Album Review - Birdman - Priceless

I took a little hiatus, been tired lately, I probably need to work out, and this isn't the ideal to return to blogging with, a review of Birdman, nee Baby's, latest album, Priceless. Honestly, there isn't going to be much to do because knowing Baby you already know what the album is going to be about. It's like listening to the Ross or 50 Cent album, there is always that inkling that maybe, just maybe there will be a surprise in there somewhere.



That said, you already know Birdman will be talking about Balling, Getting Money, and being a real gangster that gets said Money. Look at the first five track titles: "Been about Money", "Money to Blow", "Money Machine" and "Priceless". Honestly, this shit is sickening. The idea that all Baby think,s or cares about is just the accumulation of money for no other purpose than to just have it is ludicrous and endemic of the problems facing our youth. Even the 6th song "Bring it Back" features the word "money" in the chorus more than anything else.

One of the biggest problems during this first half of the album is that Birdman has too many solo songs. Now I don't believe for one second that Baby is writing any of the words coming out of his mouth, but the songs need something else when it comes to the verses other than Baby's static delivery and more than Wayne using auto-tune on the hook every single time. When it's not wayne, it's Drake who sounds like he is using the auto-tune himself. Listening to "4 My Town" you can tell they are recycling bars as the hook features wayne saying "see me faded off the brown", sound familiar?



Musically, you can say the songs are solid, they are exactly what ou expect, the beats fit in with the current style but as a whole they blend in, especially with the hooks having the same feel every time, however, "Hustle" featuring Gudda and Lil Wayne is downright terrible and annoying. "Mo Milly" attempts to make up for it as Drake spits a decent verse and the beat changes the tempo somewhat and Bun B is the most unique voice on the entire LP. The failed crossover/pop/rock attempt "I want it all" with Kevin Rudolf should have been scrapped. The album ends with the "Always Strapped remix" which is nice and old.



Overall this album hits its target right on the nose. Baby is one-dimensional and boring as an artist, and the success of the label has Wayne, Drake, and Baby complacent and not even thinking about attempting to stray from their formula. That's probably best for them. For me, it's a headache.

Rating: 2/5

Even more bad rapping

Honestly, I know my man Knowledge of the Union commented on my last post in reference to the twerk team video but I have one that's even worse for you and everyone else out there. I present to you Isiah:




Now this first part of the video is actually just garbage. Another wack ass song on how you're real and other niggas aren't. The second part manages to be even worse because you end up seeing more dudes in an "uncut" ass shaking video than women. Dirty looking dudes too talking about how much they put in "Twizerk". WTF is going on people?

It's too easy to be a rapper now

Now let me tell you this, on the one hand the computer explosion and internet revolution have made it great for truly talented people and artists to get exposure to the masses on a shoestring budget. However, at the same time it has removed some of the barriers that kept the riff-raff from entering the game, wasting space, time, resources, and dividing the precious attention of the fans. Let's take a look at some of the offenders.

Mowett Ryder:


Strippers should not be allowed to rap. Especially if they are rapping about thugging it in the streets, sounding bad, and stopping in the middle of talking about killing you to shake their ass. That's just like a junkie rapping about politics while stopping to smoke crack. I don't believe you you need more people.

Twerk Team:


You may know them from youtube cause you searching out booty videos or one of my first blogs on watching what your kids are doing while they have time alone on the computer, one thing is for sure, these girls should not be rapping. It's crazy when a group of people says instead of making t-shirts to make a buck off of our H-list celebrity status, they decide to make music that serves no purpose.

Lola Luv:


This video chick seems like she actually could have potential, problem is she wants to stick with this "Boss bitch" talk instead of actually talking about life. She is a baller, whips bentleys and has fendi bags out the ass, why the fuck are you rapping then?

Wacka Flocka Flame:


this is the first and last time I will ever put something up from Wacka Flocka because this will be taken as good publicity just to be talked about.


Hip-hop fans we really need to stand up and dig through the garbage to find the diamonds that are hidden amongst them.

Im not into gimmicks

By now if you hit the blog semi-regularly you would have picked up on the trend by reading. Maybe I need to get into depth on it and explain why it is some of your favorite rappers end up on my shit list. It's because they cover up deficiencies in their lyrics with excessive use of gimmicks.

Hip-hop has been around a minute and my theory on why it seems to suck and have no variety right now on the radio is easy to understand but people don't like to admit it because it shows or they think it shows that they aren't smart. The most popular artists now say thing sin the most simple manner. Gucci, Plies, Jeezy don't make their verses complex and colorful with methaphors and similes. Listeners have become lazy. 50 Cent made a statement where he said NY hip-hop had gotten so complex that you had to do things like tell a story backwards to impress people. He is right. Also, NY dominated the radio for so long that everything began to sound the same, just like now.

This is why Snoop and the West Coast were able to blow up nationally. It was a different sound and it was still palatable to the youth of the East Coast who were looking for something that stood out. The same thing happened when Master P and his No Limit Soldiers put New Orleans and basically the entire South on the map. They sounded like nothing else that was out. The same thing with Nelly and his rise in St. Louis.

Nelly - Country Grammar (Hot...)
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Today, with the proliferation of rappers, there are way too many, it becomes hard for people to stand out amongst all of the noise they make. It becomes paramount to have a unique voice to stand out because true lyricism is lost these days. The new rap style involves more simple punchlines that are liberally sprinkled in amongst boasts of balling and buying the bar and cars. It is only natural that some people who have unique sounds stand out amongst the crowd thats fine. However I do have a problem with those who just plain have a lack of lyricism like Jeezy and get their popularity from the fact they have ad-libs that work very well. Anyone remember on Making the band when Puff said the secret to hot songs was the ad-libs and overdubs? He was more than right, where would Jeezy be without his trademark 'yeeeaaaahhh'?

Young Jeezy - Soul Survivor
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More and more instances abound, Lil Wayne who is overrated, cops out on his lackluster verses by using auto-tune or making some silly ass sounds instead of concentrating on making bars that go with the song and make sense. It has rubbed off on Drake, who has a terrible voice, who randomly 'sings' parts of his verses and naturally sounds like a damn auto-tune. Nicki Minaj who actually had some decent bars, but too often she resorts to just raising her voice for something that isn't even slick, or making a face, which adds nothing to the actual song.





Now look to artists like Common who doesn't do things like that yet always comes consistent with hot bars that make sense but gets over-looked except by the natural hair set because he doesn't cheapen his verses with immature sounds and noises. I sound like an elitist and to some extent I am because it is annoying when people claim an artist is hot when the content isn't there but because of something in the delivery. There are artists who really deserve to make it on more delivery but those are the DMX's and Tupacs who have a real passion for what they are saying. Nelly and Plies really shouldn't get that pass.

For myself it's a disturbing trend where people are doing anything just to get attention but once they get it, they don't add anything to the story that hip-hop is supposed to tell. Look at Soulja-boi, what does he add to your understanding of life through his music? Is that everyone's job, no, but when you're not making party music what are you talking about? Hustling and selling crack is no longer good enough and it isn't cool to cover up the fact you have nothing to talk about with things that will take everyone's attention off of the fact that you have nothing worth saying.

Common - 16 bars freestyle
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Album Review-50 Cent- Before I Self Destruct

Between beefs 50 cent does record albums. Lately, raps bad guy has thrown jabs at Jay-z, and more hooks to Rick Ross and Fat Joe in preparation for the release of his latest album, Before I Self Destruct.


Some people say that 50 has fallen off but his music has remained consistent and relatively the same since he came out. The biggest problem other than the lack of advancement in subject matter, is that his first album was so much of a classic that he can never top or regain that momentum again. His return does mark a return to some griminess from NY and the hard sound he is known for while not seeming like a Rick Ross fantasy lifestyle.



"The invitation" and "The Days Went by Me" are solid hard hip-hop tracks that showcase Fif's trademark style of basically speaking about his life on record. "Death to my Enemies" is the return to the slick-talking 50 Cent that took down Ja Rule. The album starts strong and hard (pause and no homo) and bangs in the whip especially.

"Crime Wave" which was featured on this blog previously is one of my favorite joints on the album. I would have loved to hear Jay-z spit over something like this on BP3 to really show some life, he didn't and 50 doesn't disappoint over a serious track. "Strong Enough" is decent enough but the song seems tired by this point in the album and "Stretch" is a stretched attempt to extend the feel of Crime Wave and talk about the drug trade and 50's expertise in such.



I also like "OK You're Right" which is near the end of the album, amongst 50's grouping of singles like the Ne-yo assisted "Baby By Me" which should be a serious smash. If it isn't, it will prove the industry is motivated not by music but by public perception and popularity even amongst its stars. "Do You think About Me" is also a good single which will most likely have a video soon.



The problem is there is a lot of inconsistent moments in the album. "Could've been You" with R. Kelly could have been left off the album truthfully. "I Got Swag" had potential within the hook, however the song doesn't attack the idea that he starts with like I would have liked. I also don't appreciate 50 jumping on the "swag" bandwagon this late in the game. The hook would have been better with Yayo doing the second part of it. "Get it Hot" and "Gangstas Delight" are downright bad songs.

"Hold Me Down" is a rehash of 50 treating his gun like a woman. Been there, done that, remember "My Buddy" from the G-unit album? that was better. "Psycho" featuring Eminem could and should have been better just because 50 needed that song to be a real highlight. "So Disrespectful" is classic 50 going at the icons and saying what no one has the balls to say, however, it comes off as very contrived and forced as the attempt to inflame that it is.



Overall 50 has some tough NY style production for the most part and it's one of the things he excels at. He has several good songs but the misses really hurt because 50 needed to come close to making "The Massacre" at the very least. I also lament the fact Banks and Yayo didn't make the album which is a travesty. Having Lloyd B drop a couple of verses could have saved some songs and Yayo's energy could have definately saved a couple more and brought the rating up. I didn't like the last 2 from 50 and this one is a slight disappointment probably because I wanted it to be a banger.

Rating: 3/5 (but not better than Royce da 5'9 Street Hop)

Are Southern Rappers Scared of beef?

Let's be clear this is not talking about actually going into the streets and shooting each other, but beef as in making diss tracks about other rappers. Now this was another topic by my man NC-17 as he asked why East Coast rappers make diss records while Southern rappers make hits. I'll address the aspect of beef right now.


It's false. Southern rappers diss and have beefs just as much as anyone else with the exception of Lil' Wayne who is such a massive fraud that the public overlooks all of the obvious lies he tells so what is the point in even bringing it up? For the rest of them there have been plenty of disses. Jeezy and Gucci Mane beefing since "So Icey" was released. TI getting ate by Ludacris on the "unreleased" version of Stomp by Young Buck. Trick Daddy throwing shots at Plies and Rick Ross. Rick Ross going after 50 Cent hard. Fat Joe who is a southern artist now going at 50 cent. Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. throwing shots at Baby and Cash Money. There is plenty of beef in the South to go around.




The thing is since they also have a bunch of catchy songs and the dominant radio spins what we end up hearing is the party, crunk songs and nothing that would show their content, or lack of. Honestly I come across as a Southern rap hater. That's not the case but because thats more of what gets pushed out and exposed to the masses I listen and critique and I have not been impressed with much music period. There are too many rappers and not enough things to say so one guy with a catchy beat gets on and blows up but has nothing behind it.



The diss record is a huge part of the game. As 50 Cent has said repeatedly, Hip-hop is the most competitive art form and thus much more aggressive. Beef records are the outright expression of that. This was great before the internet where a guy would record a song it would play on the "rap show" on radio, hit the mixtapes and bubble for a while. The subliminal shots in every verse on other tracks would be scrutinized and analyzed for at least a week before you heard a response which had to be tough because you only got to do it once.



The internet changed all of this because now within hours your joint will be online and distributed along with 8 interviews where you talk about it. The next day a response will be out and the content gets rushed and watered down which is the trend. But I'm rambling a bit. The real question now is why is it that the South makes hits and no where else is getting any type of airplay or love...that's another issue for another blog...