These three things are what lead all great creators in their endeavors.
Innovation inspires the creativity to try different things.
Intelligence is what is required to give wings to innovation & take
something out of thought & into being.
And Nuts...gazoobas...balls....courage...put it any way you want, it is what it is. You have to be able to, as the character Bishop said,"You gotta get the ground beneath your feet, partner..." and give it a try. Failure can be detremental to the spirit...only if you allow it to be. in the eyes of those with the foresight to see the big picture, ninety nine failures are just stops on the way to one major success. To go against the naysayers & give the improbable a try, takes self-confidence.
All great artists are the personifacation of these three ideals. They take
the risks of exposing their thoughts to the masses in hopes that their works are well received.
In 1987, when Rakim broke onto the scene, there was nobody like him.
Nobody spoke with such swagger, rhyme pattern & cadence....nobody was even
coming near dropping that type of intelligence, laced with knowledge of
self courtesy of the Nation of Gods & Earths.
Simply put...Ra broke the mold & set a standard which hasn't truly been
eclipsed since. Others have come close by taking bits & pieces of it &
made it there own.
But nobody has come close to creating the aurora of invincibility &
magnificence that the God graced the mic with. Son was like the 72-10
Bulls...yeah their were other competitors. But you'd have to be asinine to
bet against him because it wasn't a matter of who was the best. It was a
matter of who'd come in second & how badly Rakim would leave them behind.
Quoting the standards would be too easy..."I take seven emcees put'em in a
line..." it's almost blasphemous to be a fan of rap & NOT know the bars that
follow.
Diggin a little deeper..."Move the Crowd"
"Imagine me wit the heat that's made by solar,
It gets stronger everytime I hold a
Microphone, check the tone to get started
The line for the microphone is departed
So leave it up to me, my DJ is mixing
Everyone is moving or eager to listen
Your hands in the air, your mouth, shut!
Cuz I'm on the mic and Eric B is on the cut
For those that know me, indeed I like to flow
Especially when the music's going slow
It gives me a chance to let everybody know
It's time to bust out the Rakim show
I'm the intelligent wise on the mic I will rise
Right in front of your eyes cuz I am a surprise
So I'ma let my knowledge be born to a perfection
All praise due to Allah and that's a blessing
Wit knowledge of self, there's nothing I can't solve
At 360 degrees, I revolve
This is actual fact, it's not an act, it's been proven,
Indeed and I proceed to make the crowd keep moving"
In the end, Ra's "greatness" has lost some of its luster. Why? A variety of
factors but most notably, Dr. Dre puttin him on the shelf for years as well
as his own self-imposed resignation from the spotlight.
But I'd dare to say that of all the old-timers, Ra is THE ONE who could
come out of retirement like Holyfield & whip some ass or drop a hot sixteen
on these suckers like MJ with the bad knees & all.
What sparked all this?
Simple.
Neil Armstrong's use of the Al Green track "I'm So Glad Your Mine"...which led me to think about the classic track "Mahogany" which led me to think about Rakim and that swinging light bulb in the "The Ghetto" video.
You know how the minds of us "artistic" mofos roll.
While we're touching on Neil pause, a few more identified originals that I liked...
PM Dawn - "Set A Drift On Memory Bliss" = Spandau Ballet - "True"
Jim Jones - "Around My Way" = The Police - "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
A-Team fans..."Let me know if it's time to split ways..."
Guess that line wasn't just a random shot in the dark to start his verse.
No more Hitch & Ransom?
Ransom - "The Truth" from DJ Lust - Styles P VS Ransom.
Oh yeah...a Ghost track not on the advance...
Ghostface & Doom - "Angeles"
Lastly...
...Every few days, I have to go on DaVinci Code type hunts to find the material that I want to post on here.
Sometimes, it happens fast due to the network of associates I've developed.
Other times, it goes slow.
Long story short...I heard this track in the barbershop over a month and a half ago.
The barber who was playing the mix cd didn't know the name of it.
I hit up all the certified online blues junkies I know asap...Chari didn't know...Tone tried...I searched all the possible keywords I could think of...goose eggs.
Fast forward to Saturday morning as I'm rollin to the store to get my daughter some pancake syrup for her Eggos...early morning blues session was on one of the local radio stations.
Boom.
It's magic.
I damn near shed a tear of joy I was so happy (you know that feeling when "your jawn" comes on.)
But I caught the tail end of it and didn't get any info.
Call the station's request line six times, finally get through like the dedicated music head that I am....and the rest is history.
So let this joint bump and do a little two step.
Da Problem Solvers - "Same Things" (Running Out Of Lies)
Salute!
Gotty™
• Request Time Again. Anyone have any DJ SHI'ITE Mixtapes? If so, give us a holler on the email. It's been on the want list for a while. Anyone able to hook us up, it would be greatly appreciated.
Also, we're looking for C.O.G (Children of Ghetto)
• Make a Paypal donation!. Leftover change from those eBay transactions? A few extra dollars lying around? Make a donation to help us maintain this place.
• Support the artists!.
• Props to those who contributed links.
Stray Shots
Nirvana - Nevermind
Nas - Stillmatic
Tru - Tru To Da Game
Madlib Beat Konducta Movie Scenes Vols. 1-2
The Fugees - The Score
Joe Budden vs G-Unit (A History Lesson) 2004
DJ Cosmic Kev Best of Beanie Sigel
John Legend - Get Lifted + Extra Tracks
Thelonious_Monk_Quartet_With_John_Coltra ne_At_Carnegie_Hall
Kenny G ~ The Essential (2006)
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Boyz II Men - Cooleyhighharmony
Jagged Edge - J.E. Heartbreak
Shyne - If I Could Start From Scratch (2006)
Little Brother - The Minstrel Show Samples Text file
Not a habit around these parts but since the love for it was so overwhelming, gracing you cats w/a reup...
DJ Neil Armstrong - WarmFuzzy
