FOT Forum
The Best Show on WFMU => Dear Tom => Topic started by: johnfgillson on November 28, 2006, 12:20:16 AM
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Hey Tom, I know you said you really aren't that into the new Jay-Z album, but you did say that you thought some tracks were ok...what tracks were those? I think the only respectable song on the album is Lost Ones. I had big expectations for this album and I don't think it even makes it into the top 10 hip-hop albums of the year. That's really disappointing since he's never put out a truly bad album in my opinion. Anyway, the question is what tracks do you like off that album?
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Gilly -
I like the first five tracks for starters, from the intro to Lost One. From that point on things get a little spotty, with some generic songs, a couple truly bad ones, and one or two decent cuts.
People are so down on the album, which I dont get. Jay-Z has three great albums to his name - Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint and maybe the Black Album (which has its fair share of crud on it as well). He's always had amazing songs on every record, but don't lose sight of some of the deadwood clogging up some of those pre-Blueprint records.
I think if people think of this as the first album in the second phase of Jay's career, it makes more sense. He's never gonna be the threatening anymore - he's grown past that and admits it point blank. Think of this as the hip hop version of Sinatra's swinging 60's phase - he's paid his dues, he's stayed on top for a decade, and he's still on top. And give him credit for not pretending to be something he's not. One thing that bums me out about hip hop is how fans don't want anybody getting old and having a full-on career - if you're not new, you're somehow inferior.
Your thoughts are appreciated.
Tom.
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Isnt that the rule and not the exception in the entertainment sphere?
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I think it's the worst album because there aren't those two-three great songs that are the best hip-hop songs of the year. Every album he's put out (Even Blueprint 2.0) have had at least a couple great songs, but I don't think this one does. Lost One is the best but I don't know if I can call it great.
I do agree with you that most hip-hop fans are always looking for the next thing. It's very hard for anybody to have a prolonged career. I think the problem is that hip-hop speaks to the young people, and when artists grow up the new young fans don't really care and a lot of older fans have left them (or the whole genre) behind.
What other hip-hop artists are you into?
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I hear Jay-Z lives right down the block from WFMU in Paulas Hook.
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Gilly, if you don't mind me answering, for myself, I have to say:
The Wu Tang Clan Isn't A Thing To Fuck With. God damn, I could listen to Ghost Face all day.
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I hear you on that. Ghostface is by far the best. I can listen to most Wu-Tang albums and solo projects all day. Except ODB. Only in small doses can I take some ODB.
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Can't forget the Liquid Swords!
"Shit's played like zodiac signs on sweatshirts
That's minimum
and feminine like sandals"
Feminine like sandals. So good.
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I'm a little creeped out by a bunch of dudes calling themselves the "CunninLynguists." I thought it was gonna be like the Yeastie Girls or something.
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I thought Jay-Z retired. ???
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I thought Sathington retired. Isn't it Sathingtron now?
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I thought Sathington retired. Isn't it Sathingtron now?
touché
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Tom,
I haven't actually heard any Jay-Z albums (yes, tis true). But I love the Grey Album. What is your opinion of Danger Mouse's remixing?
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I am way way late to this, but I have to confess that I don't get much of hip hop, although maybe that's because my exposure comes mainly from what I hear on commercial radio. I spent a lot of time a couple of summers ago with Mos Def's Black on Both Sides, which I thought was pretty great, and I like a lot of the Aesop Rock I have heard; I even have a couple of Public Enemy records, but beyond that, it's a musical style I never developed any real fondness for, mainly because I get tired of repetition too quickly, I think. At 49, all that anger just seems kind of sad and tired to me.
So what's WRONG with me?
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Jay Z is the only rapper who uses big words.
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Jay Z is the only rapper who uses big words.
That's not true.
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Jay Z is the only rapper who uses big words.
Big for your audience. And for you.
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Jay Z is the only rapper who uses big words.
Big for your audience. And for you.
I know everyone he isnt the only rapper to do so. I was just kidding
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I am way way late to this, but I have to confess that I don't get much of hip hop, although maybe that's because my exposure comes mainly from what I hear on commercial radio. I spent a lot of time a couple of summers ago with Mos Def's Black on Both Sides, which I thought was pretty great, and I like a lot of the Aesop Rock I have heard; I even have a couple of Public Enemy records, but beyond that, it's a musical style I never developed any real fondness for, mainly because I get tired of repetition too quickly, I think. At 49, all that anger just seems kind of sad and tired to me.
So what's WRONG with me?
Hmm... I think you can sense the repetition more if you don't listen to it much. Rock music is just as repetitive as hip-hop, but if you've listened to it all your life you become accustomed to hearing the same thing. More of a habit I think. I agree with the anger issue though... today all anger seems tired in music. It's hard to make a statement in music without being cliche or at least without sounding whiny.
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Jay-Z and Phish!
[youtube=425,350]om2EQ7YXork[/youtube]
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First Linkin Park now Phish. Jay-z sure knows how to pick rock guys to collaborate with.
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Dave from Knoxville, this is why you have supercaller status. At 49, I assume that I will be a fullblown crank, uninterested in listening to anything but old-timey music. I heard a scientist recently talking about how our brains are hard-wired to prefer music we heard in our late teens, which might explain a lot.
Hip-hop is a huge, messy class of music that's hard to untangle; it's a bit like using the phrase "rock" to describe everything from Poison to Bruce Springsteen to Pearl Jam to Led Zeppelin and everywhere above and beyond. Jay-Z can go from being a deft lyricist in one song to then rhyming the phrase "trick ho" with...the phrase "gold-diggin' skanky ho" in the next song.
I'd suggest De La Soul's earlier stuff to cut your teeth on, definitely the Black Star album (back when Mos Def was good), and more Stones Throw stuff to throw a curveball. More and more, though, I find hip hop getting me more interested in finding out about the songs they're sampling.
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Try an Eric B & Rakim greatest hits cd (even my mom likes the "Paid in Full" remix), Digable Planets' Blowout Comb and Pete Rock & CL Smooth's Mecca and the Soul Brother. Also, you may want to hunt for a cassingle of Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd's classic joint from the Dragnet soundtrack.
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Three words:
Boogie
Down
Productions
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I agree with Black Star and throw in Talib Kweli's new album Eardrum and 2002? album Quality. Also, Wu-Tang Clan. I think they are the easiest to listen to because they all have very unique styles so it rarely gets monotonous. Plus RZA is the king of finding the coolest samples and soundclips. 36 Chambers is top 10 of all time in my book and Forever isn't far behind. If only they made Forever a single disc.
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Three words:
Boogie
Down
Productions
Two words:
Word
Up
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Seconded.
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I second and third and fourth pretty much all of these (esp. Mos Def), and raise you (sorry for any repeats):
The Coup
Madvillain/MF Doom/Danger Doom
Outkast
Cee-Lo/Gnarls Barkley
Blackalicious
A Tribe Called Quest/Q-Tip
De La Soul
Aesop Rock
Jay Dee aka Jay Dilla (I discovered this through TBSOWFMU, so someone must have mentioned it already)
I'm also fond of FMU's underground rap show, Coffee Break for Heroes and Villains, which spotlights a lot of NJ acts...
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YESSSSSSSS to MF Doom. I recommend Mm...Food? and Vaudeville Villain. I remember watching the Carson Daly show because MF doom was on, and there were the saddest, whitest people waving their hands like they just don't care in the audience. It was like a Dave Matthews Band audience. Oooooh-weeeee! I still want an animated gif of the audience :(
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the only current hip-hop (if any of this stuff even counts as hip-hop) i listen to isn't from america
cadence weapon (from edmonton, alberta)
any baile funk/funk carioca from brazil
lots of british stuff (m.i.a., lady sov, anything grime/garage/dubstep related)
altho if baltimore club or diplo/hollertronix or other mashuppy stuff like that figure into hip-hop, then that's american
but lots of other stuff just doesn't interest me at all anymore.
i still like missy elliott a lot tho.
edit: as for older stuff that hasn't been mentioned yet, (http://www.fakepilot.com/blog/wp-content/octagon.jpg)
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So, anybody listen to "American Gangster" yet? I'm loving it. I thought it started out a little slow, but starting with "No Hook" it totally won me over. My favorite tracks thus far are the aforementioned song, "Ignorant Shit", "Roc Boys", and "Success". I thought the song with Lil Wayne was a little disappointing (and I'm a Wayne fan). Thoughts?
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No Hook is my favorite, but I'm not that hot on the rest of it. Not weird, I usually end up liking new music about a year after it comes out. I'm not hip.
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Roc Boys on Letterman.
[youtube=425,350]Fp6RmklIu_U[/youtube]
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the new album is awesome.
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All the people that lectured me about how Jay-Z was finished after KINGDOM COME - which still had six GREAT songs on it, by the way - laughed in my face when I said that he'd be back in 2007.
They were saying that it was like Jordan playing on the Wizards - bad knees, over the hill, the game passing him by. But I honestly thought it was no different than '95, when the Bulls lost to the Magic in the second round. MJ was fresh off his comeback, shaking off some rust, not yet in championship form. But he licked his wounds, went back to work and promptly owned the NBA for the next three years. That's the boat that Jay-Z was in, and that's what he did. He got back to it and came up with another classic.
I love AMERICAN GANGSTER sooo much - it reminds me of THE BLUEPRINT in some ways, but he's not swinging for hits this time. He's trying to make a masterpiece, and so far it seems like he might've come close.
If it wasn't for this stupid writers strike I would've treated myself to an early Xmas present and got a scalped ticket for the NYC show this Sunday. But who knows how long it'll be before I get another paycheck.
Tom.
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Man, I'm poor and depend on my Rhapsody subscription to listen to new music. Unfortunately, American Gangster is buy only so I guess I have to wait a little while. That's the drawback of subscription plans I suppose.
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I was initially excited for the record because I imagined it would be a return to The Blueprint (i.e. lost of soul samples). My expectations were exceeded as it's its own beast entirely. It really has to be listened to in one sitting, which is something that can't be said for most records these days. Also, it's one of the only hip hop records that actually gets better as it goes on. I still like Reasonable Doubt and Blueprint more but Im sure this record didn't disappoint at all. Also, Nas destroys the known universe with his guest verse.
On a somewhat related note, I wonder if Philly Boy Roy has any Beanie Sigel stories?
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http://vegasblog.latimes.com/vegas/2007/11/jay-z-rigs-a-sl.html
Click to view Jay-Z promotional slot machine sent as invite to new Vegas club.
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Jay-Z is trash
40 year old millionaire rapping about selling crack.
We all as Americans should be ashamed.
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Jay-Z is trash
40 year old millionaire rapping about selling crack.
We all as Americans should be ashamed.
He's almost as big a piece of shit as David Chase and Martin Scorsese, right?
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Jay-Z is trash
40 year old millionaire rapping about selling crack.
We all as Americans should be ashamed.
He's almost as big a piece of shit as David Chase and Martin Scorsese, right?
I always thought of Kingdom Come as Jay's Kundun.
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Again: I call for Jeff Tweedy to retire.
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great to see this topic come back up. i've never been a fan of jay z so much. i've always leaned towards wu tang, lil wayne, mf doom, and others. BUT, american gangster is quickly becoming my favorite recording of the year. no hook, roc boys, SAY HELLO, brooklyn 2.0 (i love lil wayne and i think he kills it), and i know are all superb tracks.
Jay-Z is trash
40 year old millionaire rapping about selling crack.
We all as Americans should be ashamed.
i'm ashamed for you ason. did you even see the movie american gangster? you obviously have never sold crack. i haven't either. but your comment is worthless, you should know that.
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great to see this topic come back up. i've never been a fan of jay z so much. i've always leaned towards wu tang, lil wayne, mf doom, and others. BUT, american gangster is quickly becoming my favorite recording of the year. no hook, roc boys, SAY HELLO, brooklyn 2.0 (i love lil wayne and i think he kills it), and i know are all superb tracks.
Jay-Z is trash
40 year old millionaire rapping about selling crack.
We all as Americans should be ashamed.
i'm ashamed for you ason. did you even see the movie american gangster? you obviously have never sold crack. i haven't either. but your comment is worthless, you should know that.
Yeah I saw it
the 3rd act sux. Feels like yet another rehash of Goodfellas and we just had the Departed last year.
I don't need this lame-o explaining to me what it means to be from the streets
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/tx/gallery/media/charles_jayz405.jpg)
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If I ever get famous I'll remember that I can't ever talk about my past experiences.
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Blueprint 3:
http://www.vimeo.com/1483104
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I read about that on Billboard today. I loved the Blueprint but the second one was horrible. There's nothing that really connects the albums thematically so it seems gimmicky that he'll call this one Blueprint 3. I'll still have to keep an eye out for it this fall.
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I read about that on Billboard today. I loved the Blueprint but the second one was horrible. There's nothing that really connects the albums thematically so it seems gimmicky that he'll call this one Blueprint 3. I'll still have to keep an eye out for it this fall.
Dude just loves his trilogies, I guess (his second, third and fourth albums were all subtitled "Vol. 1", "Vol. 2" and "Vol. 3").
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Man, hip-hop is really not good live. Those are two of the best out there and that wasn't all that great to watch. That said, I'm looking forward to Blueprint 3.
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Jay-Z live at Radio City Music Hall was one of the best shows I have ever seen. I kid you not. Just the best. Fifty piece orchestra, making his entrance in a car, doing Reasonable Doubt in its entirely, etc. I wish they put out the DVD that they were talking about.
Tom.
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Its not always the rappers fault that hip hop isn't good live. Very few venues and clubs will have live hip-hop and having it will increase a venues insurance rates. Also live entertaining to massive crowds isn't how a lot of artists come up, so its not necessarily something they are used to. I've seen some great rapper suck badly live, but often bad sound and a newness to being a live entertainer is at fault.
Kanye and Jay-Z both tour regularly and put a lot of effort into their live show and they are both real good live. Thats a new song and may not be the greatest song. Seeing a 2 minute video isn't something to judge a live act on.
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It's my second time mentioning this on here (braggin' a little bit) but I just went to the Rock the Bells show in Chicago and everybody was pretty amazing. Well, everybody whose name isn't Mos Def. But that's just because he doesn't like to rap anymore. I think knowing the songs helps to enjoy live hip-hop.
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It's my second time mentioning this on here (braggin' a little bit) but I just went to the Rock the Bells show in Chicago and everybody was pretty amazing. Well, everybody whose name isn't Mos Def. But that's just because he doesn't like to rap anymore. I think knowing the songs helps to enjoy live hip-hop.
Haha. I also posted mentioning seeing Rock the Bells in Mansfield, MA and I enjoyed everybody. Mos was probably the most disappointing to a lot of people there. I don't know about your show but he came out and basically crooned and only rapped over two tracks. He also wore a carpet over his head for the first 7 or 8 minutes. Here's the only good picture I could get of his carpet.
(http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v310/160/86/1232820239/n1232820239_30235393_5.jpg)
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How about that Sweet Life Remix Green Lantern did for Jay Z.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SSSVrvWkCFI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SSSVrvWkCFI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
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Anyone seen the cover for The Blueprint 3?
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/20/TheBlueprint3.jpg)
I was thinking it looked a little familiar:
(http://betterpropaganda.com/images/artwork/Now_Here_Is_Nowhere-Secret_Machines_480.jpg)
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The husband of a friend of mine is an Art Director for Jay-Z's label and was in London a few weeks ago supervising the shoot for the cover. It's hard to see from the image, but the red stripe is actually painted on the instruments, not overlayed on the photo. While it certainly looks like the Secret Machines cover, I still think its an arresting image and I look forward to the record.
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Sorry, I don't get how those three stripes could have been painted on the actual instruments. They have a translucent quality like gels used for light coverings.
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it's a little more obvious in higher resolution pictures of the cover:
(http://standardatl.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/jay-z_blueprint3_cover.jpg)
it looks like the same principle as those cool sidewalk chalk art dealies:
(http://www.linesandcolors.com/images/2006-02/wenner_450.jpg)
you base it on one specific angle
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Yeah, you can see where that red line kind of indents slightly and follows the contours of the volume control panel for the amp on the left.
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Anyone disgusted that Jay-Z on Leno's first night? Other than me, I mean?
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Anyone disgusted that Jay-Z on Leno's first night? Other than me, I mean?
I'm mostly just disgusted that Leno has a first night.
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Initial thoughts on Blueprint 3? I'm digging it so far. I even really like the poppy songs (Especially "Run This Town") which admittedly makes up a good portion of the album. Before getting this I had only barely heard of J. Cole but his verse on "A Star is Born" is pretty impressive. Some great beats, too.
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it's a little more obvious in higher resolution pictures of the cover:
(http://standardatl.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/jay-z_blueprint3_cover.jpg)
Three red stripes ... what does it mean? Does this have any significance in Jay-Z world?
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It probably has something to do with his occult connections. (http://vigilantcitizen.com/?p=1948)
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"It has been long rumored that Jay-Z is part of some sort of occult order (probably Freemasonry) due to the hints slipped in his songs and his imagery."
Now all I can think about is Jay-Z dressed like this
(http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/6622/ht44freemasongroup.jpg)
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This part literally made me LOL:
Why does he appear in other videos containing occult meanings (see Rihanna’s “Umbrella” or Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”)?
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I was watching the awful ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on Jimmy the Greek and while googling him, I found this column:
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/jimmy_the_greek_fired_jay_embraced_piyiiTVeVbO6t9RAmFNwAP
Probably one of the dumbest and uninformed things I've read.