And Ski came up with such a mad beat again. Yes, a melancholy piano riff again! Here's a video of how he laced up the beat. Sampling Nas on the hook is also just cool as...

When Jay drops lines like this throughout, you know its over: "My doe flip like Taek-won / Jay-Z the icon / Baby you like Dom / Maybe these cristals'll change your life, huh? "

5. South Bronx

Is KRS-One hip-hop? If he says he is, I understand what he is saying. It's like, it's a culture. You can't define it with just words. It's a whole culture. KRS-One could be seen as an example of that culture. So he is hip-hop in a way...cos he helped define it with songs like this. Just that first trumpet "dun" that Scott La Rock and Ced Gee cued up and repeated throughout the song, when you hear it, that short sound could actually represent hip-hop itself.

You talking about the history of hip-hop - the culture of it...you talking about this song. KRS-One represents his hood, his people. The Juice Crew didn't actually mean Queensbridge started hip-hop - it was a misunderstanding. But that doesn't matter. This was expression through song...a response through song: one of the first. Add some James Brown samples over the top and you have the epitome of hip-hop.

"Many people tell me this style is terrific / it is kinda different, but lets get specific / KRS-One: specialise in music / I only use this style of music when I choose it"

6. C.R.E.A.M.

Two ill verses. First Raekwon, then Inspectah Deck. Again, when MCs are telling me about the streets, I'm definitely listening. This is actually about the streets. No, not those streets you hear everyone these days claiming they're from. The real streets. And the ease with which these two MCs share their tales is incredible.

Deck: "Though I don't know why I chose to smoke sess / I guess that's the time when I'm not depressed"

7. One Love

Again, a rapper really lets us into their world. Through an open-letter in this case - that is some real shit. Q-Tip laces up a truly ill beat here that is perfect for Nas to exhibit his street-concerned ramblings to an unfortunate friend in jail over. Sometimes, you feel like you are that friend in jail, and appreciate Nas for his "One Love" sign-offs. The way Nas tells his anecdotes effortlessly through street slang is a testament to language in itself.

"So I comes back home, nobody's out but shorty doo-wop / Rollin two phillies together in the Bridge we called 'em oowops"

8. Nuthin but a G Thang

Illest beat ever. I've said it before. Most chilled beat ever. And most chilled song ever. A quite simply perfect song. Sometimes those deep songs are too much, and you need songs like this.

9. Time's Up

I'll throw an obscure one in here. O.C. came direct on this incredible beat. A beat made for hip-hop. Made from hip-hop. Give Buckwild credit for that one. The song is directed at fake gangsters and thus is appropriate to consider when talking about real hip-hop songs. O.C. really just keeps coming on this. Line after line is hard felt and directed at these posers. He has many great lines here. The Slick Rick sample in there is really cool too!

"Of course we gotta pay rent, so money connects, but uhh / I'd rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect"

10. T.R.O.Y.

A typically souled out Pete Rock beat here with those horns. And CL Smooth proves he actually is smooth on this. He reminisces about his fallen comrade "Trouble" T-Roy from Heavy D and the Boyz and his love for his family. An extremely positive song: very important, considering it is concerned with death.

"Positive over negative for the woman and master / Mother Queen's risein a chapter / Deja Vu, tell you what I'm gonna do / When they reminisce over you..."

Imagine!

A deadly pace of pace and experience: and he's only your third bets player.

While I, like most, was rooting for the Suns, you gotta give props where props is due. Spurs were the better team in this series. The Suns are a really good team: probably the 2nd best in the league. Unfortunately, the Spurs are number 1. They have a great wealth of experience.

Tony Parker is only just 25. Yet he has bucketloads of play-off experience already. Imagine having that pace coupled with that experience. When the cat decides to drive in on the basket, you gotta watch out. He needs special attention...unfortunately, if you give him special attention there are two better players on his team you might be letting in!

Imagine having Ginobli on your bench...on your team. He's quick too. If you give him respect on that outside shot which is released so quickly and Michael Redd-like (word to them lefties - I'm one myself!) then he may just take you to the hole as well. And this guy can finish. He feeds off the energy of the crowd and can go on amazing runs where everything he touches turns to gold...or diamond rings...

Imagine that you have those two players on your team...and they come no where near to your best player. Big Tim. The opposition cannot forget about him, ever. Offensively and defensively he is going to hold you accountable. If you double team the cat, he will kick out to the aforementioned stars who will make you pay. Let him go one-on-one, and your even more likely to suffer: he is unstoppable on the low block one-on-one. No one has ever used the glass better. He can do it from either side too...with either hand. When he gets the ball, there is no premeditation. He'll feel you out and go with the flow. He'll take you left. If you bite, he'll go back. If you don't, he'll continue. If you're up on him too hard, he'll spin, and dunk. Either way the guy is more than likely to score above 20 points and shoot about 55% from the field. And then there is his defense, which is even better.

Imagine you had all them on your team. PLUS a defensive specialist. A cat who will shut down the opposition's perimeter star. No matter how good they are. Bruce Bowen: some might say he is dirty. That could be true. But it doesn't mean he isn't an exceptional defender. And then imagine you could get quality help off the bench like Michael Finley, who never seems to miss a clutch 3. And Robert Horry who can defend all positions and who is also known for his clutchness. An Elson and Oberto defensive presence to help big Tim. Imagine you had all this...it's not too hard to imagine...after all it is reality!

But then imagine, not winning a championship with this team.

That is unimaginable. I just can't see the Spurs losing the Conference Finals or NBA Finals. Every aspect is covered.

Top Ten Dr. Dre Tracks

Dre: likes nothing more than being behind the boards

It's time for another top 10 post. I was just listening to all the tracks I have produced by Dr. Dre. So I thought I'd do a top 10 Dre-produced tracks.

10. My Name Is
I'll put this here cos it was a completely new style for a new artist. On every album Eminem has released, he always has a lead single like this, with playful Dre production, where Em is just crazy. Tracks like this show Dre's versatility and show that he can change up his style depending on what the artist is attempting to achieve.

9. Break Ya Neck
Just a fucking great production. Creative and banging...perfect for some ill Busta-ness over.

8. How We Do
Word. A slower jam, it bumps nonetheless. 100% pristine production. 100%.

7. Family Affair
What? R&B?!?! Of course this has to be here. Get the fuck out of here if you disagree. That beat is mad. The orchestra notes fit in so well and are catchy as hell. Really gives a nice bounce to an R&B song which I find is too rare these days. You can't help but nod your head to this shit. Really set it up for some ill singing from Mary J.

6. In Da Club
I'll put this here cos it's probably the biggest song of the millenium. It launched not only a career, but a whole Unit's career. Simplicity at its best. Dre defined the new millenium club banger right here with this one song. Others have tried to duplicate this template. But the original is the best. Again, Dre utilizes Orchestra instruments extremely well.

5. Still D.R.E.
Over a keyboard riff kindly supplied by Scott Storch and a funky bassline from Mike Elizondo, what did Dre really do here? Well, first he recognised that shit could be a worldwide hit. Then he added those cool little guitar lines at the end of every stanza, and made the drums bang. Bang...a classic beat is produced.

4. California Love
Perhaps the best known song in the current era of music to utilize the Talk Box, Dre enlisted Roger Troutman (R.I.P.) of Zapp to sing this one. Yeah yeah EPMD already used Joe Cocker's "Woman to Woman" but come on...Dre made it a worldwide hit. The synths and shit he added on top...and the Talk Box effect, are what set this song apart. Peace to EPMD though, but that's what Dre does.

3. Who Am I? (What's My Name)
The incredible synth bass line in this track is impossible not to love. Originally created by Funkadelic, it was seemingly genetically engineered to get people grooving. Add some hand claps, some Snoop and some Atomic Dog and you got the best track on one of the best albums of the decade. Not bad, that...

2. Fuck Tha Police
This song will always be remembered. DJ Yella and Dre produced this for N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" in 1988. I think it was way ahead of it's time, production wise. The bass hits hard. For that era, the sampling quality is crazy. It was not uncommon to sample James Brown's "Funky President" at the time butDre used it better than anyone else...

1. Nuthin but a G Thang
Number 1, without a doubt. It's too chilled. It affects you know matter if its the 1st, 10th or 1000th time you've heard it. Snoop comes effortless on this...and it's hard not too, so chilled is the beat. Just reminds of the beach...reminds you of L.A. Dre really captured a mood here and this will forever be one of the greatest hip-hop tracks of all time.

Stars align for biggest upset in NBA history

The Baron of Davis!

It's the biggest upset in NBA playoff history - yet some people saw it coming. (Personally, in my playoff preview I predicted that the Warriors could pull off an upset - but that the Mavs would most likely get through.)

There is a reason people saw this coming. A 3-0 record against the defending Western Conference champs is a good start. While the first win in the regular season came during Dallas' horrid 0-4 start, and the third win came against the Dallas Reserve Team, it was the second win which should have acted as a hint of a possible upset. Let's take a look at that game:

It came in mid-March, a few months after a risky deal bringing Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington to the Warriors for Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu. The trade only increased the smallness factor (or should that be decreased (?!?!)) for Don Nelson's team. Since the trade, the Pacers and Warriors had both been patchy. More recently the Warriors had been playing a pathetic brand of Basketball through the end of February and early March, losing six straight games while seemingly not bothering to play defense at all. And we all know how poor the Pacers were playing at that time too (11 straight losses). In other words, the big trade seemed to have helped neither team.

However, the Warriors were finally getting out of their rut and had just gone 3-1 in the last 4 games and traveled to Dallas (51-10) to see what they could do.

They won 117-100. Dirk shot 3/11 (sound familiar?). In fact no one in the Dallas team scored more than 5 Field Goals. By contrast, the Warriors had 4 players score over 5 field goals. The one starter who didn't score in double digits? Baron Davis (9 points). So the Warriors beat a full strength Mavs away without their best player even playing that well...and convincingly. Something interesting from the game was that the Mavericks grabbed 50 rebounds compared to 28 for the Warriors. That is a huge difference. Indeed, the Mavericks scored 100 points. However, the Warriors were too quick. They turned 28 boards into 117 points...thats great efficiency. Get people down the court, and if your "bigs" get the board feed it to the streaming smalls immediately. If the Mavs big men end up getting the Offensive board (they ended up with 20) then so be it...let them. They might score a few 2nd chance buckets - but in the end we'll outscore them with many easy baskets on the fast break.

If I was Avery Johnson after this loss, I would have started planning for a possible rematch in the playoffs immediately. Because it was obvious this team could pose the Mavericks problems.

This win was Golden State's 4th win on the way to a finishing run of 16-5. They finished that run very strongly going 9-1 And then ran into...the Mavericks in the 1st round. By contrast, the Mavericks proceeded to play some poor basketball. They were like rabbits caught in headlights. They had been so used to winning that they didn't handle the first loss at home and a different style of basketball well at all. Dirk shot too many jumpers - GET TO THE HOOP! It's gonna be embarrassing as hell when David Stern hands him that MVP trophy next week. It'll be like "Here you go.........[silence]........by the way, you suck." But they didn't play that poorly. It was a mismatch of style. And B-Diddy playing at that level is so tough to beat, even
Josh Howard couldn't save them (he scored 20+ points in each game).

Mavericks ran into a hot team that had recent previous experience in beating them. It wasn't such a huge upset after all, was it? Make up your own mind...but no matter what, it has been a great series for Basketball, providing plenty of drama and adding much interest to the play-offs. The Baron of Davis and Stephen Jackson have really stepped up now and earned much respect. And the Warriors home crowd? Crazy!

Consequence

Don't Quit Your Day Job!

Aite yeah I just been listening to a heap load of new music lately. Something that has been banged constantly over the past week or so is that debut Consequence album "Don't Quit Your Day Job!" Dude has been around a while but it is a joy to hear him on every track on an album, rather than the odd Kanye or A Tribe Called Quest Track track here and there.

Quence (originating from Queens) immediately sets himself apart from other rappers with his unique voice and flow. It's not surprising he is Q-Tip's cousin. He has that kinda higher-pitched voice but his flow is real cool too: very laid back. He kinda rhymes in a similar style to that with which he speaks (you here him speak on the rather amusing skits in the album). It's kinda like he is here, but his mind is elsewhere. And he can't really be bothered articulating what he is saying much, cos he's not really thinking about it anyway. Maybe he is thinking of the next line...cos cat keeps streaming onto the next line. He rarely pauses. And all this combines for a real cool, different rapping style.

As for the album, its dope how it has a bit of a theme. I like an album with a theme. It sorta means, if your feeling a certain way, you could return to a certain album that speaks to you in that area. For example, with this album, it's about weighing up pursuing the dream of making hip-hop music, or staying realistic and following more subdued work choices. At the start of the album Quence decides to put "pride to the side/Go get a 9 to 5" over a deliciously laid back beat on the track "Job Song." Throughout the remainder of the disc he touches on other subjects along the way (like "Sexy Mamas"), but ultimately gets fed up with that job and decides to quit and focus on music, despite his mother's nagging. So you could easily have similar frustrating periods in your life (I know I have) and just kick back and play this album and chill. The final track culminates everything nicely: "Who New My Luck Would Change." Who indeed?

While some lament the inclusion of the 4 year old "The Good, the Bad, the Ugly," I applaud it. It is a strong track, and this is after all Consequence's debut album. Artists should put all their best songs they have created on their first release, no matter how long ago they may have been made. Another not-so-new track is DJ Khaled's "Grammy Family." But is again a solid, laid back track and really fits in on the album so I have no qualms with that. The seagull in the beat, while cliched, is cool.

On "Callin Me" Quence puts out some of his best work on the album. He sounds completely disinterested when letting some guy know about a girl who keeps calling him, and it works perfectly. As for production on other tracks on the joint, the preceding track, "Feel this way" featuring John Legend, is another chilled beat, as is the following track "Disperse" featuring GLC and Really Doe. You may have noticed I mentioned that a lot of these tracks have nice soulful chilled beats. Its true. The production on this album is top-notch, for the most part.

Where the album doesn't work is when cat Consequence tries to do that normal rapper bravado stuff...most noticeably on the track "Night Night". Cat just doesn't sound fierce enough to be getting away with all that shit. I don't really think he is gonna smack me and make me go "Night, night." He might make me some tea and then tell me "Night, night."

Still, its a small blip on an otherwise dope album. I'd recommend ya'll check this album out some time soon. Its the 2nd best album this year after Sean Price: Jesus Price Superstar, so word that up.

Night, night!

Playoffs Preview

13 Years!

Ok so the NBA Playoffs are here. Everyone seems to be glad the regular season is over and many even labeling it one of the most uninteresting campaigns ever. I cannot understand such negativity. Maybe it makes analysts feel better about themselves when they globally criticize a whole competition. As their always has been, and always will be, there were plenty of talking points throughout the season. New ball V Old ball, Amaechi being gay, Iversen to Nuggets, Knicks Nuggets "fight" etc. Their have also been some great basketball performances...Amare's comeback, Boozer's big year, Kobe's 4 games of 50+,Goldenstate's late season surge to grab a spot in the playoffs and the Mavs incredible win-loss record after losing their first four. Ok so they were all in the West. Just because the East didn't do so well, doesn't mean the regular season was disappointing. The Pistons had a great year again, Toronto's rise was a feel-good story and Cleveland, in spite of continuing criticism over its lack of chemistry on the offensive end, managed to equal last year's impressive win total of 50. There are great match-ups everywhere in the play-offs. Let's have a look at some of the more intriguing ones.

• Miami V Chicago

I read recently that in recent play-off history the Number 5 actually wins more first round match-ups than then Number 4 seed. In this case, Miami is the number 4 seed...but Chicago actually has a far superior win-loss record. So who knows what will happen? Most are predicting Miami to go through here, due to their play-off experience. While Miami is one of my favourite teams in the league, I am not unaware of Chicago's strengths. This team can light up. One of Benny Gordon, Luol, Kirk or Nocioni could light up each night. Often more than one. This is what happens with a jump-shooting team. The fact that they get Nocioni back just gives an extra scoring threat. Then defensively, the whole unit will shut you down. Say what you want about Tyson Chandler putting up numbers similar to Big Ben at a lower salary and younger age...yo can't tell me Tyson has the effect Big Ben does on defense. Ben it just geared for defense. He was born with a gift for it. He'll just stop plays happening half-way through their conception with his positioning. The match-up he has with Shaq could definitely decide this match-up. While Wade has shown how clutch he is, everyone knows he struggles against Kirk. This could well come down to the battle of inside...the Bulls won't score much in there but if they restrict Heat's inside scoring I believe they can come out on top.

• Rockets V Jazz

People are writing off Jazz already. While I predict Houston will go through, Jazz are no easy-beats. Sure, their end of season form has not been what they would have liked...but they still got Boozer in there. They still got Deron Williams who could decide the fate of this series if he exploits one of Houston's weaker links, Rafer Alston. I love Rafer. But dude might struggle against Deron. I hope not. While Boozer and Yao have had similarly dominating seasons, I predict T-Mac to tip the ledger in Houston's favour. He has been playing great of late. He's never made it out of the first round but I think this year he will...

• Dallas V Warriors

Peep this match-up. Dallas dominate inside with Dampier and Diop. Ok so you got B-Diddy and Monta Ellis up against Jet and Harris. and Jackson and J-Rich versus Josh Howard. But Nellie will often play Al Harrington at center. Shit, can't play Dampier and Diop on him. Um...inside dominance reduced...luckily Dallas have Dirk spare to help and get em through this tricky match-up.

• Raptors V Nets

Nets have experience. However, Chris Bosh is ready to show the world what he can do in the playoffs. Theres gonna be a bit of mismatch inside, to be honest. I expect Bosh to dominate this series. And I expect the Raps to go to Round 2.

• Suns V Lakers

Cool. Rematch. Should be dope to watch. But Lakers got no chance this time...Amare is back so that settles that.

• Spurs V Nuggets

Here I can see an upset happening. Denver are in fine form. Sure, Spurs have experience. But man, its not just Carmelo and Iversen clicking...its the whole team. Camby is fit...which is a scary sight. Nene has become a beast. Those two could be a handful around the rim for the Spurs. Tim can't do everything down there. Its no secret Tony Parker will want to drive in on Steve Blake...he'll have to remember Camby is waiting in the key. He'll have to dish it out. And if the Spurs can light up from outside, which is a possibility as the Nuggets exterior defense is pretty lackluster...then you'd back the Spurs.

All that's left so say is, "Will you be watching when..."

Top 10 Producers of All Time

Sorry Quik...your Number 11 on my list!

Waddup ya'll. Here check this here post out I'm about to make. I was thinking, "What to write about?" Yeah why not list my top 10 hip-hop producers of all-time.

10. Just Blaze

The dude sneaks into the top 10. Top effort for a young cat. Man this guy can produce some bangers. Most recently he has produced some fire with "The Second Coming" for Juelz and Nike. But the cat has produced some real nice tracks in this century: "Breathe", "Flipside" and "Pump It Up" being just a few examples. Cat likes the MPC and can whip shit up bloody quick on that. Always brings that big sound.

9. Pete Rock

Ok so some people might have him higher. Yeh, maybe as far as contribution to hip-hop goes, this guy should be higher. But the 8 guys above him on this list, I just enjoy their music more. Ya dig? That said, I really dig Pete's shit. There are producers who wouldn't even be in my top 20 producers who I still enjoy. So this is a pretty high position anyway. But chances are you know all about Pete Rock. Mr Soul Man. The Soul Survivor. This dude produced straight up classic shit for CL Smooth in the early 90s. The music he created, fusing Jazz and Hip-hop, seemed to fit CL Smooth's style perfect. Then, after falling out with dude CL, his solo "Soul Survivor" LPs proved that he can produce that quality with all kind of cats. A living legend.

8. The Neptunes

Hugo and Pharrel are quite a match made in heaven. They have been making music together since high school, which is quite remarkable if you think about it. Two talents of that magnitude ending up together by chance is akin to the four Beatles ending up together by chance in Liverpool. Or all the Wu-Tang Clan fools ending up around each other. Anyways, point is, these guys are fucking talented. They're a collective hit-factory, but can stay critically acclaimed at the same time as they manage to sell records without compromising quality. That is a rare gift. They have a real ear for interesting sounds and have no hesitation in sharing their ideas with the mainstream public. Sometimes it fails. Mainly it works...My favourite joints are the two Clipse albums they produced, "Hollaback Girl", Lupe's "I Gotcha", Noreaga's"Superthug" and T.I.'s "Goodlife".

7. Timbaland

There was a time where I didn't really dig Timbo that much. But recently dude has won me over with an incredible amount of quality productions. The guy's drum programming is quite simply the best I have ever heard. The percussion he brings to his songs can be varied...but always sounds immaculate and interesting. He is very creative with sounds. Not afraid to use his own vocal chords to bring you the sound he's thinking of, he remains ahead of the game creativity wise. His production for Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" is the best he has done pop wise, and some of the best pop production I've ever heard. And then you realise he released Nelly Furtado's "Loose" in the same time it's astonishing the quality and quantity he keeps up. Other classic cuts of his are Ginuwine's "Pony", Aaliyah's "Try Again", Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin" and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" and Jeezy's booming "3 A.M."

6. Kanye West

Kanye just brings his heart and soul to the production table. His perfectionism is matched only by Dr Dre of producers on this list. He always brings a nice feel to his songs. His strength is definitely in utilizing soul samples extremely well and incorporating memorable melodies into his songs. My fav productions of his are Kweli's "Get By", his own "Never Let Me Down" "Two Words" and "Heard em Say", Jay-Z's "Lucifer" and "Heart of the City" and Keyshia Cole's "I Changed My Mind". Kanye can do it with strings, piano, anything.

5. J Dilla

The late Detroit producer was really making strides before his death in early 06. The thing is, if it wasn't for his illness, "Donuts" might not have been so personal, so special, so beautiful. Without the illness he may have never looked within himself so deeply and never unlocked such inspiration and shared it with us so candidly. Or maybe he would have...who knows. Its a shame we will never know. We are lucky that J Dilla made such dope music. We are all blessed with many great recordings thanks to him and should be thankful not just for him, but every artist on this list. Dope cuts he produced for other artists are "Verbal Clap" for De La, the album "Fantastic Vol 2" for Slum Village, Kweli's "Stand to the Side" and Common's "The Light."

4. Madlib

Madlib will just put anything down on the MPC and loop it up. Anything. Any type of sample. The result is a shit load of recordings...some of which are shit. However, a high proportion are brilliant. Fucking creative cunt. I guess that's what happens when you smoke weed all day. He is the first one to remind us that weed brings out creativity, either telling us through rap or inserting samples regarding the matter. The guy can sometimes go overboard with the vocal samples, disrupting songs halfway through by stopping the music and playing the sample, sometimes multiple times. This puts some people off, but I love it. He does it so it actually fits in if you think about. If your on weed...

Lol anyway the shit on Quasimoto's first record "The Unseen" is straight up classic jazz hip-hop style shit. One of the best collection of beats I've ever heard. Madvillain with MF Doom is on the same level. Other dope cuts are "Shopping Bags" for De La, "Nightlife" for MED, and "What Can I Do?" for Kweli.

3. Dr Dre

Dre! The most famous hip-hop producer of all time no doubt. This guy just lives by his music. He wants to make high quality shit. It all starts in the drums for him. Everyone knows Dre has the best drums. But on top of that, he just keeps it real chill. Guitars are popular. Synths. Anything chilled. "Nuthin But a G Thang" is one of greatest hip-hop songs of all time, and easily the most chilled. Then he just brings out stupidly simple classic shit like "Still D.R.E." - yeh Scott Storch came up with the chords but the fact is, Dre brought it all together. You can come up with some dope shit when Dre is around. He doesn't just make the music - he produces. He'll make you a hit. He'll make sure you bring what's appropriate. Recently I have enjoyed his laid-back Piano Chord jams "Lost Ones" for Jay-Z and Young Buck's "U Ain't Going Nowhere" although others haven't been impressed. Don't worry...Detox is gonna be so hot you'll forgive him for the years of delays. His track record suggests so anyway...

2. DJ Premier

This is New York hip-hop right here. Premo always brings it raw. Using his trusty MPC 60 this guy will give you a great platform for you to rhyme over...always. It all starts with those Boom Bap drums. It's real hip-hop...the beat doesn't dominate and allows you to listen to what is being said...but you will always be nodding your head regardless. Check out all them Gangstarr cuts. Or Jeru's shit. Dude fucking sampled water drops on "Come Clean." Ridiculous. Other 5 star shit he produced is Nas' "NY State of Mind," J-Live's "The Best Part", Jay-Z's "Bring It On" and recently Termanology's "Watch how it go down." All allow the MC to shine while being incredibly hot beats...that is no mean feat.

1. RZA

Just can't help it. Can't resist those beats he made back in the mid 90s. Can't help but be seduced by those minimalistic gems. GZA, Raekwon, Method Man and Wu-Tang Clan are always at the top of my most played list. While the lyrics are often dope, the main reason is RZA's production. That's real production - producing whole albums. That's where you can bring that real shit. You can create a whole MOOD. On Wu-Tang's debut, shit was incredibly raw. Straight from the streets. Just a gritty, tinny beat, and some hardcore spitting over it. The use of samples was ingenious too. "C.R.E.A.M." is just an impeccable track. The nursery rhyme piano line just stays in your head, and Deck and Raekwon brought some real shit over that - the point is yet again, its a dope beat without taking away the lyrics of the MC. When he progressed in the next few albums, he didn't really progress at all. He'd bring in some dirty bass lines maybe. But he'd keep that shit simple, on his Ensoniq keyboard. The debut full-length GZA and Raekwon albums are just all perfectly produced in addition to his classic shit on the Wu-Tang debut. The other albums he produced in full are also high quality (when the name Bobby Digital was not involved lol).

This guy is thus my number 1 producer. A combination of quality and quantity which is hard to beat. Ask me tomorrow I migth say Premo again those two are neck and neck to me. Shout out to cats like DJ Quik, 9th Wonder, Prince Paul, Hi-Tek, Alchemist, Eric B, Havoc, Large Professor, Bomb Squad, Pimp C, Oh No, Black Milk, Muggs, DangerMouse, Will.I.AM, DJ Toomp and Scott Storch who would be on the next level down.

MVP Thoughts

Two friends...one MVP award. Who will get it?

The NBA regular season is almost over, and major attention turns to the announcement of individual awards. In this day and age, when a player's legacy can oddly seem more important than a team's, everyone starts talking about the MVP award. History shows that it goes to a key player on an elite team. That would make there 3 candidates...Dallas' Dirk, Suns' Nash and Spurs' Timmy. Sorry Kobe, if last year's efforts couldn't win you the MVP, I don't think this year's slightly less amazing numbers (only just) will win it for you. Your team just doesn't win enough, it seems. Also special shout-out to Carlos Boozer, whose numbers have been phenomenal. Your team hasn't won enough either...also everyone mentioned already happens to be from the West. My east coast MVP would goto Chris Bosh.

• Tim: Big Tim has had yet another great year. The consistency he has shown throughout his career is nothing short of amazing. He never really improved his numbers that much cos they started so high anyway. And while his minutes have been down a bit in recent years he has still kept up the high production. Its no wonder his Spurs just keep having winning seasons. The guy is a top-5 shot blocker, top-5 rebounder, top-20 scorer and top-10 FG%. He'll also through in the most assists of any centre in the league (truthfully this year Brad Miller averages 0.1 assists per game more, but he has played far less games). Oh yeah and the Big Fundamental has started every game this year too. Your damn right he should be considered for the MVP. All that said, the Spurs have only really clicked since after the Rodeo Trip. They have not had it all their own way this year. This thus puts Duncan below the other two.
  
• Dirk: The best player in the best team, Dirk is probably favourite for the award right now. The guy has advanced his reputation as a match-up nightmare even further this year. He does everything in balance. He will drive-in on you, OR shoot the mid-range jumper on you OR post you up OR pop a 3 on you (less these days which has improved his variety) OR dish to a team-mate in a better position. His opponent would rarely have any clue what he'll do each time he gets the ball. He has great trust in his supporting cast. More often than not, he, and they, deliver. That is why they were pushing 70 wins this year. Oh, and those people who say "call him Irk cos he has no D"? You wish you had D like Dirk.
  
• Nash: While all of the above is true, there is this guy Nash. Sure, in 2005 Shaq deserved the MVP. Last year, it was Kobe who deserved it. Nash scooped both. This year though, Nash fully deserves the title. His numbers are this year pushing into the unheard-of category. While some marvel that he increases his team-mates stats, I marvel at his very own stats. The guy dishes out 2 more assists per game than the league's second best-assisting player, the excellent MIP-candidate Deron Williams. He averages 3 more assists per 48 minutes (15.6) than second best TJ Ford. He is clearly the best passer in the game: no one would deny that. But then if you add his shooting skills on top of this, it makes for a simply perfect Point Guard. He shoots 53% from the field, 47% from behind the arc, and pours in 19 PPG. Oh yeah, let's not forget his exemplary foul shooting too.
  

"Yeh, but his D sucks!" That is far from true. Its not as good as his offense, true, but Nash is no slouch on the defensive end. Sure, he isn't as athletic as many of his opponents but he does put everything in on defense which is a lot more than can be said of many other players in the league. This year I have seen him make many clutch defensive plays. Pheonix have improved their D big time this year and Nash is no different.

So why Nash over Dirk?

Well, first off, I believe his numbers are more impressive than Dirk's. Secondly, the dude is clutch. That is very important to me. I have seen Dirk hit some clutch shots. I have also seen Dirk pass the ball at the end of games and rely on someone else to make the big play. With Pheonix, you know Nash will be involved somehow when it counts...with a killer pass, a huge 3, or even a defensive stop. Adding it all up, Nash is a real leader and has been more valuable to his team's success this year than Dirk has...

All this said, I believe Dirk will be named the MVP. And good luck to him. If I was casting a vote however, I would go with his former team-mate and good friend Nash. I'm sure both will be happy whoever wins it.

Top 50 NBA-related commercials

I don't even care if you don't follow the NBA. You'll still appreciate watching some of these.

Special shout out to Number 37!

Top Three Albums of the Quarter

Time flies huh. Yep, 3 months of 2007 have already passed us by. I thought I'd mark the occasion by providing my top 3 releases of this period. Musically, the year has started very well, as far I'm concerned.

3. Devin the Dude - Waitin' to Inhale

"I pick you up I look you up and down...you so fine / In my mind I'm saying now how can i make this ho mine?"

I've still only listened to this a few times, cos its newly released. But it sounds real nice. Real chilled beats once again. These south cats have a nice sound going on when they get a guitar nonchalantly strumming chords and adding a hip-hop beat over that. Then you put one of the coolest voices in hip-hop over it, and you got yourself a real nice sound. Devin is always fun to listen to cos he always will take a song down a path you may not have been expecting (see "Just Because") Also noteworthy on this release is Andre 3000's stellar work on "What a job."

2. Talib Kweli & Madlib - Liberation

"Our music went from tap dance to the lap dance / try to get me to sell out and thats a fat chance"

Peace to the Libs for putting this release out for free. They didn't wanna mess with sample-clearing so just put it out for free. Madlib has some real nice beats here, in the mold of that Movie Scenes Beat-CD he released last year. So yeh, lots of soul singing and melodious flutes but also nice dirty bass lines. All the beats are adventurous and extremely replayable. Kweli also shows he is returning to form on this release. Just always on point. Watch out on "The Function" Kweli does something pretty new for him...he starts rapping in that voice that you only hear at his live shows (IE he shouts and projects from his chest rather than that more nasal voice we love). In fact, he switches up his style much on this joint. This is welcome, as it is a free release so I don't mind if your trying out some new directions. You just gave me the music for free so do whatever you want.

1. Sean Price - Jesus Price Superstar

I posted about Sean P below. Everything said then still stands. This guy is sick.

COULD BE DOPES: I ain't gonna lie, but I haven't listened to that Consequence album yet. I hear its pretty fire. I also hear Black Milk, that crazy producer/rapper from Detroit, has released a dope album entitled "Popular Demand" which I must check. El-P's joint "I'll sleep when your dead" I must also check.

FUTURE CUTS: There are some potentially dope releases I'm really looking forward to coming out soon. From underground type ish like Marco Polo, Pharoahe Monch and Talib Kweli to more mainstream stuff like Raekwon, Dr Dre, Joe Budden, Common, UGK and Young Buck this is set to be a great year for hip-hop. EDIT: The Young Buck was actually finally released this week. Its selling very strongly - and with that mix of producers its no surprise. I am about to listen to it now...

Final Four - Quit your whinging!

Defense!

Cool. We got some final four action going on here and no one could begrudge the team that eventually wins the Tourney. All four remaining teams have had great seasons.

When high seeds dominate the tournament as they have this year, many people start complaining. Cries of "No Cinderella story? Then no interest from me whatsoever!" or "The results are too predictable and most games short on drama" are heard.

Sorry. I didn't realise the NCAA tournament was all about you. I didn't realise the main goal of the NCAA tournament was to entertain you. The whole system must be flawed simply because you weren't given a regular dosage of upsets. It was all so much better "back in the day."

Um...last year George Mason made one of the most incredible runs ever. Remember? If it wasn't for years like 2007, when the top schools dominate, runs like last year's would be nowhere near as impressive. And no where near as memorable.

And who's to say theres no entertainment? In the final four we have:

• A true character of the game trying to go Repeat and create a true hoops legacy (Florida's Noah)
• A future hall of famer awakening from his slumber and reminding everyone big man defense can be title-deciding (Ohio State's Oden). The thing is, he's going up against another big man who's doing exactly the same thing in Georgetown (Roy Hibbert).
  
• An incredibly well oiled UCLA team out for revenge over Florida after last year's events.

And already in the tourney we've seen some incredible comebacks and great-escapes (Ohio State's and Georgetown's being the most memorable). If people say those games weren't drama filled, then I don't know what is.

We have four top notch teams playing top quality basketball. The NCAA tournament is about rewarding the teams who play the best basketball. To achieve this players need to exhibit great teamwork, incredible skills honed by years of practice and hustle spurred on by the fans and passion felt for their college. It's not about entertaining you...but if you keep an open mind you can bet your bottom dollar that it will.

P.S. For those who want to see my Bracket, here it is.

First name Sean, last name Price

So this is how it goes. I named this blog after the Brokest Rapper you know, Sean Price. So it's only natural I make a post about him.

When it comes to Sean P, you either love him, or clearly haven't heard him yet. Cos its impossible to listen to this cat and hate him. The dude comes fucking charismatic on the mic. He is a veteran MC, formerly part of the duo Heltah Skeltah as Ruck with colleague Rock. This was back in the 90s and these guys were at the forefront of Boot Camp Clik, a hip-hop supergroup from Brooklyn. A couple of years ago dude released his first solo joint: Monkey Barz. Shit was fire - mad lyrics and mad beats. This year he is back with yet more dopeness. The new album is entitled "Jesus Price Supastar"

But why do I love P so much? Aside from his charisma on the mic, its just those mad word plays he comes up with. He is truly hardcore in that Wu-Tang style where its all tongue in cheek but still way more hardcore than those fake ass clowns you see on the screen these days like Mims. He is also hilariously self-depreciating. But yeh, about his word plays: them shits are dope. Shit like "Call dude at the radio / 'Listen could you play me yo?' / 'Yeh i'm a play it', he didn't play it, but he played me though"

That shit right there is dope as fuck. But its just par for the course with Sean P. And he is creative too. How about "Words can't explain the way I feel / ***Starts whistling***" Lots of rappers just stick to that 16 bars shit. And they are generic. If P comes up with an idea he is not afraid to try it. More often than not, it works. Fuck it: it always works. Here's 3 tracks that should help you understand dude is dope.

Onion Head feat. Tek
Fly line: "Gotta dime bitch that live in Japan / Black belt, suck dick, chop bricks with her hand"

I could quote any line from this track. But I'll let you listen to it. The beat by Khrysis just screams for some hot shit to be spat over it. Really gets you going. But when you think about it - when was the last time you heard a wack Khrysis beat? I might do a post on that cat soon.

Jedi Mind Tricks - Beyond the Gates of Pain feat. Sean Price
Fly line: "Rockin and Rollin...Guns N Roses / Pocket is Swollen...Son is Holding, Sean P!"

This beat suits P nicely. Although actually any beat suits P. Ok maybe I should stop praising son and get off his dick.

Violent
Fly line: "Word bond, ya'll niggas can't rap worth a damn / The Nine burst blam and earthslam your fam"

Ok here's another P track, produced by 9th Wonder this time. 9th produces a heap of P's shit. It's typical Sean at the start of the track when he says "this beat is just so cool, you know you just wanna relax and, say some old cool shit...but that's not me" and proceeds to bring "Violence" to a beat most rappers would be rhyming about some "ole cool shit."

"The beat is smooth, the rap is hard..." Damn right.

BONUS BEATS!!!

Strick: Mad skills from Milwaukee

Ok ya'll. In case you didn't know, I support the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA. This year hasn't been the best for us, quite simply cos injuries have taken their toll. However, when the team has been fully healthy and Michael Redd in the starting line up, we have been playing very well and beaten some real good teams. You got my boy Bogut establishing himself as one of the best passing centres in the game, Charlie Bell improving at a rate of notts, Charlie V putting up some good numbers as a big man who can shoot the ball and Mo Williams really maturing as a point guard. This, coupled with Michael Redd's exquisite shooting, experience and physicality provided by the reborn Ruben Patterson, a returning Bobby Simmons next year and maybe a nice player in this year's draft (a small forward would be ideal) we can and will win the Eastern Conference in a few years. Its not too far away.

Anyways, that's not the point of this post. The point of this post, is that the town of Milwaukee has a mad rapper in its midst too. He goes by the name of Stricklin, or Strick for short.

This cat is real nice on the mic. He is kinda a throwback to that mid 90s style when skills were still important. He will boast, not with empty repetitive gangster phrases, but with great stanzas. This is the best way to boast: actually show you have skills. You leave the listener sure you are dope.

Dude started rolling with Masta Ace after his deal with Tommy Boy fell through. He appeared on a few Masta Ace tracks on "Disposable Arts" and then "A Long Hot Summer" and that's where I first heard him. I was immediately impressed. I got his album "The Resume" and it is indeed dope. He also roles with Royce Da 5'9 sometimes and has done a few tracks with him. Here is a couple of tracks you might like to check...

Stricklin - Rest Assured It feat. Skoob
Fly line: "As for you, youse a bitch, and your man is your clone / Talk shit but freeze up when them cameras is on / don't articulate, and when you do, your grammar is wrong / so please back the fuck up before I damage your dome"

This track has a real nice beat. I just like that chilled beat. But with Stricklin its more about the lyrics. Its just real hip-hop. If you are wondering who he is on the track - its pretty obvious he is the guy NOT saying "diggity etc" that's Skoob of Das Efx.

Stricklin - 4 Brothaz feat. Masta Ace, Punch & Words
Fly line: "You faggots really can't rhyme - you just yellin / And i ain't ate, you look like a plate of fresh melon / And i gotta huge appetite / you dudes ain't rapping right / and i ain't rap to tight / and you might get clapped To-Nite"

This is Strick with Masta Ace and Punchline and Wordsworth. Word em up, this quartet actually are recording a whole lot of shit together under the name "eMC" and they have an album coming out soon. That will be fire. Lots of talent in that quartet right there, no weak link. This track will give you an idea of what to expect...Strick got first...

Masta Ace - F.A.Y. feat. Stricklin
Fly Line: "Nobody knows me / no record label chose me / but tommy boy did, and look where that got me / a bad attitude and a reason not to be cocky"

This is my fav Strick track. He has the last verse and it's fucking awesome. Both Ace and Strick are just on the negative tip on this track in regards to the whole hip-hop industry and even life itself. Ace is very often on this tip, and I like hearing it. Dude speaks some truth. Anyway Strick just comes hella nice on this track. He is on a mad negative tip. Which is very different for a hip-hop song, but also very listenable, somehow. Listen to it, figure it out yourself...

March Madness

Hey waddup ya'll. I thought I'd just write a bit here about March Madness. This is one of the best times of year for basketball mad cats like me. You got the NBA regular season coming to an end, so all the talk is about playoff spots and seeds. But you also got College Hoops' most important month! We got championship week at the moment. And soon its time for the NCAA tourney and I can't wait for this shit.

So who do I like? Well, Greg Oden and his Buckeyes are just kicking into gear now. It's like Oden has heard everyone saying "Hang on, this Durant kid is putting up huge numbers. Maybe he should be number 1 pick in the draft" and decided to remind everyone why he is so highly rated (although neither are locks to be in the draft people keep forgetting). He has started using his right hand again - and that means problems for all the opposition.

Kansas are also up there. They got a nicely balanced team and many of their players can give you double digit games. Then in my opinion there are a host of teams below these two who could still go all the way. Right down to Georgetown who could indeed go deep. Also, any team with Kevin Durant in it, has got to be a chance. This guy is crazy talented. Texas will therefore be a must-watch this month.

But the team I'll be rooting for to go as far as possible? Virginia. I just like the back court: Singletary and Reynolds. Sick cunts. Although they just lost in the ACC tournament to North Carolina State. Reynolds shot like a bitch (3-15).

Anyways I hope ya'll will be getting into it. Peace.

Little known songs...

I'm gonna make my first real post be about those songs that you love, but no one seems to have even heard of them. Everyone has a few of these. I must have a few hundred.

Here: I'll give you three today. The first is by Houston cat Devin the Dude. You know; that guy on Dr Dre's song "Fuck You"? He got that mad chilled higher-pitched type of voice. And this song, "Right Now," has just one of the most chilled beats you'll hear. The two go hand in hand. This song just really makes me feel good and its hedonistic nature helps remind me life is pretty fucking good.

Devin the Dude - Right Now
Fly line: "I'm like 'I know its kinda scary, it's a long way down / You shoulda had your shit together when you was on the ground' "

The second is kinda similar in that it makes me feel good. It's by Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas together with Long Beach Dub All Stars. It's just got mad lyrics, mad melody and mad instrumental. If you don't end up thinking more positive for a few minutes after listening to this song, you probably never will/do think positive. Brighten up!

Long Beach Dub All Stars feat. Will.I.Am - Sunny Hours
Fly line: "Tell me why I'm not dead with them in the valley down below / I give thanks everyday, for these words that save my soul"

Lastly I'll hook you up with a song that is probably the most well known of these three mentioned. But still, many of this guy's fans have never even heard of this song. It is my favourite song by Lupe Fiasco, and it's from his mixtape "Fahrenheit 1/15 Part I" and it's called "Failure." That is some raw lyrical shit right here. This song made me salivate for over 12 months waiting for his debut album "Food & Liquor." The album was dope but nothing matched his consistent brilliance throughout the verses of this cut. The beat is hella nice too. This is just real hip-hop with mad word plays and great rhyming throughout. This reminds you why you ain't a rapper. P.S. Does anyone else think he looks a lot like Steve Francis? (that's Lupe above if you weren't sure).

Lupe Fiasco - Failure
Fly line: "Please don't Interscope...its gon be a whole lotta Iovine and respiratin’ if I lean out this window with Irene."

Ok that's it for now. Like some foreigner in California once said, I'll be back.

The Brokest Writer You Know

That's right fools. The Brokest Writer You Know is here. Word em up. But this is a great day for all you hip-hop fans out there, cos I'm gonna hook you up with some of the flyest tracks you ever heard. I'll upload them for a limited time on yousendit.com or something similar. And I'll explain why it is that I like them.

It's real late cos I was trying to think of a name for this blog. (Bloggystyle, Strictly 4 My Feeders and 3 kb/s High and Rising all just missed out). So tomorrow I'll upload the first hot ish for this blog.