DJ Greyboy breaks down his thoughts on Music, Samples and Vinyl. Fast forward to 1:59 if you don’t want to hear about BMX. The young DJ’s out there need to listen to this:
There is a lot of talk out there today about Fame VS Game. Although, I exist in the shadows, shun the spotlight and value my privacy (especially in my line of work), and a huge proponent of Game, I have had some run-ins with Fame.
Let me drop a little freestyle:
MC in Newport Beach
Back when I was a puerile pro-type G, I was partying at a nightclub in Newport Beach. Most likely in those days, I was there all vato’d out, moving some beans like an accountant. It was a typical Newport Beach night; fly girls, wack guys, weesh nightspot. You know the pill.
Anyways, I think there was some wack band (a real tragedy, and I don’t mean Juice Crew, I mean what the word defines) performing or some crap, I can’t really remember, and thankfully, there was a lull in the action. During this “lull”, the DJ surprisingly enough, started spinning a pretty dope beat. My running partner at the time and I both had a light bulb go off at the exact same time.
We both jumped on stage, grabbed the Mic’s and started moving the crowd with lyrical flows, flavor loops like Toucan Sam, iller, and started catching wreck like Godliza:
“Now to the peeps in the back, if you’re not the wack, say
[don't stop with the body rock]
Now all the people in the front, if you’re ready to bump, say
[don't stop with the body rock] “
My running partner and I were busting freestyle raps, precious like artifacts.
We were putting “the hip” in “hop” and the “don’t” in “stop” and the clips in glocks
and rock boxing your block.
The mad matador of metaphor ripped the hard core for him and his, them and theirs, and you and yours.
We even dropped some lyrics about Taco Shops and Quesadillas with extra Guac.
Whenever I would run out of lyrics, I would just bust some old Big Daddy Kane:
“Rappers stepping to me,
they want to get some,
But I’m the G, so yo, you know the outcome, Another victory, They can’t get with me,
So pick a BC date cause you’re history”
And so on.
Keep in mind, this was Newport Beach; it was probably one of the first times people even heard Hip-Hop. There was minimal risk of anyone noticing I was biting lyrics.
At first there was stunned looks on the faces of the crowd, but as my running partner and I were flowing back and forth with style unseen since the days of a young Ad-Rock and Mike D, and interspersing shout outs to our crew, we started to move the crowd.
That is, until the club owner pulled the plug. (I guess the wack band coming on next was getting bitter that we cold served them.)
My running partner and I then jumped off the stage into the crowd and a curious thing happened: We were literally mobbed and I mean mobbed by girls. Introductions, hugs and kisses all around. It was kind of ill. We were Eminem before Em was Marshall Mathers.
Thinking back, I am surprised I didn’t forgo my budding Standover career for a career in Hip-Hop. Financially, with all the problems the music industry is having these days; I think I made the correct decision.
“It’s funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.” – Alex
First off, what do we even call this decade? The zeros? The Aughts? The New Millennium? Secondly, this decade had a terrible start. Most people forget that we had two Wall Street Crashes during this decade. The NASDAQ hit an all-time high of 5049 on March 10, 2000. Peep it today.
Then we got wacked by 9/11.
This was followed by a retarded war in Afghanistan, a farce in Iraq, Enron, a stupid hick in The White House, WorldCom, Anthrax, and DC snipers, the Terminator getting elected, Hurricane Katrina, Asian Tsunami of 2004, median household income dropping, obesity skyrocketing, police state, more terrorist attacks, school shootings, Detroit, and another financial crash.
Weesh.
These are all pretty bad, but here are the Top 10 Reasons why this was the worst Decade ever:
Hip-Hop
Hip-Hop had its worst decade yet. The cats putting out the best music this decade were the same cats from the 90’s. Jay, Nas, Wu, Mobb Deep, AZ, Eminem, etc. Is there any doubt that Biggie and Tupac would have been the biggest stars out there today if they didn’t pass?
Boxing
Boxing was afflicted (and I don’t mean those gay Affliction Shirts either) with the same disease as Hip-Hop: a rehashing of 90’s stars. De La, Trinidad, Vargas, Sugar Shane, Bernard, Arturo Gatti, Roy Jones etc. Where are the 80’s babies? The only two fighters that made huge trax in the New Millennium that didn’t in the 90’s were Manny Pacquiao and Money Mayweather (both 70’s babies).
We can all look forward to them fighting in 2010.
Hurricane Katrina
I could think of many better cities for a “natural disaster” to ruin than New Orleans. LA perhaps? Orange County, maybe?
We really don’t have that many great cities in America. Why did Katrina have to wreck one with great Gentleman’s Club’s, smoking in bars, 24 drinking and Crab Maison, Shrimp Maison, Shrimp Remoulade?
9/11
9/11 sucked for many reasons. But one of the main reasons it sucked was it turned plane travel into a major pain like Damon Wayans. And it was low down dirty even, like his brother Keenan, Scheming.
This really affects the International Playboy and anyone who likes to swoop mad fly girls all across the bubble.
George Bush
I still can’t believe we elected this hick twice.
Then I look at a map of our country and I understand.
Bruce Jenner
No one has captured the essence of this decade better than Bruce Jenner.
When I was born, there wasn’t a baby G in the land that didn’t think Bruce Jenner was cool. He was like a pseudo super hero. Sure, I liked Roberto Duran, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Jim McMahon way more, but Jenner was smooth. Just recently, on a hungover day, I caught the cat on TV. I was shocked.
He is now a plastic surgery, tranny looking, beta male. Went from first to worst. Kind of like America.
No smoking
The “no smoking” movement really caught speed during this decade. Thousands of years of tradition of smoking, drinking and swooping fly girls flushed down the toilet.
And the craziest thing is the only one who seems to care is your humble author.
Reality TV
I don’t really care about television, but you have to see these annoying people when you roll out at night. Just like school on a holiday. Whatever happened to shows like All in The Family? And people with style and taste?
Men’s Style
Where do I even start on this one? Trucker hats, shiny shirts, multicolored striped shirts, designer jeans, rhinestones, Affliction, Ed Hardy, Christian Audiger, tight jeans, glitter?
Technology
The incredible efficiency of Web-based communication and our Google-fueled appetite to know everything about everything (or everyone) right now are combining to make Tiger Woods the canary in the privacy coal mine. Expect personal privacy — or rather its continued erosion — to be a hot media topic of 2010.
If I see another person “twittering” on their IPhone at a bar or trying to film, I am going to slap it out of their hand. And shove a rocks glass in their mouth. Word life.
All in all, what we did this decade is change Main Street for Wall Street, Mom and Pop for Wallmart, and small farms for Factory Farms.
To the ruin of us all.
Keep the toaster in the shoulder holster; things are going to get interesting.
America is in a bad need of a rebirth, a renewal, and a rediscovery.
(And by “bad need”, I mean like a person who has been hit over the head with a Louisville Slugger is in bad need of a band-aid, some ice and a nice lie down.)
An American Renaissance (if you will) will be the only thing that will save us.
(Or you can just split. I am posting this poolside from the Caribbean).
Tracklisting
# Title Producer(s)
1. “Triumph” Dave Sitek
2. “Mama Told Me” Best Kept Secret
3. “Mirrors” (feat. Bun B) Mark Ronson
4. “Pretty Girls” (feat. Gucci Mane & Weensey) Best Kept Secret
5. “World Tour” (feat. Jazmine Sullivan) Cool & Dre
6. “Let It Loose” (feat. Pharrell) The Neptunes
7. “90210″ Mark Ronson
8. “Shades” (feat. Chrisette Michele) Best Kept Secret, JuJu
9. “Chillin” (feat. Lady Gaga) Cool & Dre
10. “TV in the Radio” (feat. K’naan) Dave Sitek
11. “Contemplate” Syience
12. “Diary” (feat. Marsha Ambrosius) The Sleepwalkers
13. “Beautiful Bliss” (feat. Melanie Fiona & J.Cole) DJ Green Lantern, Mark Ronson
14. “Prescription” Best Kept Secret
Quotables: “Like AZ from Harlem, Dre gon’ pay me regardless cause he know Jay-Z departed…” “…It was all a dream like I seen Memph Bleek in Marcy/ I ain’t say you won’t see Bleek in Marcy/ I said my man told me he don’t see Bleek in Marcy…”
westside story the game ft 50 cent
Quotables: “Payback, homie I’m bringin’ CA back/ And I don’t do button up shirts or drive Maybachs..”
Quotables: “If I die my n*ggas, f*ck it, I did a song with Mary Blige my n*ggas/ Got a hook from Faith, no verse from Jay/ I guess on ‘Westside Story’ he thought I spit in his face/ Told Ed Lover and Monie Luv I was talkin’ to Ja with that Maybach line/ It was payback time…
Jay Z freestyle Hot 97 diss to game and cassidy B4 Dear summer
Quotables: “You plan to bang, I plan to bang too/ You playin’ the games, I’m seeing the thing through/ You sayin’ my name to entertain ya’ crew/ I ain’t playin’ no games, the shots exchange are through/ Fresh off probabtion, I got a charge to throw away/ My lawyer say for 80 large it’ll go away/ And that ain’t no money to Jay/ So you can get broad day on Broadway while TRL tape…”
Quotables: “That boy colder than Hova unless he sober/ Like I’m the President but this ain’t the Takeover/ Now, there’s the speaker, bring your ears a lil’ closer/ Before you call this a diss and you make Hova pissed/ Why would I wanna do that? When I’m just a new cat/ That was taught if a n*gga take shots then shoot back/ Defendin’ his yard, yeah standin’ his ground/ I’m sayin’ if you gon’ retire then hand me the crown/ Nahh let Bleek do it then throw him a concert in Madison Square/ Watch everybody sleep through it…”
The Game – 120 Bars & Runnin
Quotable: “Ain’t got sh*t against Hov, I like the n*gga style…”
Quotables: “The game’s f*cked up/ N*gga, ya beats is banging, ya hooks did it/ Ya lyrics didn’t, ya gangsta look did it…”
The Game – My Bitch (50 Cent, Jay-Z & Suge Knight Diss)
Quotables: “I was first introduced to her in ‘96/ She had a wavy haircut and some big ass lips/ At first she was hard to hit/ Come to find out the last 10 years she was suckin’ B.I.G.’s d*ck…”
T.I. – Watch What You Say To Me Ft. Jay-Z (T.I. Vs. T.I.P.)
Quotables: “N*ggas get to running before you finish your sentence/ And then they back to riffin’ when they off in a safe distance/ You like, ‘you was just here, you disappear like magicians’/ In thin air, I’m like damn n*gga, at least keep it consistent/ I hear you baiting me lately, I been doing my best just to stay hater free/ Still, watch what you say to me…”
Jay Z las Vegas Blueprint 3 freestyle
Quotables: “I ain’t talkin’ bout gossip/ I ain’t talkin’ bout Game/ I ain’t talkin’ bout Jimmy/ I ain’t talkin’ bout Dame…”
The Game – I’m So Wavy (Jay-Z Diss)
Quotables: “No one on the corner gotta swagger like you/ Cause no one on the F*CKIN’ corner is 42…”
“Know you got a roommate
Call me when its no one there
Put the key under the mat
And you know I’ll be over there
(Yup) I’ll be over there
Shawty, I’ll be over there
I’ll be hitting all the spots that u ain’t even know was there”
Not the best rhyme scheme, but gets the job done I guess.
“Sex, Love, Pain
Baby I be on that tank shit
Buzz so big i could probably sell a blank disk
When my album drop
Bitches will buy it for the picture
And n$ggas will buy it too and claim they got it for they sister
Magazine paper girl
But money ain’t the issue
They bring dinner to my room and ask me to initial
She call me the referee
Cause I be so official
My shirt ain’t got no stripes but I can make yo pussy whistle
Like the Andy Griffith theme song
And who told you to put them jeans on
double cup love
You the one i lean on
Feeling for a fix then you should really get yo pheen on
Yea just know my condo is the crack spot
Every single show she out there repping like a mascot
Get it from the back
And make yo fucking bra strap pop
All up in yo slot until the n$gga hit the jackpots”
The Rest is Up to You…
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA GFK, Jr.
AKA The Sly, Slick and the Wicked
AKA The Voodoo Child
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
Honey: What’s going on?
Wale: Up early in the morning, Twittering. Seeing what everyone is talking about.
Tell me about your album.
It’s here. It’s done
How many tracks made the album?
14 tracks.
What story are you telling on your album?
I am actually glad that you asked that. My album is real life. It’s about relationships, the good side, the bad side. It explores relationships with women. There’s a record I have with Marsha Ambrosia, formerly of Floetry, called “Her Diary” about a woman scorned. Me, being a young single guy, you meet women, you know they want to like you but they can’t because they have been scorned. Basically it is a woman that is incapable of a first impression. She is going to see what she wants to see no matter what. If you’re too bad, then your bad. If you’re good, then your too good. Women with impossible standards, nothing that you do matters because she sees what she wants to see. Then you have songs about me being imperfect, or songs about me analyzing the world. It is a personal album from start to finish. The album is a combination of dope lyricism and reality.
Is Kanye on the album? It seems like he would be perfect for the album.
He didn’t make it. I am going to leave it at that.
No, we can’t just leave it at that.
I called, and he didn’t call me back. Want me to call him right now?
Yes.
He posted me on his blog yesterday.
That is pretty huge.
[Ed note: Wale calls and leaves a voicemail thanking Kanye for the blog post and let's him know about a record he wants him to hear.]
I would love to see a Wale and Kanye track. I follow you on Twitter, and one of your recent tweets was “don’t you feel like all the same rappers are on the same remixes?”
Yeah, the Rap Club. I feel like they are not trying to let the new guys break through, but it is what it is. I am not waiting for anyone to do anything for me. I came in this game by myself. I am in business with the most successful rapper of all time [Jay-Z] and I don’t wait for him.
Just grinding?
Just grinding.
In September, you were on the cover of XXL with 10 other new artist: the Top 10 Freshman. Tell me about that. Who are your people from that cover?
Cudi is my mans. Currensy is my man. Ace Hood is my man. B.O.B, Mickey Factz I am cool with….
What about Charles Hamiliton? What is that situation you got going on there?
Charles is umm you know…
I don’t know. Dont’ give me the PC answer.
He is a label mate. He makes interesting music and we will leave it at that because we are at Interscope Records right now.
It’s Drake Mania. How do you feel about Drake Mania?
This is just the way of the world. He was more famous than me and Cudi. He didn’t need XXL for people to check for him. Cudi didn’t need XXL because he had a huge record out. I needed XXL. I am the man where I am from. I’ve been selling out shows for five years in [Washington,] DC, but I needed XXL to take me beyond DC. Drake already had more MySpace plays than me. He is the Zach Morris of Degrassi. Drake was a lot of people’s guilty pleasure, especially girls. He is a light-skinned dude from Canada, his own country, and he is bff with Lil Wayne. It’s going to work. When the nigga came to my show at Highline Ballroom, and no one knew who he was, I knew he was going to blow. I am not mad. His success has nothing to do with me. It doesn’t hinder me at all. I don’t want to be an actor. I don’t want be a singer. I just want to rap and connect with the people, man. I am a dark-skinned African dude. I am not a clean cut pretty boy dude. Sometimes I am scruffy. Sometimes I am a pretty. Sometimes I am fly. It just who I am. Women dig me, but I am not about to sit up here and blush, and laugh for the camera. It’s cool. Cudi, me and Drake are different things. Their success has nothing to do with me
Coming from the new class, do you feel like they are your competition?
Absolutely not.
Why?
We’re separate genres of rap music.
What genre do you fall under?
I am unboxable.
Because you play with a live go-go band?
I just want to rap, make good music. I don’t strategically plan to make music that is ‘Yo, this is for the bitches’ [or] ‘this is for the niggas’ [or] ‘this is for the college kids.’ Nah, I just want to make the music and connect with the people.
Tell me about your Cool N Dre experience.
I love working with them. I am the most inspired when I work with them. I write quickly.
What about them inspires you?
Their energy, their attitude, their work ethic and being in Miami. I need scandal, don’t I.
Scandal is good. It’s the gift and the curse. What do you want? An R&B chick, pop singer, an ex stripper? You wanna put someone in a sex tape?
You’re calling shots
Not at all.
[phone rings] That’s a scandal calling me now.
She is not big enough.
Yo, tell these R&B chicks to stop calling me.
No R&B ladies.
No I’m chilling. I am from Chocolate City, so that is what I love.
Source
“But when I’m not for the feminine
And everybody that percieve with the hatred
I’ma teach them a lesson
I take shots of adrenneline
Cause thats the way I recieve immunization
Against the recession
I got the muscle off my hustle and flow money
An entrepenuer with ways to get more money
So don’t be trippin whenever you see me throw money
Hah. It’s just a little bit of show money
But if you want me to get it wet another ways
Then I’ma have to beat it up the first time I play with you girl
Touch your ears and your neck and play with your pearls
Then I reach up in your pants and play with you pearl?
When I lay you down you aint gotta be frontin or fakin
On me baby cause I know it takes the right touch
I ain’t stoppin til you wet up the covers
Because I gotta keep on fuckin til I see a lot of white stuff
Now you got me excited I can’t hold it
I’m feelin it coming I’m bout to let off an explosion
Let it ride when I see you I’m ? and shakin
When I touch your body you catchin convulsions
Thats when I know I’m doin what I’m supposed to
You chose me. I chose you.
Don’t think I can get it wet? I told you
Come and let the Twist rain down on you” Click Here 007 Lifestyle – Living Like James Bond!
“Now come and kick it with the Twista
Black Caddy, Mack Daddy,
With a hoe up in the back seat
With the ‘97 pimp flow
Gotta feelin when you smokin
When I flip it to a track speed ?
Talkin about a beautiful figure
Astonishing as greek mythology
Body be just like a girl in uh..
What’s that movie? nevermind
Let me enter your atmosphere
As you enter my world
And lemme touch that booty
I can’t believe that your momma that cold
Her daughter got such an astonishing soul
You need a modeling role
Still a playa know you got it
When you climbin from the bottom
To the top of that pole
Cause you can pop and control
Your fatty’s so accurate
When I’m smackin it
It’s makin me say
“What I gotta do to get with that?”
When it come to makin it rain,
I can get it wet
When it come to cuttin the monkey
I can get it wet
You gone see me to ya baby
You need a better man
Here come the politics,
I’ma be your weatherman
Cause everytime I’m lookin up
And I see more ass
I’ma constantly see
Rain in the forcast
This-a-way that-a-way
I’m flickin 5,000 ones
Or whatever you wanna call it
It’s a celebration
You the champion
Here’s the fetti confetti
Come on and get drunk
with the money hauler?
[INTRO]
Get money people
Do what you do,
We was born to lose, but built to win, ya dig? Yeah… Reagan Era.
[CHORUS]
These are the days of our lives, Like coke, they want us to straight drop, but we rise (hands up)
We just trying to get by, they wanna see us broke,
But they won’t, we on the grind (hands up)
They wanna see us fall, but we ball out of control,
Living above law, so fuck em all,
(I said) They wanna see us fall, but we ball out of control,
So fuck em all (fuck em)
[VERSE 1]
I was taught never stop, till the money comes,
Now look ya boy life sweeter than a honey bun,
Don’t think I mean sweet like sweeties, I amputate you n$ggas, I’m diabetes, And I get the girls wet like bikinis,
Quirt like a uzi on a hot like Jacuzzi water,
Waiter bring me another drink for me and my n$ggas,
We made it through another week and that’s Bantom
We just trying to get by, trying to make it to the top,
But the mountain so high,
Good thing I know how to rock climb,
Swinging over you n$ggas, like monkeys, I find vines, My rhymes crush grapes, fine wine,
Yes boy, I’m out my mind,
It’s be a billionaire, or die trying,
And I stay higher than a high fly,
Can I get a high five?
You see the dollas bitch I flaunt em, if flaunt em, Got the boy lookin like he got Christmas ornaments on him, ya dig?
And my cars are imported, want it,
The whips are foreign, they want them deported,
I’m a die hard rockstar, if ya looking for birds, I know where the flocks are,
Money long, so I know where the cops are,
And I stay in a chick buns, I’m a hot dog,
[CHORUS]
These are the days of our lives,
Like coke, they want us to straight drop, but we rise (hands up)
We just trying to get by, they wanna see us broke,
But they won’t, we on the grind (hands up)
They wanna see us fall, but we ball out of control,
Living above law, so fuck em all,
(I said) They wanna see us fall, but we ball out of control,
Living above law, so fuck em all (fuck em)
[VERSE 2]
Yea, I mean that to the fullest,
Nobody wearing diapers but they want us doing pullups,
Want us doing push ups in a yard full of N$ggas, We just out tryin’ to feed a squall for the n$ggas,
Shoutout to my squall full of n$ggas,
This is for the hood, I’m nuttin without ya n4ggas,
Look like the tide, we rise high, They wanna see us broke like the levys but they won’t, we level 5,
And like..pedal bikes, I pedal bye,
Right by ya, n$ggas can’t flatten my..tire,
That’s why i stay high,
So high, sky’s the limit but you can touch the moon if u try,
Now the moon’s mine,
Basically what I’m saying is, you could be the sun but my moon blocks your shine,
You can be the 1 but the 2 spot is mine,
Do what you do, I don’t mind waiting in line (now)
Knowing I’m not far behind, it’s cool (cool)
Patience is a virtue (yes)
I do it big for my n$ggas that can’t, n$ggas that got caught in the rain and left damp (wet)
For my n$ggas treating jail like camp, this song is a piece of mail Santana sent (yea)
So holla at me if you got my letter, I’m signing off hope you got my letter (Dipset)
[CHORUS]
These are the days of our lives,
Like coke, they want us to straight drop, but we rise (hands up)
We just trying to get by, they wanna see us broke,
But they won’t, we on the grind (hands up)
They wanna see us fall, but we ball out of control,
Living above law, so fuck em all,
(I said) They wanna see us fall, but we ball out of control,
Living above law, so fuck em all (fuck em)
