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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Free Vs. Pirated

I am part of a dying breed, an endangered species.  I buy CDs.  I don't pirate any of my music.  I either buy the CD myself, borrow it from a friend, or download a mixtape that the artist put out for free.  There is something so satisfying about having a CD collection, I can't bring myself to download music, even legally from iTunes.  Crazy right?  What's crazier?  People who pay for mixtapes that are meant to be free.  Go on iTunes, look around the hip-hop section, and you will see mixtapes from the likes of Drake, Chiddy Bang, and many others.  Only problem is there is a pricetag.  Then go on sites like Datpiff, and see that the artists themselves have made these mixtapes available for free download online.
So why did I think of this?  The free album of the week on iTunes this week is I Love You (A Dedication to my Fans), the newest mixtape by Jadakiss.  Ignorant people think they are getting a sweet deal, but anyone with half a brain knows that the mixtape is FREE on any hip-hop blog or mixtape site.  That's the point.  Absolutely baffling.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Eminem in the Rap Game

I just listened to "Rap Game" by D12 featuring 50 Cent from the 8 Mile soundtrack again, after a long hiatus.  It's a great song, D12 and 50 have absolutely dirty verses.  But the clear shining point of this track is Eminem's verse (see: Rap Game Lyrics).  
Some excellent excerpts:  "Now put that in ya little pipe and bite down/ Think for a minute cause the hype has died down/ That I won't go up in the Oval Office right now/ And flip whatever ain't tied down upside down."  I believe him.  I really do.
"Can't tell me shit about the tricks of this trade/ Switchblade, with a little switch to switch blades/ And switch from a six to a sixteen inch blade/ Shit's like a samurai sword or sensai." Great flow from line to line, leading to a very clever ending: "I'm this way, still tell that utslay itchbay/ Ucksay my ikcday, 'scuse my igpay atinlay/ But uckfay you igpay."
Dude rapped in pig latin, how many people have done that?  With a C. Delores Tucker reference to boot, I would put this among Eminem's top verses of his career.  Only down side?  Makes me miss the old him.  Don't get me wrong I enjoyed Recovery but that flow, lyrical content, swagger, all gone.  He has resorted to punchline rapping nearly exclusively, the style prevalent in the music of Lil' Wayne.  He may be lost for good at this point, only time will tell.