June Misses

Happy Independence Day people! Just so you know, I worked pretty damn hard to get this list done in order to provide you all a proper soundtrack to your  BBQ-ing festivities tomorrow. You throw on a few of these joints and your guests will think you have good taste in music, and for that, here's a premature "you're welcome."

Tough Love: 10 Anti-Valentine's Day Tracks

No, I'm not feeling "some type of way," its just last year I assumed that all of my audience was in a happy love bubble when I hit you with Roofie Rhymes (looking back, that's a corny ass name...ah well, you live and you learn). I now understand that most of my audience is miserable, so it's only fair that I hit you with some break-up/hate jams. Get your Kleenex and alibis ready, its about to get shitty. You're welcome.

Daily Throwback: Eminem - The Way I Am

Looks like the Shuffle God wanted to prove a point with this one. With all this talk surrounding Marshall's current release, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, I have to fully disagree that it marks a return to his earlier form. Don't get me wrong, musically, it is a solid album, but there is no way it matches the emotional firepower of its' predecessor.

I hate it when rappers make a sequel of classic album and expect us as fans that it is an equal extension of the previous work of art. None of Jay Z's Blueprints came close to the original. Nas' Stillmatic was better than the three weed plates he released prior, but it wasn't even close to the lyrical greatness that was Illmatic. And don't get me started on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2...just don't.

Eminem is pushing 40, he's been successful for a while now, so there is no way we can expect him to recapture that hunger he possessed in his earlier days. MMLP2 has a lot of solid songs, but The Way I Am shits on all of them. Raw emotion. Eminem literally provided his fans with a window looking into his deepest thoughts.

This is one on Mr. Mathers realest tracks, and probably the first one that I truly connected with as a fan. I too am an asshole, so when Eminem said "I don't mean to be mean, but that's all I can be is just me" I totally related.  Bottom line, if you aren't fond of my asshole tendencies, don't exhibit the behavior of a dumb-ass. This wasn't a life choice, Em and I were born this way (no Lady Gaga...is that still cool, the contradictory "no" statement?...ah well). You're welcome.

Happy Birthday Nasir Jones

The man behind one of the top 5 greatest hip-hop albums of all-time turned 40 today.  I really can't believe, I've been listening to his music for almost 20 years. It really seems like it was yesterday I was ripping off the cellophane off the Illmatic cassette tape I just purchased from Tower Records (Google that, youngsters), eagerly popping it in my Sony Walkman (you might need to Google that as well), and just visualizing the street soliloquies Nasty Nas spoke in my mind.

Nas was one of the first rappers, for me at least, to really emphasize using imagery in his rhyme scheme. While many rappers could tell a story, Nas could literally paint a picture with his words.  It was like each song was a different scene from a movie he was scripting for Martin Scorsese to direct.

To this day, Nas is still a top tier rhyme-spitter. He has seen many come and go, and he still stands firmly atop of the pantheon of hip-hop greats.  To salute this legend on his born day, I have enclosed one all-time favorite Nas songs. You're welcome.

Jay-Z/Timbaland/Timbalake/Nas Collabo Coming Soon???

The above picture was tweeted out yesterday.  Just the picture alone puts high expectations on whatever project these four are working on.  They could be doing a 1000 piece puzzle in that room for all we know.  Imaginations...start your engines.  You're welcome.

Daily Throwback: Nas ft. Keri Hilson - Hero

Never a bad thing to wake up to Nasir.  Thank you Shuffle Gods.  And they say...you're welcome.