Old Jay-Z and DMX Battle

Okay, i don't have it, no one has it, but there was a rap battle between Jay-Z and DMX before both rap legends blew up. Sometime in the early 90's. Three people that were present have shared their views-

At some point in the mid-early '90s, at a small, smoke-filled pool hall in the Bronx, a Brooklyn-based emcee named Jay-Z battled an up-and-comer from Yonkers known as DMX. X, who cabbed in to town from Baltimore just for the event, stated in his 2003 autobiography that he had no original intentions of getting involved that night. He was there as a witness, who’d only enter the fray if absolutely necessary. And, soon enough, it was. “The people knew that were the top dogs of our crews,” he wrote, “and they wanted us to go at it and after a few more rounds, I just couldn’t stand to the side anymore. It was time to hold down the fam.”

To this day, details of the battle between Jay (who was an affiliate repping Original Flavor at the time) and DMX (who stood alongside an Uptown-based group called the Harlem Knights) remain murky. So HipHopDX caught up with three people who were in attendance—Original Flavor member Ski (n/k/a Ski Beatz), Jay-Z/Original Flavor associate Sauce Money, and Ruff Ryders co-founder Waah Dean—to learn more about what went down that night. Each of the three admitted that many of the specifics have faded from memory, but that they’d recall what they could.

Waah Dean: We did [the battle] on neutral grounds. Instead of doing it in Brooklyn or Yonkers, we did it in the Bronx.

Ski Beatz: When I rolled up, I was with Dame Dash, Tone Hooker, Jay-Z, and I think some of Dame’s people from Harlem—his crew called The Best Out. That was the name of his crew, from Harlem. I think Dame set [the battle] up. It was like a Brooklyn-Uptown/Harlem kind of thing. So we all met at the pool hall, in the Bronx.

Waah Dean: We heard some things about Jay-Z from Brooklyn, and from Dame, and we’d bump heads with their people every now and again. The word was out that we had these guys that was doing similar things—traveling to different areas and [battling]—so we knew in a matter of time we was gonna be in a place where somebody was gonna make the phone call, and say, ‘Yeah, we got this guy standing here, and they all wanna be here…’ and that happened. So we knew what was up. We didn’t really look for anybody, we just dealt with the situation as it was there. We knew [DMX] was one of the best, one of the greatest, so we wasn’t worried about no artist coming after him.

Sauce Money: Everybody who battled, I think it was myself, there might’ve been a girl—we had a girl, her name was Roughness—and T-Strong, and Jay. We had to get on top of the pool tables, so whoever’s battling, they’re standing on the pool table, going at it.

Waah Dean: There was no room in the building to stand at, so the only way to do it was to stand on the pool tables so everybody could see.

Sauce Money: The pool table was like a boxing ring. We were standing on opposite sides of the pool table going back-and-forth. While we were rapping, niggas were pulling out guns—all kinds of crazy shit.

Ski Beatz: People came in there strapped; people from the Bronx had guns, and people from Harlem had guns. Luckily it didn’t go down like that, but the atmosphere was Hip Hop, [and] at the same time, it was gangsta.

Sauce Money: I battled some nigga real quick, I don’t remember his name though.

Ski Beatz: I battled, man. They had me battling some kid. Some little boy. I wasn’t a gangsta rapper; I was just a rapper. This little kid was just talking about his trials and tribulations from the streets, so it was a weird battle. I can’t remember if I won or lost, [but] it was just a weird battle. I’m rhyming about Hip Hop stuff like microphones, and mic devices, and shit like that, and this kid is talking about crack and guns. And I’m like, "Yo, you’re like 10. What are you talking about?" They had us battling kids. That’s crazy! Young kids from the hood that were hungry. I’m pretty sure one of those kids that was battling is probably someone in the game now.

Waah Dean: [The opening battles] set the tone for the big dons to come in and do the job. It was a good look. A couple of guns were flashed, and things got a little extra with that, but it went well. It was a very intense environment. Jay and X went for hours, going in. DMX came all the way from Maryland for that battle.

Ski Beatz: It was dope. DMX, at the time, I had never really heard of DMX. I didn’t know who this kid was. But to hear him rhyme live, I was like, "This dude is really ill." He was really good. But the battle was good. Jay did his thing; DMX did his thing. You could tell people from DMX’s side were feelin’ Jay, and you could tell people from Jay’s side were feelin’ DMX. It was a mutual, "Okay, both these guys are dope."

Waah Dean: Jay-Z spoke a little bit more, X flowed more. Jay-Z more talked in his rhymes. Both came out on top at the end. They learned from each other a lot of different styles. When they left, it was a mutual respect. That battle lasted for about four or five hours.

Sauce Money: I think it went three rounds. Yeah, they did three rounds.

Ski Beatz: It was both of their styles at their purest forms. DMX was definitely on that barking, that whole thing. That was his whole persona. His voice was just raw. Jay was the big willie, hustler poster child king. Everything he was saying was just vivid, street shit that was incredibly well thought out and well put together. You know how Jay-Z is with his word choices. You know he’s street, but at the same time you could feel that he’s super intelligent, which just made it crazy. Both their styles was just coming crazy in that battle.

Waah Dean: It was so close that we kept it mutual. They would’ve gone on an extra five hours if we had let it be.

Sauce Money: It was more about what style of fighter you liked, was what would [decide] the outcome. We were kind of in X’s backyard. They said it was a tie, but that was bullshit. Jay ate that nigga. You can tell when somebody won a battle, when you’re in somebody’s backyard, and they’re calling it a draw. When you’re in somebody’s backyard, even when that person lose, they’re saying he won. Jay got so busy on that shit, they tried to say it was a draw. But it wasn’t no fuckin’ draw.

Ski Beatz: [One side is] gonna say DMX won, then [the other is] gonna say Jay-Z won. In my opinion, to me, Jay-Z just had a little more finesse because of his style. But DMX was incredibly dope. He could not take that away from DMX. [DMX] was a fuckin’ star.

Waah Dean: Dame had a little footage, but at that time we didn’t have anything copywritten and all that stuff, so we didn’t want our stuff out there like that.

Sauce Money: It was pandemonium. It was crazy, just crazy. It was almost like going to Vegas and watching the Mayweather-Paquiao fight.

Waah Dean: The best battle in the world took place between X and Jay-Z in the birthplace of Hip Hop, the Bronx. Cats that came from two different boroughs, came to the Motherland, and did their thing. You know?







Hmm! I think, judging from having listned to both artist for over 10 years, i think jay is more of a freestyle artist, But i do not know how they were back then, and i can not say who would have won.

Jay-Z and Gwyneth Paltrow Discuss

Apparently, Jay-Z is working on a new lifestyle website, and he got together with actress, Gwyneth Paltrow to discuss interests they have in common. Hmm! It is cool that jay is no longer ghetto, and he is making all these big moves, but what would his old fans think of all this...anyway, i think he has made it clear on the path he has chosen to take.

Below is more on the time they spent together.

Last Week, Jay-Z celebrated the launch of his new culture and lifestyle website Life and Times. Now, to usher in the launch, Hov has linked up with Gwyneth Paltrow, star of films like Iron Man and Se7en and wife of his "Beach Chairs" collaborator Chris Martin, to interview each other for their respective websites.

Paltrow's interview of Hov begins with him explaining his recent Internet endeavor. Although he's shyed away from social media networks like Twitter and Facebook in the past, Jay said that he's always wanted to to start a website that covers interesting and sometimes off-beat issues.

"I started working on it in its various incarnations over a year ago," he explained. "I've thought about it forever. You know how it works, seeing other sites and being either inspired or saying, 'That's shit. I would do it like'...there is a basic metric for what we cover but, more importantly, I believe it's how we cover it. The DNA is to basically let the subject speak for itself. We don't want to tell you what to think. As far as how personal? I would say it has to pique my interest."

During Jay's interview for his site, Paltrow revealed that she has been an avid Hip Hop fan for the majority of her adult life. She explained that not only is she a fan of acts like revered Public Enemy and LL Cool J, but that she is obsessed with N.W.A. She even said that at one point, she knew every lyric that Eazy-E, MC Ren, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre rhymed on their seminal debut Straight Outta Compton.

"I first was exposed to hip-hop when I was about 16 [in 1988] by some boys who went to collegiate," she explained to Hov. "The Beastie Boys were sort of the way in for us preppie kids. We were into Public Enemy, Run-DMC and LL Cool J. But then I went to LA the summer between my junior and senior year of high school and I discovered N.W.A., which became my obsession. I was fascinated by lyrics as rhythm and how [Dr.] Dre had a such different cadence and perspective from say, Eazy-E, who I thought was one of the most ironic and brilliant voices Hip Hop has ever had. It was an accident that I learned every word of Straight Outta Compton and to love something that a.) I had no real understanding of in terms of the culture that it was emanating from and b.) to love something that my parents literally could not grasp. But I was hooked. I can’t remember what I ate for dinner last night but I could sing to you every single word of N.W.A’s 'Fuck Tha Police' or [Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock's] 'It Takes Two.' Go figure.

Facts About Jay-Z

I was surfing through the net and i came across this information  about jay-z on hiphopdx.com, and i thought it would be interesting for people to know some things they do not know about him. I have always respected jay for his business acumen, and as an entrepreneur myself, who believes anything is possible, i like to study his past, ans the mindset he had while coming up.

Read top ten facts that hiphopdx.com got from a newly released book about jay-z, titled- "empire state of mind".

This month, Forbes' Zack O'Malley Greenburg released his book Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office. The biography of Shawn Carter looks at Jay's personal and business relationships, through comprehsive archival interviews and new and rare insights from the likes of mentor Jaz-O, paternal hustler DeHaven, Dame Dash, MC Serch, DJ Clark Kent, Branson and others.

The staff of HipHopDX thought we knew a lot about Jay-Z, but in the interest of supporting Hip Hop literacy, we thought we would share 10 things about Jay-Z from Empire State of Mind.

1. Jay-Z maintains that his name comes from a childhood family nickname of "jazzy," not the popular belief that it was taken to match mentor Jaz-O's name, or the J and Z train lines that stop at the Marcy station in Brooklyn.

2. Sauce Money, often mistakenly considered a Roc-A-Fella Records artist, was a collaborator suggested by DJ Clark Kent to try and get demo recognition. Additionally, Sauce was managed by then-NBA star Dennis Scott. Jay and Sauce would appear together on Big Daddy Kane's Daddy's Home album, a time in Jay's career that Empire State of Mind sheds new light on.

3. Jay-Z would have likely been murdered during a 1994 shooting - if the assailants gun did not jam. Both DeHaven and Jaz-O, Jay's then-musical and street guides, recall the event. One of them alludes to 'making that problem go away' too.

4. During his Def Jam presidency, Jay-Z helped collaborators The Roots clear a Radiohead sample, just hours before the clearance had to be made. Jay accomplished this through his direct relationship with the British band.

5. Jay-Z never forgets. The book interviews producer A Kid Called Roots, who's known for his work with artists ranging from Memphis Bleek to Sha Stimuli. AKCR provides an anecdote claiming that during a Japanese performance, Jay recognized the Roc-affiliated producer in the crowd, and invited him to the stage for his then-hit, "Do My..."

6. Champagne wishes. Although it's never formally said, Empire State of Mind suggests a number of interesting things about Jay-Z's switch from musically-endorsing Cristal to Ace of Spades. The chapter includes revelations that longtime friend, collaborator and mid-'00s Island Def Jam executive Jermaine Dupri had a business relationship with the same people responsible for Ace of Spades, although Jay-Z has always maintained that there are no business ties to Armand De Brignac, Ace of Spades' producer.

7. Jay-Z invested in Carol's Daughter, a cosmetics line. While we hear about various Jay backings, this one slipped under the Hip Hop radar.

8. Jason Kidd was the first person that suggested to Jay-Z that he explore New Jersey Nets ownership. Count it.

9. MC Serch of 3rd Bass fame was responsible for making "the Jay-Z Jeep" nearly happening. An artistic contemporary of Jay's, Serch presented the idea to both sides, although it never happened - a deal and series of events that the book delves into.

10. Jay-Z is still earning from Roc-A-Wear. Although the brand changed ownership, the book estimates that Jay receives close to $5 million dollars yearly off of the brand that he, Dame Dash, and Kareem Biggs started over a decade ago.

jay-z

Jay-Z and Will Smith Developing Remake of "Annie" With Willow Smith

Willow Smith is signed to Jay-Z's ROC NATION label, and her father is Will Smith, so it is clear this girl is going places. Her boss and her father are currently working on the Remake of the 80's classic movie, Annie, which she is going to be staring in. Hmm! I think Will Smith is really using his muscle in Hollywood to a stretch- first his son played in the Re-make of Karate Kid, which was originally played by a white kid, and now, this thing with Willow.

I have studied the lives of both Jay and will smith, and the code they live by, which i also adhere to is that anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it. I am just really happy for the privilege this little girl has with a father like will, and THANK GOD  she has been living up to the hype

Below is the story:

Sony considering backing the movie-musical which would see Smith producing and Jay working on the music

Will Smith has already helped one of his kids become a movie star, producing last year’s The Karate Kid which starred son Jaden and took in over $350 million dollars in worldwide box office. Now, according to Variety, the former Fresh Prince has plans to develop another remake starring his daughter, Willow. The project this time out is Annie, the 1982 movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. Will Smith’s production company, Overbrook Shingle, is currently in talks with Sony.

Jay-Z, the head of Willow’s label, Roc Nation, is also involved. He is currently in conversations to work on the music of the proposed film. Jay would seem to have plenty of experience with the material having scored one of his most iconic hits when he teamed with The 45 King for “Hard Knock Life”, a song which sampled the song “It’s The Hard Knock Life” from the original film production of Annie.

Since the project is still in the early stages details are scant. But DX will keep you posted as more news becomes available.

Dr Dre Names His Favourite Rapper.

A lot of people have listed their top five dead or alive, or their top ten list of rappers, but Dr Dre is just talking about one rapper he is a fan of. I think it is cool that dre would mention someone he watched grow. It is all good.

Below is what had to say:

"I mean Jay is my favorite. I'm a huge Jay -Z fan. I love it. I'm waiting for his record right now. Hopefully, I'll get a track on it. We'll see. Yeah I love it. Because it helps keep alive the type of music that I love to do." (XXL Magazine)

WOW! Were you surprised? I don't think you should be, because dre has shown this in the past that he admires jay's works. In 1999, jay-z wrote the song, "still dre" for dre's comeback.

Jay-Z Discusses Life Changing Decision

I was surfing the web a few days ago, and i came upon the forbes magazine website, because i was actually carrying out a research on the world's billionaires, and i was surprised to see a photograph of Jay-z standing with Warren Buffet. The picture was like a caption, like an attraction on the site. I think jay has done a lot for himself, and the next move would be for him to become the first rapper Billionaire.

And, as i always tell people, there is nothing like luck in life; it is all about preparedness meeting oportunity. So, where jay is right now has nothing to do with luck, he envisioned it years ago, and put in a lot of work to get there.

Below is what he had to say about a life changing decision he had to make at some point in his life:

 "My first album didn't come out 'til I was 26, so for so long I ignored that talent," Jay explained. "It took a bit of luck. The people I was with daily -- a personal friend of mine went to jail for 12 years. And me and him would be together every single day. So I know that same fate was awaiting me. We would have got picked up the same day. If I wasn't pursuing music I would have been in jail for 12 years."

Hip-Hop Photographeer, Johnny Nunez talks About Taking Jay-Z and Nas picture

Can you remember when Nas and Jay-Z just officially squashed their beef? The picture you can see on this page was the one circulating around the web- so now the photographer that took the pic, Johnny Nunez, relates the account.

Now I'm going to say a few things that a lot of people already know, but I'm also going to expose the truth. That picture everyone remembers of Jay-Z and Nas uniting in 2005 almost didn't go down.
Every Black photographer was excited about this concert. There are a lot of digital stock agencies out there owned and operated by white people, and it's okay because I work with one of them. But what a lot of people don't know is some how and some way, when we called Def Jam, they said something along the lines of there only being one photographer allowed or something like only a few photographers would be allowed [access to the concert]. It was some ridiculous story that said that none of the typical Black photographers were going to be allowed into Jay-Z's concert. We were all numb. We were thinking, "this is hip-hop. How can we not even get into our own events?'
Some photographers were allowed, but they were given a wack a** location [to shoot from]. And when I say wack, it was so far and so impossible that the first tier of people who got the greatest access were all white. So we were like, 'that's f*cked up.' I managed to get my way in through my network of people I know through Jay-Z's camp, but I felt bad for the other photographers that weren't allowed to get good access. My thought was if this is going to be his Black Album concert, then this may be his last performance. So how could [there] not be [any] Black photographers? It's gotta be persons of culture to tell the story and not saying that other races can't, it's just the policies that were involved looked weird. You had the white photographers in the front with a sprinkling of blacks and the rest of the blacks in the far back.
So before the concert, my man got an all-access gold pass that allows you go to backstage and I didn't have one of those. I had some front-only ridiculously wack a** pass which limited me from where I could shoot. I just kept thinking how could there only be one photographer allowed to go back stage and it was a white photographer too. But my man wen to Kinkos and made a laser print of what the all-access pass looked like. He took his license and made a print of it. Then he cut out his face from the license and put it over the copy of the original all-access and then after that, he had it laminated. After that, he gave me his pass to do the same thing and there we were, everyone had gold-out all-access passes from Kinkos, three dollars and fifty cents.
The white photographers were looking at us like, "what the --! Wait! How'd you get this!?" and we said, "this is our pass, we got it from the label." We were up in that b*tch and there's nothing they could say. The passes were good, they were laminated, they looked just like the real sh*t, and there was so much hype going on at that very moment that no one was going to question us. So once again, hip-hop prevailed and it felt like "Good Times" and "The Jeffersons." It was real sh*t.
Next thing you know, I was backstage and once Jay-Z brought out Nas, all the photographers were getting ready. Every press outlet was at the frontier but for someone like me who was running from the back to the side to the front with all-access, I was like, "D*mn, I gotta go back to the front." And if you look at see the documentary about the Black Album, I'm actually in it for about four seconds looking at the camera. It was to show that I was Jay's photographer. Anyway, as I got to the front, all these people that paid big, big, big tickets to be in the front were all celebrities. I'm talking about if you turned around, there's Madonna. You turn to the left, it's Naomi Campbell. It just wasn't looking good for me to get a really good shot because the front of the stage was filled photographers, blocking each other off and f*cking up a good shot.

So I was like, 'd*mn, what am I going to do' and I turn around and [hear] somebody say, "Johnny, you need to get a shot?" And it turned out to be one of my boys from Tommy Hilfiger. It was one of my man's who works at Tommy Hilfiger who previously couldn't get into one of Puffy's parties but I got him in. He said I could lean on his shoulder. And then Nas came out, everybody went crazy and the legendary shot was taken.

Jay-Z Name's His Favourite MC's of All Time

Yea, Jay-Z finally names his list of favorite  rappers/mc's of all time. As i read through the interview, there were some names i wasn't surprised to see, but some definitely shocked me.

Check out the interview below:


"I guess I would choose B.I.G. [as one of my favorites] because of his ability to tell stories to be humorous, to be dead serious, he just had it all," Jay said. "Just [B.I.G.'s] voice alone. I would choose Pac because his fire will overcome, what he doesn't have in technical skills will be overcome by passion. If you listen to that 'Tunnel' [freestyle] verse where B.I.G. is saying 'MC Hammer and them 357 women' and then you hear how [Pac] comes on, he just screams on the track, his passion could put a lot of guys to sleep. I guess Kool G Rap and KRS-One would be on there. I need more emcees. Y'all got Eminem and Nas..." (YouTube)

So what do you think about jay's list? I think i can not fault him for any name on that list, and i like his honesty. Eventhough Tupac dissed him when he was alive, he still put pac up in there. And i like how he described the reson why he put pac there; it is more about pac's passion for the game, and not really the rhyme scheme or anything. Funny, i have been telling guys the same thing for a long time now. I think after reading this interview, i respected jay a little more than i already did.

Jay-Z says Take-Over Was 100 times Better Than Ether

I went online early yesterday morning and was surprised to read an article based on an interview where Jay-Z said that Ether(a reply diss track made by nas in response to Take-Over) does not come close to His track; Take-Over. He even went ahead to say that Take-Over was 100 times better than Ether. I think that is really funny, because i thought the whole beef had been burried, and everybody and their mama's know who won.
I really do not want to go into this issue, but it just surprised me that jay would say that after all this years.
Anyway, below is what he said about the issue.

"I think in history when we look back, and I don't mean no disrespect to Nas, I think when we look back it's not even close. I just think it was a better record." 
"The record, if we take Ether it's 100 times better."

 
I can remember back in 2001 when ether dropped and jay was interviewed on Hot 97 by Angie Martiniz, and when he was asked about Ether, he started stuttering, it was almost like he was going to cry. You can check youtube for it. 

I just want to know what you guys feel about the whole issue.

Jay-Z Signs Jay Electronica To Roc Nation

Is it me, or is Jay-Z trying to creat another NAS? I am just saying. Jay-Z just signed Jay Electronica to his label(Roc Nation) and i can remember when Nas was all over the media Cosigning Jay Electronica and saying howmuch of him he see's in the kid. And it was just last week when me and my friends were talking about how J.Cole is so much of a Nas, with a little more hype. This is just my opinion, but i think Jay is still Nas's Biggest fan. He loves that kind of music, but knows he can't get off it, so, he would always love to support anybody that is in that lane. Remember how nas said at the end of ETHER, "always wanted to be on every last one of my classics"...then fast forward to 2006, when Jay was on Black Republican, a song on Nas's Hiphop Is Dead album, listen to how excited he was on that song. He even went ahead to do the song's intro. If you didn't know, you would have thought it was a jay song.

Okay, i am not saying this to be-little jay, jay is a great rapper, he just amuses me sometimes. But i think it is a smart move; with the right backing and promo, jay electronica can bring back that real hiphop.

Anyway, below is more on the jay electronica issue.


"We're trying to reintroduce magic to Hip-Hop," Jay-Z said from the stage at a club called The Bar.

The event was set as a magic with several oddities performing, including a man deemed "The Human Slinky" and magicians.

Jay Electronica performed for the crowd and the DJ later played his song with Jay-Z.

Jay-Z's "Decoded" book.

Yeah, Jay-Z has a book coming out, and i think it is about time. With his kind of status, MOGUL STATUS, it is only right that he drops a book that gives people some insight into his personal life, from his personal point of view. I think it is is a great venture and it would be a great book. Jay has had a long run in the HipHop industry and also the business world.

Below are some samples from the book.

The Lance Rivera Incident
“Vol. 3 . . . Life and Times of S. Carter” more than a month before the release date of the album. When he asked who was behind the leak, everyone kept repeating the same name: Rivera. When Jay-Z saw him at rapper Q-Tip’s album release party at the Kit Kat Klub, he confronted him. Rivera “got real loud with me right there in the middle of the club,” Jay-Z writes, “It was strange. We separated and I went over to the bar . . . I was . . . in a state of shock . . . I headed back over to him, but this time I was blacking out with anger.” After this, chaos ensued in the club, “That night the guy went straight to the police and I was charged with assault.” He says he decided to plead guilty after watching Puff Daddy’s trial on weapons violations that same year. Puffy was acquitted, and Jay-Z says he feared the state would be harder on him after failing to convict his friend. “The hilarious thing,” he writes, “if any of this can be considered funny, is that the Rocawear bubble coat I was wearing when they paraded me in front of the cameras started flying off the shelves the last three weeks before Christmas.”


Getting High with Biggie
"Biggie made a cameo appearance in the 1996 video for “Ain’t no Nigga,” which Jay-Z was filming with Foxy Brown in Miami just when he started to break. Jay-Z says he looked down on smoking pot as counterproductive, and only did so on vacation. “I could count the number of times I’d smoked trees,” he writes. But when Big asked him to smoke, he said to himself, “Relax, you’re not on the streets anymore.” So he smoked, and got stoned out of his mind just before the video started shooting. Laughing at his formerly sober friend, Biggie leaned in and whispered in Jay-Z’s ear: “I got ya.” It took Jay-Z 20 minutes in his room to gather his wits. Later he told his friend: “Never again my nigga.”


Befriending Obama
"A friend of President Obama’s helped set up a meeting with Jay-Z in 2008, he says. The two talked for hours. “I wish I could remember a specific moment when it hit me that this guy was special. But it wasn’t like that,” he writes. “It was the fact that he sought me out and then asked question after question about music, about where I’m from, about what people in my circle — the wider circle that reaches . . . all the way back to Marcy — were thinking about politically.” When Beyoncé sang at the inauguration, he writes, he watched from the audience instead of backstage so he could “feel the energy of everyday people. It was unbelievable to see us — me, Beyoncé, Puff, and other people I’ve known for so long — sharing in this rite of passage


From this alone, i am thirsting the book more than ever. If you did not know, i am a Research Freak- i love to know everything about highly successful people, regardless of their line of work.

I have put the link right here Decoded...so you can go ahead and get it from amazon.

Jay-Z, and P-Diddy dorminate Forbes Cash Kings List,; 50 Cent slips further down the list

Forbes has been known to draft a list of the highest earning artist in hiphop over a period of twelve months through the year; running from July- July of the next year. Three people that have been constant on the list have been JAY-Z, P-DIDDY and 50 CENT, but 50 cents slips way below his 2nd position in 2008, and 4th position last year.

Below are some of the artist on the list:
Forbes released their annual hip-hop cash king list today and at the top of the pile is Jay-Z. They estimate Hov grossed $63 million last year. Rounding out the top five are Dr.Dre ($17 million), Lil Wayne ($20 million), Akon ($21 million) and Diddy ($30 million) (Rap Radar)

Wow! Jay doubled the earnings of diddy, the second on the list. I think jay is just in a lane of his own right now. He must have made must of that money from his BLUEPRINT3 album, and all the touring. I guess he has to compete against his wife, BEYONCE, and that would definitely keep him on his toes.

Check out some other artist on the list:
6. Ludacris, $16 million. 7. Snoop Dogg, $15 million. 8. Timbaland, $14 million. 9. Pharrell Williams, $13 million. 10. Kanye West, $12 million. 11. Drake, $10 million. 12. T.I., $9 million. 13. Eminem $8 million 14. 50 Cent, $ 8 million 15. Young Jeezy (Forbes)

I kinda feel really good to see that LUDACRIS is making his dough, because he is so under-rated. Snoop must have made all that money from his sitcom, "snoopdog fatherhood", because i don't see any other way he made all that money, because his album, MALICE N WONDERLAND, did not do good numbers.

who is really better, jay-z or nas?

I take this back to 2002, when i was in my first year in the university. It was the heights of the beef/feud (between jay-z and nas), and people were picking sides. I was on nas's side, but it was like they were very few of my kind, because we all know a lot more people liked JAY-Z than NAS.

There were arguments on every corner of the campus; i really had not seen anything like that before, even with the BIGGIE and TUPAC feud, it wasn't really like that, maybe not in Nigeria, where i am from. Or maybe it was because pac and big lost their lives too early in the feud. Anyway, it was just incredible, you would see about 5 guys arguing with like 8 guys on who is better, and it would get emotional, and fights sometimes broke out.

I remember one time when i went to visit my friend, and i met some of his other friends there, and it happened that they were all jay fans; men, was that a hell of an argument. We argued for about 2 hours. They laid down their facts, i laid down mine, and in the end, became friends, and started seeing things from a different perspective. I saw the reason why they thought jay-z was a better rapper than nas, and i made them also see the reason why i thought nas was a better rapper. We went our separate ways, but the argument had left a mark, and we became curious of what we had shared on that  day. I started listening to jay in the process and they also started listening to nas.

Through the years, i bought all of jay's albums at one point or the other, and i can say i have listened to every album (solo and collaborative) that he has dropped, so i know what he is made of. I can not doubt that he is a very gifted/talented/skilled rapper, and has gotten better with time, to the point where he can do it(rap) in his sleep; but so can nas. But the problem people have with this argument is with comparing the two rappers; they are not the same. Jay is more of a flossy rapper, nas is a knowledge delivering, story telling rapper; they have different missions in life. And like M.I.A(the srilankan singer) said in a recent interview, just because nas is not the private plane flying rapper does not make jay-z better than him. I would like to add, just because jay-z does not kick knowledge(he does, but not like nas) in his rhymes don't make him any less better than nas.

I think i would end by quoting some of nas's lines on ether, where he said, who's the best, pac nas or big? ain't no best; so i would say there is no best between nas and jay-z, but i can say they are both individually better than every other rap out right now; probably except for eminem. Well, that is my opinion, so i would appreciate yours.

nas and jay-z; comparison

Even though there is no longer a beef between NAS and JAY-Z, there is still a lot of arguements on who is better, and who is more relevant, and who is this and that. What i would say is that they are very different people, and their definition of success is different, so you can't really one is better than the other, or one is more succesful than the other.

Nas wanted to be a lyricist, the lost respected on the mic, and preach to the people (a hood motivational speaker), he has reached that point, and he has gotten rich from that. Jay-z wanted to be the biggest rapper amongst his peers, and he has surpassed that now, so in my opinion, they are both successful, but people keep mis-understanding them.

Talking about misunderstanding, the words below picked form a nas interview and misconstrued is an example:
"Could you imagine in the 80s when people tried to stop Hip-Hop music, could you imagine all the heat that came from Black leaders even, to try to stop us from voicing our opinions? And look at us now, see where we've come, see where people like Jay have come? I think there's a lot of elders that aren't feeling too good about themselves right now. You should never turn your back on youth, 'cause when you do, we wind up taking over anyway." (All Hip Hop)

The title of the post was "nas credits jay-s's dominance of rap".

game claims that jay-z'sv relationship with pharell stopped him from dissing the veteran

You all know that "game" was planning a diss/war on jay-z last summer when jay mentioned his name on the intro to "blueprint 3", and then he dropped the rant all of a sudden, and i was wondering what happened, because i know game is not the type to drop out of a beef just like that. Although jay claimed not to have been dissing game on the track, game, and a lot of people in the industry (like dj green lantern), believed it was false. I think so too, and i think jay just used it to get some buzz for his album. Anyway, i still stand by my words any day that game would have done a lot of damage to jay's career. You have to know that game can be reckless on the mic when it comes to beefing. And, i am not saying game is a better rapper than jay, far from that, i am saying that game is a better beef/battle rapper than jay. Game would never have backed down. I am kinda happy that jay didn't respond to his warning track.

Anyway, game has come out to tell all that are willing to listen, the main reason why he didn't go on with the beef.


"Maybe I stepped over the line because I listen to Beyonce's music," Game said in an interview. "My girl listens to Beyonce's music. All girls do. So, when I did that, I got rained on by like, it was like a chick army at my next show. Plus, I didn't really mean that much harm, man. It's just rap, man. As far as Jay, he's a good friend of Pharrell's and he worked with Jay recently. I decided, along with [Dr.] Dre and Pharrell, that being at odds with him wasn't beneficial to what we're trying to do in the future, so later for that." (Yahoo)

WHAT DO THINK ABOUT THE RUMOUR ON JAY-Z BEING A FREE MASON.

I had a heated argument with a very close friend of mine on the issue of JAY-Z being a free mason or not, or whether he is in any cult at all.

The agument didn't end well, as my friend was going with jay and i was against. Well, i didn't conclude that he is a free mason, i just said he was on the dark side, and i made my reference to some lyrics in his songs from the past and also present.

Anyway, i dwelled on his latest offensive lyrics from his EMPIRE STATE OF MIND song where, in the third verse, he drops the line "Jesus can't save you, life starts where the church ends". My friend said i was taking it to far and that i took what he said out of contest.

I don't think there can be any explanation for uthering something like that, and i wonder why people are not commenting on this. I read an interview where he said he didn't go to church, he said he didn't believe in religeon; i am not really against an atheist, but whn that person is trying to lead others that are not so strong minded astary, that is when i get sconcerend,and that was why i had that argument with my friend.

I just want to know what you guys think about jay and his links to the occult.

LUPE FIASCO THINKS IT IS UNWISE TO TRY AND GET JAY-Z TYPE FAME.

LUPE FIASCO, Chicago rapper,thinks it is unwise for any rapper to try and attain the type of fame and success that Brooklyn rapper, JAY-Z is constantly enjoying. I think i feel him on that one; it's better for any new artist to pave his own way, and try to do his own thing. The best way to get a head-way, and make it in the long run is to be unique and do your own thing.

Below is what Lupe had to say to other artist:
"Jay-Z's a personal friend of mine," Lupe said in an interview. "[He] executive-produced my first album. [My comments were] just an example using him of how people rate success. There's an idea of the status quo that every rapper wants to be Jay-Z. Nah. Every rapper does not want to be Jay-Z. Every rapper don't wanna be Kanye West. Everybody don't wanna be Lil Wayne. They wanna be who they are. ... You're a fool trying to chase that success down and manage it like that. I always look at my success as further than a dollar sign, further than record sales. ... Everybody thinks because you're black and you're from the 'hood, you wanna be Jay-Z. There's kids who wanna be astrophysicists and don't care about rap. That should be OK. You should be OK just being you, working your regular job and being happy. That's why I made that statement. I felt it need to be said." (MTV)

50 CENT, BEANIE SIGEL AND JAY-Z, WHAT'S UP?

The war is on, and i think 50 is going to ride it till his latest album, "before i self destruct", stops selling the peanuts it is selling. Now, the war, on the other hand, is very one sided, because JAY-Z has not responded yet.

If you don't catch my drift, i am talking about the ongoing beef between BEANIE SIGEL and 50 CENT versus JAY-Z. The funny thing is that it started off with beanie saying he just had to let some things off his chest, and he dropped a song, "average cat", which he said was not a diss record but just a song to address some personal issues between him and jay-z, his former boss.

All of a sudden, 50 saw it as a way to get some buzz because he was about to drop an album, which, by the way, dropped last week, and still flopped, compared to 50's standards(standards he created, and laid so much emphasis on through out his career).

Then, last week, they dropped a collaborative diss track aimed at jay, "go off", where 50 does the hook, and talks at the end, but beans did all the rapping.

And then, just a couple of days ago, on Sunday, beans dropped another diss record, "how i can kill jigga man". And he has dropped another one after that; saying he would not stop until jay responds.

I don't know what this would lead to, and i do not know if jay is going to respond, but i do know that 50 and beans would definitely not stop because they have a lot to gain; 50 has an album, and he needs the buzz he would get from this, and beans is working on a new album.

Another reason why i feel they are not bluffing about not stopping is because, right now, 50 sucks at rapping, but he is definitely good at clowning people, and bringing people down, which he would resort to right now; and beans can rap all day, and given all the financial support, and moral support by 50, there is no stopping him, at least for now.

Below is what 50 had to say during a recent interview, when asked what he felt about what jay-z said at the AMA's.

"He said that before," Fif explained to DJ Green Lantern. "I didn't really take that as a disrespect. If you wanna be disrespectful, just be disrespectful. I mean, once we start I'm not gonna stop. I'll make you aware of that. You see what I'm saying? I'm not the kinda guy that goes away. You understand that? So if that's the kind of energy we're getting ready to go to, then let's do it." (Invasion Radio)

50 CENT TEAMS UP WITH BEANIE SIGEL TO GO AT JAY-Z.

I knew it was just a matter of time before 50 CENT would pick up BEANIE SIGEL and make him go harder at JAY-Z. If you don't know, that is what 50 does; he uses his money and affluence to tear groups apart. He did it with the DIPSET CREW, when he got JIM JONES and JUELZ SANTANNA to go on stage with him when his beef with CAMRON was still on; he did it with PAPOOSE and REMY MA against FAT JOE (He went on radio with REMY MA and PAPOOSE and made negative comments about joe and made them laugh at it' he also promised pap a deal with G-UNIT), He promised J-Hhood a deal and made him go on stage with G-UNIT when the G-UNIT/D-BLOCK beef was on...And the least goes on.

BEANIE SIGEL and 50 CENT have a track out dissing JAY-Z, titled "I GO OFF". That is the second diss track beanie sigel would be releasing going at jay-z in the last 3 weeks.

This dude(50 cent) knows how powerful money is, so he dangles a corn infront of the donkey, and the donkey keeps moving in the direction of the corn, but never getting the corn.

50's album is dropping in days, and he needs some buzz to hype up the album, and he uses a bitter man's misery for that. Beanie sigel is currently fighting jay for not being of help to him, and also not letting him off his contract, and what does 50 do, he uses that opportunity to help Sigel amp-up what he has to say, in return for more light on him. You just watch how fast he would drop beans as soon as his 'BEFORE I SELF DESTRUCT ALBUM' drops. I just really feel bad for sigel, because this would realy not take him anywhere, unless he has a really solid plan, because i don't see anything he would gain from this.


Below is what 50 had to say at the end of the track:

"Yeah, you changed man," 50 says toward the song's completion. "You let the money change you, Jay. You used to be from Marcy, [Brooklyn] n*gga. Now you a pass the Grey Poupon a** n*gga. You don't want the shooter? I'll take him. [laughs] N*gga, feed the wolves or else the wolves feed off you. Eat your a** alive! I live by a combat's creed. Strategy. Your move, n*gga."

What 50 is said is funny, cos it's like he is talking about himself. 50 made tones of enemies once he got the money and the fame, and he is talking about the money changing someone.

I got to say i ain't on JAY'S side either, i am just saying 50 can not justify that statement. And as per beef, jay would tear him apart. It would have been more interesting to see a battle between GAME and JAY-Z.

JAY-Z RESPONDS TO BEANIE SIGEL DISS TRACK

A couple of days ago, PHILLY rapper, and former ROCAFELLA records artist, BEANIE SIGEL dropped a diss record(ain't your average cat) aimed at his former boss, JAY-Z. On the record, he talks about how jay-z has not been there for him, and how jay had no more love for the people that helped build up his dynasty.

Jay-z has commented on that in a recent interview. Below is what jay had to say:

"He has a lot to complain about," Jay jokingly said during a press conference. "Not me. Well Beanie Sigel at the time, and you can look it up if you like, just to be honest, was driving two Bentleys, I don't know how. It's impossible to drive two cars at one time with his mama in the sticks and selling 800,000 records. I don't know what more you can do for somebody at that point. What people choose to do when they attain that type of success, you know, at some point you have to look in the mirror and look at yourself. Beanie Sigel had a record deal, a record label, and a clothing line. And never went platinum, ever. I don't know in the history of rap has anyone done so much with so little. I don't know what more you can do for a person at that point. But a record deal, that's normal. A record label and a clothing line, so, if that's not pushing a person, sh*t. Thank-you."

Wow, there isn't a need for jay to drop a reply diss record, this is enough. But it's so hard that it had to come to this; former friends exposing themselves to the public. It's just so sad. I don't know what beans would do after this. But let us not forget that beans said he didn't want money from jay, he just wanted to be let out of his contract, and also some brotherly love. I guess jay is not really with all the drama that people like beanie sigel bring along with them. As i said earlier, it's just so sad.