Category Archives: G.O.A.T.’s

G.O.A.T.’s…Greatest Bad A** Legend of Song

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GOATS

Some of you Moguls may be new to the game, but back in the day (’bout 3 yrs. ago) when UML was brand new, and before we had a Million hits :-) , I used to write a piece known in these parts as G.O.A.T.’s. The title doesn’t refer to the furry little critter that lends his face to the feature, he’s since become a star in the animal world and moved on to greater things; but it refers to the oft had argument about The Greatest(s)…of All Time. If you’ve ever been in a barber shop, are a sports fan of any kind, or have an old relative that’s always telling you stories about people and fantastic feats of days gone by…then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

The topic of this feature…is none other than “Stagger” Lee Shelton. If you’re no music buff, then maybe you don’t know Llloyd Price’s 1959 #1 hit about Murder and Mayhem in a St. Louis bar. Never fear, scroll down a few lines…and be enlightened. There have been many songs over the years about legendary Bad A** cats…“Big Jim”, “I Shot The Sheriff”, and “Hey Joe” just to name a few, but the difference is…the story of “Stagger” Lee..is true. Continue reading →

G.O.A.T.’s – Albums

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GOATS

I thought long and hard about this first installment of G.O.A.T.’s. I decided to go with a topic I know well…music. Now, I don’t play an instrument, or have formal music training…..but I can play a jukebox like nobody’s business! What I can tell you is that Marvin Gaye’s 1978 release, “Here, My Dear”…..is one of the Greatest Of All Time.

Marvinhere-my-dear

The album began as a way to pay off a divorce settlement to Gaye’s estranged wife, Anna Gordy. Marvin’s plan to pimp his talent in exchange for freedom, quickly gave way to his deeply emotional self. The result was an album that chronicled his relationship from courtship to absolution, and each dramatic scene plays out in another brilliant melody. The album did very poorly on the commercial market, according to traditional Gaye standards, but has spoken to the hearts and ears of true listeners from day one. You might think an album of this nature would be filled with bitterness; to the contrary. The album is filled with a sincerity and openness that could only be explained by a heart broken by true love. Marvin explores his pleasure, his pain, ecstacy, guilt, ultimate joy….and finally his resolve.

The lyrical quality ranges well accross the spectrum; from purely poetic, to plain talk. The vocal presentation is pure Marvin…..knee deep in his feelings. You will hear so many different critique’s of this album, that the only way to know, is to hear it for yourself. Grab yourself a glass of something smooth, open a few windows, and press play.

An absolute must for any grown folks collection. Til next time.

Ibedubl

P.S. Don’t forget to study the album art when you get your copy.

Illmatic Vs It Was Written

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Me and Slaughterhouse may be the only cats out here who would take It Was Written over Illmatic. But I also would take Blueprint over Reasonable Doubt, but that is another post. I loved Illmatic for what it was, a classic debut album. But let’s not get it twisted, Illamtic had some tracks that I would skip past. While front to back It Was Written was damn near perfect.

Illmatic had 10 tracks including The Genesis. Two out of the nine songs should be considered filler material, One Time 4 Your Mind and Represent. The remaining seven songs are bangers, no doubt about it but I think I can pick seven song or more songs off It Was Written that can go toe to toe.

  1. The Message 
  2. Street Dreams
  3. I Gave You Power
  4. Watch Them Niggas                                                                                                                                                                                                               They never realized, how real Nas, is so decisive
    It’s just the likeness, of Isrealites mist, that made me write this
    A slight twist, of lime rhyme, be chasin down your prime time
    Food for thought or rather mind wine
  5. Take It in Blood
  6. Nas Is Coming  
  7. Affirmative Action
  8. The Set Up
  9. Suspect
  10. Live Nigga Rap
  11. If I Ruled The World

Now maybe I was long winded there and picked everything off the album. But if we reduced it down to 10 songs or 40 minutes like Illmatic, it would clearly be the superior album. I truly believe that Illmatic holds such a high place in everyone’s heart due to it’s timing. A relevant east coast rookie dropping flames in the middle of the G Thang era. Nas helped swing it back to the east coast along with all the other grimmey rappers from New York. But when he dropped It Was Written, he was on a higher algebra. Lyrics, storytelling, and commercial appeal was all in tact. A classic album that only got better over time. Give me It Was Written over Illmatic any day of the week.

 

R.I.P. Tupac Shakur.. 1971-1996

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It’s Been 15 long years since the homie left us, but then again he really did’nt.

                                                                R.I.P.

G.O.A.T.’s-Greatest Beauties

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Danny Ocean graces us all with the Daily Fresh, which is always ripe with the visual fruit. But I want to take a minute to be very deliberate about what I think is beautiful.

It’s not news to anybody that I’m big on eye candy. As a matter of fact, i think I’ve got cavities on both my retinas. But as I’ve matured, I’ve learned that physical beauty alone, is no match for a sexy She-Mogul with goals, sharp wit, and a mean walk that I can follow with my eyes in pursuit of the alluring smell of “100% Woman”. Oh….and let’s not forget classy. A woman with class will magnify her physical beauty 3fold……well,in my eyes anyway. And my opinon’s as valid as any :-) You throw all of these qualities into a bag and shake’em up…and you get something like:

Continue reading →

G.O.A.T.’s-Cover Songs

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The art of taking an already great song and making it better is one that often goes unnoticed. Why? Because few artists are willing to try. Can you imagine trying to follow Luther V. with your own version of “A House Is Not a Home“…(I know it’s a remake, but nobody in their right mind likes the original version better…for that sake, we’ll just consider LV‘s The Original)? Or trying to top Steve Perry‘s voice in Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing“?

The true art lies in being able to re-create the song in your own style, so that listeners won’t feel the need to compare the two versions. But…..on rare occasion, an artist grabs hold of a classic, and makes you forget the original. I know there are some who will disagree, but you know my motto….my opinion’s as valid as anyone  else’s.

Continue reading →

Beyonce Splurges For Jay-Z’s Birthday……

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What gift do you give someone for a birthday gift when they already have everything??

According to Beyonce a 2 Million Dollar Bugatti! Thats what she surprised Hov with this past week in Miami where he celebrated his 41st B-Day

Dre Parts Ways With Record Collection Totaling 80,000!!!

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In the outtakes for Vibe’s cover story with Dr. Dre, the legendary producer revealed that he has parted ways with his record collection, consisting of around 80,000 records.

If fans can remember, there were photos of Dre with that collection on the inserts of Dre’s 1999 album, The Chronic 2001. In the photo, the producer is showed sitting in a room filled with records, some scattered on the floor. Those photos, taken by partner Mel Man, are now memories long-gone.

During a conversation for the Vibe cover story, Dre was asked about the collection of vinyl, which he revealed he no longer had.

“The record collection is gone now,” he said.

Dre said he wasn’t using them anymore, so he decided it was time to sell them off. But, he kept a few of them.

“What I did was just went through and jotted down everything I was in love with so I could order it [later],” Dre said.

In outtakes, published at NodFactor.com, Dre said he kept Curtis Mayfield’s “Super Fly” soundtrack, Nirvana’s 1989 debut Bleach, and Barry White’s Greatest Hits.

A rock grunge album? Yes, Dre said: “That’s one of my favorite albums ever made. I still listen to that sh** to work out.”

Just a little interesting tidbit about the good doctor while fans away the release of Detox, due out in early 2011.

ksfm radio.com

Kurtis Blow Caught With Marijuana??

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It has been reported that Hip Hop Pioneer Kurtis Blow was caught at LAX carrying a little less than An ounce of weed this week, when a full body scan was done on him.

Blow, the first rap artist to ever sign a major recording contract, was just issued a ticket, since it was less than an ounce.

I thought fam had converted to a reverend? oh what the hell every hits a lil weed every now and then! It’s Harmless

Dre Says Detox…….Foreal This Time!?!?!

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I know I know, here we go again with the Detox nonsense again but i’m tellin you, this time I think we are the closest we have ever been to getting the actual album! Recently Dre spoke with XXL about his longevity in the game.

“I don’t ever see myself retiring totally from music, because I have a genuine love and passion for it,” he said. “But as far as me going into the mic booth, that sh*t is over. I’m always going to talent scout and try to find new artists to work with. But, yeah, that’s it. I don’t see myself doing it the way I’m doing it now. I’m in the studio at least five or six days a week for 16, 18 hours. I think I’m going to back off a little bit and spend some time with the family.” (XXL Mag)

Over the summer, hitmaker Rico Love talked  about working on the Doc’s next LP

Continue reading →

Crooked I Speaks Out Against Funkmaster Flex Dissing Pac…

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A lot of people are really questioning the reason why this is surfacing so many years after 2Pac’s death,” Crooked I said. “It’s straight up disrespectful. The man is in his grave, and his mother is active in hip-hop. She don’t wanna hear anybody speaking on her son like that–especially over things that happened years ago. I watched it several times, because I really couldn’t believe somebody as powerful as Flex would speak on 2Pac like that in public…I think the days of us not being able to support both artists are over. I can like Biggie and ‘Pac at the same time. I think the days of that being a divide are finished. It should be over.”

Here is what Original Outlaw member and Pac protegé Hussein Fatal expressed his frustrations toward the outspoken radio host.

“Who cares about what Flex says,” the rapper told XXL. “He’s a f*cking mut, his drivin’ sh*t was weak, he look like a fat midget with lil’ titties, nobody cares about him.”

Me Personally Was, and still is a huge fan of both artists but, I’ve always leaned more towards Tupac though, it may have to do with the body of work or simply put Pac just had more emotion in his music, not to say BIG did not, but that’s just my opinion and I do feel Flex was a lil bogus.

40/40 Club With Plans To Expand

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Ya Boy Hov always working, unveils the next plans he got up his sleeve, which is to open 20 more 40/40 Club to be located at airports around the U.S. As of right now the only cities that are confirmed future sites are L.A., Houston and Miami.

UML will keep you posted with future updates.