Archive » Hip-Hop at War

Grandmaster Flash Hops on the Anti-JD Train

 

Today we present to you another chapter in the "Jermaine Durpi Done Effed Up" Chronicles. This time, the response comes from the one, the only, Grandmaster Flash, who is a pioneer in this game and should pretty much be able to shut this discussion down. Flash's words via Access Atlanta:

"It threw me a little bit, just being the creator of this whole DJ hip-hop thing. I mean Jermaine Dupri is a very good friend of mine and I have so much respect for him. And he knows, personally, a lot of his stuff wouldn't have jumped off if it wasn't for the DJ. From 'Jump, Jump', to Da Brat to 'In My Bed'. One of his signatures is doing records for the dancefloor. And who controls the dancefloor? The DJ! Jermaine knows better."

In fairness, JD was more or less referring to the modern DJ that wants to share or steal shine from the artist. But JD's candor alone makes him ripe for the picking.

Grandmaster Flash Responds to Jermaine Dupri, Lil Wayne [AMS]

nOvaMatic  |  06/17/2008 at 11:08 AM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

Conscious Hip Hop: The New Danger?

 

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ill Mami  |  06/16/2008 at 1:00 PM  |  Comments (8)  |  Permalink

He Turned an Icon Into a 'Bust It Baby'

 

Oh snap! The claws are really coming out in Hip Hop right about now. Recently, Jermaine Dupri did a series of videos over at The Most Access bemoaning the state of the music game with an astounding lack of irony. The one that drew the most ire was the one in which he declared that the DJ is dead, because the DJ, instead of supporting and co-signing the artist, wants to be an artist himself. This pissed people off. Greg Street and Kay Slay have both responded and yanked JD's card. A common sentiment between the two of them was that he's in large part responsible for lowering the stock of Janet Jackson.

Greg Street, specifically, calls him out for putting Khia on a Janet record, and Janet on a Plies record. "You turned an icon into a 'Bust It Baby'!" he says. Janet fans came out in force earlier this week on SB, and many had a similar assertion. Two years ago, I wrote an op-ed for VIBE Online entitled "The Ghetto-ization of Damita Jo", which more or less points out the same thing. He's made her common, and while that may work for some artists, it just doesn't cut it for Penny. The whispers are no longer whispers at this point. Even figures in Hip Hop, who we'd imagine could care less about a Pop icon, agree with the fans. That's very telling.

[Image: Idolator]

nOvaMatic  |  06/12/2008 at 1:30 PM  |  Comments (9)  |  Permalink

NYOIL: Nas is One of the Most Overrated MCs Ever

 

Whew. Are people allowed to say this? We've all expressed our views on Nas's whole "Nigger movement" and have raised questions such as: Is Nas is the ideal MC to stir this particular pot? Does he possess the courage of his convictions and can he intelligently articulate them off-wax? But NYOIL takes things a step further, daring to say Nas is overrated and also posing the notion that maybe we've given Nas too much of a pass because of Illmatic.



I'm sure someone will label this as hating, but at the end of the day, Hip Hop needs these kind of internal check and balances. Not everyone in the culture is cool with what Nas is doing just because he's Nas. [H/T: Nah Right]

nOvaMatic  |  04/24/2008 at 11:12 AM  |  Comments (6)  |  Permalink

Chuck Phillips' Trusted Sources Played an Early April Fool's Joke

 

For anyone that thought the side-eye I launched at Chuck Philips was a little less than warranted, fall back! The gods over at The Smoking Gun have revealed that Phillips' damning LA Times article (that claimed Diddy and Jimmy Henchman knew Tupac would be shot in 1994) was based on forged FBI documents riddled with bad spelling, among other things. Phillips worked on his masterpiece for six months and was steadfast in his defense of the sources. The Times is now launching an internal investigation into the validity of the article, as if that will help undo the flights of fancy that appeared in their pages last week. Also, Henchmen is ready to sue, and could possibly, hilariously, win. Please check out the report over at TSG. It's truly a beautiful thing to behold. [TSG / LAT]

nOvaMatic  |  03/26/2008 at 4:48 PM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

News to Us: Faith Evans and Damon Dash are Rappers

 

If the accompanying photo is any indication, Faith Evans has been declared a rapper by NBC11 in Cali. Their "Troubled Rappers With Rap Sheets" photo gallery makes no distinction between relevancy (Vanilla Ice), living or dead (Easy E) or whether or not the individuals are indeed rap artists (Suge Knight). Normally, we wouldn't give a local piece like this the time of day; it's not like it was compiled by CNN. But it came to us via Digg, which increases it's value, unfortunately. 

We're not sure exactly what they were trying to prove by putting this list together, especially once you consider there's virtually no context other than the fact that these individuals have all done something bad. And padding the list with folks like Damon Dash, Left Eye, and Irv Gotti doesn't make the list juicy or factual. It's more or less irresponsibly pointing out that it doesn't take much to be a rapper (again, Vanilla Ice) or a criminal (ahem, black).

Bad local media!

nOvaMatic  |  03/24/2008 at 10:36 AM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

That Was Fast. Trouble-Causing LA Times Writer Defends Snoriffic Tupac Article

 

You know, the actual LA Times article about Diddy and Biggie and some other dudes having prior knowledge of the attack on 2Pac in 1994, kind of paled in comparison to the hype preceding it. It all got to a point where everyone thought it would be about the killing of 2Pac but it wasn't. This was the "Who Shot Ya" shot, the one that pissed 2Pac off. Not the one that killed him. Less interesting.

Anyway, Diddy and Jimmy Henchman both denied they had anything to do with, or knowledge of, the shooting before it happened. Not like they'd remember, what with it being 14 years ago and all, but still.

Diddy Combs, specifically, stated "This story is beyond ridiculous and completely false. Neither Biggie nor I had any knowledge of any attack before, during or after it happened. It is a complete lie to suggest that there was any involvement by Biggie or myself." Got that, everyone? No knowledge even after it happened. Guess what, Diddy? 2Pac was shot in 1994. The More You Know™. Henchman called the article a "libelous piece of garbage" and is consulting his lawyers because the music industry has trained him to react like Amanda Woodward.

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nOvaMatic  |  03/18/2008 at 5:32 PM  |  Leave a Comment  |  Permalink

Diddy's Shadiness Is So Blinding, We Might Need Some Sean John Shades

 

As we delved into the allegations that Sean "Diddy" Combs had knowledge of the 1994 attempt on Tupac Shakur's life yesterday, comes more news that may leave the mogul a little shook. Shyne neé Jamal Burrows now has another alias to add to his belt (he is now known as Moses Michael Leviy to reflect his Jewish heritage) which means that Sean Combs a/k/a Diddy a/k/a P Diddy a/k/a Puff Daddy a/k/a/ Puffy a/k/a/ the shadiest dude to ever run a record label since Big Red has to now find a new alias (decisions, decisions!). The real shocker, however, is that Shyne will be testifying in open court about the happenings at the Club New York shooting in 1999, something he refused to do at the original trial. Remember the original trial that left Diddy sans-J Lo but with his freedom, while Shyne, in an act of some sort of ill-conceived street loyalty, ended up convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison? Yeah, well he does, too. And now that he has found himself almost done with his bid, he is likely trying to figure out how a player can survive after being released. And it looks like a $130 million dollar-lawsuit might just be the ticket.

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ill Mami  |  03/18/2008 at 1:59 PM  |  Comments (1)  |  Permalink

The Roots Hoodwink Fans For A Master Plan

 

I will admit it. They got me. They may have gotten you, too. I was primed and ready to fight when I saw the video for The Roots' "Birthday Girl." I was mainly so upset because I thought The Roots had finally sold out and given in to the demographic that wasn't with them from the very beginning. As a former "backpacker," I was there in the wrecka sto' when Organix came out. I was the one bumpin' Do You Want More?!!!??! from my DJ headphones on the A train. I was also the one who saw them opening up for Erykah Badu in 1997, when the notion of headlining a tour would have sounded ridiculous to any concert promoter. It was because their fan base hadn't even approached the Gen Y demographic. Then came "The Seed 2.0" with Cody Chesnutt. Then suddenly I noticed my classmates who were not into hip hop began telling me that they had "discovered" a new group called The Roots and how "awe-sum" they were. I corrected them and told them The Roots were not new, and had been in the game for a minute. And despite my knowing that The Roots had hit the big time, I was happy that they had become mainstream so they could get some monetary compensation for all their artistic talent. That is until this "Birthday Girl" video surfaced. 

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ill Mami  |  03/17/2008 at 12:00 PM  |  Comments (4)  |  Permalink