A Tribe Called Quest's Scenario and Other Posse Cuts

The number of great posse cuts has seemed to dwindle over the years. In the past, the posse cut seemed to be a way to put on others in your crew, or posse, and make the public aware of their talents. Sometimes they were members of the same crew, and sometimes they were other label mates that were, at times, forced onto the same track. The nineties were a big time for such a posse cuts and featured many classic songs.

Some felt a bit forced as the overall talent level began to dwindle, and the posse cut lost it's legitimacy in some ways. I started to dread some of these tracks, because I didn't want to hear so-and-so's third cousin fumble through some lame verse trying to score a deal (which is why some posse cuts existed, in my mind, just to get some dude a record deal).

Anyway, here are a few of my favorites from the nineties and beyond:

Scenario - A Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of the New School

This might be the mother of all posse cuts. It’s a testament to how good this song is when you can hear various other songs that sample verses from this song. Basically, every verse is top notch, starting with Phife:

Aiyyo Bo knows this (what?) and Bo knows that (what?)
But Bo don't know jack, cause Bo can't rap
Well whaddya know, the di-dawg, is first up to bat
No batteries included, and no strings attached
No holds barred, no time for move fakin
Gots to get the loot so I can bring home the bacon
Brothers front, they say the Tribe can't flow
But we've been known to do the impossible like Broadway Joe so
Sleep if you want, like we'll help you get your z's troop
But here's the real scoop
I'm all that and then some, short dark and handsome
Bust a nut inside your eye, to show you where I come from
I'm vexed, fumin', i've had it up to here
My days of payin dues are over, acknowledge me as in there (yeah)
Head for the border, go get a taco
I'll be wreckin from the jump street, meaning from the get-go
Sit back relax and let yourself go
Don't sweat what you heard, but act like you know

This is also the song that threw Busta Rhymes into the hip-hop stratosphere. After hearing Busta’s verse, most hip-hop heads took notice and his energy was even more evident during live performances.

I also included the remix in the download. The remix is nice, but the original is so good that the remix seemed unnecessary.



Buddy - De La Soul feat. Jungle Brothers and Q-Tip

This is another Native Tongues flavored posse cut and the first time I heard Q-Tip. I think this is the first time I heard of male genitalia referred to as Jimmy, which became a very common term (see Jimmy hat) and they also used Jenny for the ladies. The basic theme of this song is about knockin’ boots.

Buddy (remix):



Bring It On - The Geto Boys (w/ just about everyone on Rap-A-Lot from the mid-90’s)

Man, everyone is on this track. We used to play this song all the time in high school and we had most of the lyrics down. Rap-A-Lot had some damn good MC’s with differing styles. Unfortunately, their LP’s didn’t always live up to their talent, as in the case with Seagram and Gangsta Nip (in my opinion). At over 8 minutes, this is one of the longer posse cuts that I’ve heard, if not the longest.

Rap-A-Lot definitely wasn’t anti-disabled people, as they had a couple little people and a blind, handicapped motherfucker, as that dude (not Devin the Dude, but Rob Quest) from The Odd Squad says in Bring It On.

Save the Children - Nice and Smooth feat. Everlast

This isn’t really a posse cut, per se, but I always liked this song and wanted to add it here because it was always a mystery with me. The title has absolutely nothing to do with any of the lyrics in the song and I have no idea why they decided to call the song Save the Children. The only time they saw anything about the “children” is at the very beginning when, I think Smooth B, says save the children a few times before the song starts.

Everlast starts the track and is followed by Smooth B, which is a sharp contrast in styles, which always amused me as well. That being said, Nice & Smooth were just different than most artists, so they kind of clash in general, but they’ve always been favorites of mine.

Back to the Grill - MC Serch feat. Nasty Nas, Red Hot Lover Tone and Chubb Rock

This song features the first time I heard Nas, before dropping the Nasty, and he kills his verse (This is Nas kid you know how it runs, I’m waving automatic guns at nuns.) That’s just a funny ass line, although, given Nas’s style (especially when he was younger), it wasn’t really meant as humor.

Overall, this is kind of a weird mix of MC’s. Pretty much all of them are bringing some humor here, and are kind of known for a sense of humor and then you have Nas waiving automatic guns at nuns. But, overall it’s a nice track.



Flava in Ya Ear (remix) - Craig Mack feat. LL Cool J, Biggie, Rampage and Busta Rhymes

Craig Mack had a huge hit with the original version, but the remix featured that up-and-coming rapper named The Notorious B.I.G., who Puffy was trying to get on everything he could, which was definitely the correct strategy. Basically, this version has the same beat as the original, but featured a few guest MC’s.

Enjoy the video with LL at the height of his roll-up-one-pant-leg phase:



616 Rewind - CunninLynguists feat. Tonedef, Sankofa, Kashal-Tee and Celph Titled -
Obligatory Posse Cut - Extended Fam feat. CunninLynguists, Jean Grae and more

I wanted to get something a little newer on here. Basically, the next 2 songs here are QN5 related and solid posse cuts. CunninLynguists and a lot of the QN5 peeps like to add humor into their music, so you have a fun track with a nice beat. Celph Titled adds a bit of a contrast with his rougher, masochistic, homophobic verse.

Here are a couple highly quotable verses from 616 Rewind:

Tonedef: From parts of the south so dirty, you’ll want to be given a bath.

Kno: I’m so nice, Mr. Roger’s sued my ass for copy write infringement.

You have a bit of a sequel with Obligatory Posse Cut from Extended Fam’s only LP.

http://www.zshare.net/download/691940954dc2de6b/

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Philaflava's 100 Greatest Obscure Tracks :The Bonus Tracks aka Trav's Picks

We've spent the last couple weeks going over what a committee thought were the best "obscure" tracks. What did we learn? Get nine people together to discuss hip hop music and make a "best of" list of any kind and it's nearly impossible. Oh, and that the term "obscure" is rather relative.

As we put the cherry on top and put an end to this little series, I figured I would post up my personal FAVORITES (read: joints I like) hard-to-find, not your run of the mill, not found on an album, or any other term I can use for "obscure" without actually using it. I wouldn't say this is all of them, but they are the ones that were off the top of my head AND actually on my computer. I've long had personal favorite songs that were not necessarily readily available to every Tom, Dick and Harry with a blog. Not saying that these are super hard to find either. I haven't tried, but I'm sure if you did some looking, you could probably track down most of these (most of these have appeared in one form or another on this blog) nor am I any better for having these. I'm still the same chump working a crappy job, dreaming of being the next Paul Rosenberg, Russell Simmons or Kevin Powell. Enough with the introductions....my ass is tired so heeeeere we go.....

Link To All Of Part One

Ace Lover - Area Codes 1(212) feat C-Rayz Walz (Marcion Records, from the "Area Codes" b/w "Lucky 7" 12 inch, 2000

I mentioned last week that you would see Ace Lover pop up on this list before it was all said and done. Ace Lover had two singles out during the turn of the century that I loved, "Weed Spots" and this single, "Area Codes 1(212)". Produced by DJ Rust, the beat was sparse, with a simple drum track that had a piano loop on top of it. It was basic but effective. The true gem of this song is listening to Ace Lover kick his rhymes. I'm someone who listens to be beats first and foremost, so it takes an extremely talented or catchy MC for me to be about the lyrics and Ace Lover is both. I remember hearing this track on UGHH back when you could listen to tracks before purchasing (maybe they still do that) then went and found it on Audio Galaxy or maybe it was Napster. Regardless, this track got a ton of play and is still one of the reasons I'm waiting for a full length album from Ace Lover.

R.A. The Rugged Man feat Akinyele - What The...... (White Label, from the 12 inch of "What The..." b/w "Stanley Kubrick", 1998 or 1999?)

"What The...." is as crazy as you might think when looking at this pairing for the first time. Armed with what sounds like a kids choir singing the hook, which consists of saying "Whaaaaat the fuuuuuck, whaaaat the fuck is going on". The beat is minimalistic in nature, but it's perfect to hear RA and Ak just rip shit to shreds. I've had a hard time finding any info on this track at all. No year, no producer, not much of anything is listed about it nor do I hear many people talking about this classic track. What the fuck?

Amad Jamal - The Renaissance (ABB, from the "The Renaissance" 12 inch, 2001)

One of my most puzzling mysteries came to a close last week, when one of Amad Jamal's band members emailed me, alerting me that AJ was still making music and planning on dropping an album in the next month or so. Great news, since I've often wondered what happened to Amad Jamal after dropping two DOPE 12 inch singles back in 2001. Every song he has put out has my stamp of approval on it, but "The Renaissance" was my favorite out of the handful of tracks he did. Produced by Joey Chavez, the track uses a sample that again I should know, but don't. Regardless, it's beatufully produced and full of the LA underground goodness that I loved during this time. Amad Jamal is also one hell of an MC. He drops many memorable lines on this track. Good to hear him coming back (and the songs I've heard have all been dope, like he hasn't missed a beat).

Common - Can-I-Bust feat Y-Not (Relativity, from the "Soul By The Pound (Thump Mix)" b/w "Can-I-Bust" & "Heidi Ho" 12 inch, 1993

Hailing from one of my favorite 12 inch singles ever, or in my case, favorite cassette singles, I was having troubles trying to decide whether to include the b-side or the a-side. I figured most heads should have heard the "Thump" mix of "Soul By The Pound", so that left the equally dope flip side, "Can-I-Bust". I wasn't crazy about Common as an MC on that first album, but this track, which dropped quite awhile after "Can I Borrow A Dollar", gave a glimpse at what Common would later become as far as a talented MC. Even his guest, Y-Not, was entertaining as well. The beat uses an upright bass sample for the schizophrenic bassline along with some horn samples littered around the track. Truly one of my favorite b-sides.

Craig Mack - Wooden Horse (from the "What's The Worse That Could Happen" OST, 2001)

You learn something everyday. I just learned that Craig Mack's "Wooden Horse" was on a movie soundtrack. Never knew. So this might not be so hard to find as I once thought it might be. Oh well. Regardless, I was a Craig Mack fan, well I enjoyed his first album at least, but then he kind of disappeared. He would pop up again, after his sophomore album fizzled, in 2001 with this Frank Sinatra sampled track that his a certified head nodder. I'm actually surprised this didn't have sample issues, since Frank isn't exactly the easiest artist to clear samples for. Regardless, if you haven't heard this track in the past, it's worth a listen.

Das EFX - Hard Like A Criminal (East/West, from the "Straight Out The Sewer" b/w "Hard Like A Criminal", 1992)

When I learned that there were equally wacked out kids out on the internet collection hip hop like I was, "Hard Like A Criminal" was one of the first tracks I started looking for. The track has long been a favorite of mine, after I bought the cassette single for "Straight Out The Sewer" way back when. The track was also mentioned in an interview with Das in The Source as the only track that wasn't included on their first album. The reason being was it didn't seem to fit, which they are right. The sound, the story telling, all would have stood out like a green thumb on an album that featured mostly freestyled lyrics. No question that I had to include this track.

Donte (of Mood) - Heat (4 Da Streetz) (Wish Masta Entertainment, from the "Heat (4 Da Streetz) 12 inch, 2003)

One of the newer songs included on this list, "Heat" is one of those songs that never got the attention it deserved. It's actually kind of surprising though, since the beat was produced by Hi-Tek, who at the time was still carrying a strong reputation as a beat maker. The beat is the shining aspects of the track as Hi-Tek hooks up some booming drums that reminds me of the drums used on "Move Somethin'" from the Reflection Eternal album. It's also very dark, with an ill vocal sample that fits the mood well. Donte, who was Hi-Tek's crew group member in Mood, is a strong lyricist as well, which makes me wish he'd drop his own album one of these days.

Frankenstein - Rain Is Gone (Knowledge of Self, from the "Rain Is Gone" b/w "All Hands" 12 inch, 1996)

Another artist that I've pumped up quite often on this blog. To me, Frankenstein is my all-time favorite "Obscure" artist and I don't have a problem using that label on his either. The T.Dot producer/MC is one of the more underrated cats in the game in my humble opinion. Frankie Ano aka Frank Fallico aka Frankenstein first dropped his first single in 94' and by 95' he had his "Knowledge Of Self" label that he dropped numerous 12" singles along with his only "Official" LP, the UV album, which was more of an EP with some of his tracks and instrumentals. He also had a white label album "Live From New York Remix Album" the same year back in 97'. Some of his remixes for artists (unofficial remixes) are so dope that cats should have been checkin' for his production skills back then instead of messing with some of the crap that was out there.

I'm not sure what it is about Frank's sound that is so appealing to me, but he definitely has a "sound" to his beats that are very compelling to me. I first heard him on a Salt Lake City hip hop radio show when they played "The Rain Is Gone" back in 98'. Immediately I was fiendin' for this track. Luckily enough I had the tape deck recording that night and that tape became a prized possession. The only problem though, was that I didn't know who he was and at that point in time, if I didn't know who an artist was, it was sure that no one else that I knew would know who he was and this was before the internet really took off (it's crazy, but true, we didn't have the internet to look up all this shit back in those days...and I walked up hill in the snow both ways to school). The internet did pay off in the form of these blogs about a year ago, I ran into someone that posted up some tracks and "The Rain Was Gone" was one of them.

Frescho & DJ Miz - We Don't Play (Tommy Boy, from the "We Don't Play" "Ain't U Frescho" b/w "Now Ya Know", 1990)

What do you get when the 1989 New Music Seminar DJ Champion hooks up with the 1989 New Music Seminar MC Champion? Well you get a pretty dope 12" and a song that got some play on "Yo! MTV Raps" back in the day. DJ Miz continued the legacy of the Philly DJ's during the late 80's and has some great cuts on this track. Frescho was a Brooklyn MC, that seems to pop up from time to time, but never really took off. He had a track called "Planet Brooklyn" that was produced by Primo. It's said he is on the Christian Hip Hop tip now.

The group never released an album, which is unfortunate, because it would have been interesting to see what they could have done. This track was the A-side to said 12", the b-side was "Ain't U Frescho?" & "Now Ya Know". This track is pretty dope in terms of lyrics and scratches. Frescho has a pretty quick rapid fire type flow and a commanding voice. Miz cuts up shit nicely through out the whole song. The beat itself seems kind of dated. I played it for a friend of mine and he curled his nose up and said it sounded wack, guess you had to be there to appreciate it. I've been told that that is was all they released, which is unfortunate.

Masta Ace - N.F.L. (Not For Long) (Replay Records, from the 12 inch "N.F.L. (Not For Long)" b/w "Warfare", 1999)

I would probably dare to say "NFL" is my favorite non-album Masta Ace track. It features J-Love on the beats, and to this day, I've never understood why he hasn't produced any tracks for any of Ace's albums. Ace displays some good old fashioned story telling with this track. It deals with the fact that if you are on top, it won't be for long. The track would drop when Ace was in between his "Sittin' On Chrome" LP and the "Disposable Arts" LP, when he was dropping a lot of 12 inch singles. A lot of those are said to be from the lost Big Beat LP (no don't ask me, because I don't have it) that got shelved in '97 or so, but I'm pretty sure "NFL" was made after that fact. Production wise, the beat is remarkable. The strings are melodic and you get sucked into the story, although short and sweet. I've often played this beat over and over in my head. The beat just fits it all together nicely.

Ras Kass - Oral Sex (Priority Records, on the "Oral Sex" 12 inch promo, 1999)

Just why a Ras Kass track that was produced by the Beatminerz wasn't properly released is a perfect example why Priority dropped the ball more than once when it came to Ras. Probably on top of the list for my favorite and most talent left side artists, this track is nothing but fire. Da Beatminerz dropped some serious shit on this track, with their trademark deep ass bassline and dusty productions. Ras is on some other shit lyrically on the track. Dropping one liner after one liner. It was songs like this that made him one of the best and also marks why it was such a waste that he never blew up.

Sticky Fingaz - Jackin' For Beats '99 (White Label, on the "Jackin' For Beats '99" 12 inch promo, 1999)

Before my addiction to the Black Album/AG remixes, I had an addiction to the “Jackin’ For Beats” tracks that were coming out at a weekly clip at one time. I loved the original from Cube, I’m not sure what it was, but it just got me amped. In ’99, Sticky Fingaz released his version of “Jackin’ For Beats” complete with a 50 cent dis and some GREAT lines. You can’t help wanting to get up and punch someone while listening to this version. This is right when Sticky went solo and it was a great way to throw his hat in the ring. He jacked bigged name stars such as Jay, Nas, and Busta, and in some cases, sounded better on the beats than the original artist. That was the reason Cubes original version became so wildly popular in the first place. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I quickly became cured of the “Jackin’ For Beats” obsession when I realized that most of these songs sucked.

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Sunday Lite & The Week That Was

The fact I'm even attempting a post is amazing in itself since I have ZERO motivation. I swear I'm going to stop drinking for good one of these days. Until then, hopefully its nothing 4 glasses of water and a liter of Gatorade won't fix. We'll kick this post off with a few tracks. I just started this Sunday Lite thing (thanks to Stag for the name) and already I'm doing re-ups. Of course I originally posted these tracks when we weren't even topping a 100 visitors a day, so I don't feel too bad putting them back up.

Tha Alkaholiks have always been one of my favorite groups. The music was always fun, the vibe was that of a party of each of their albums and the production was always on point. Most of you probably remember when they made their debut (sans Tash, who was locked up on a DUI charge) on King Tee's "Tha Trifflin' Album" back in '93. But what most of you don't know, at least I didn't until I saw these tracks on the net almost two years ago (the blog I found them on escapes me, or I'd give credit for them) is that they came up as the "Everyday Street Poets" or E.S.P in the early 90's when King Tila hooked up J-Ro, Tash, and E-Swift together. They released a demo of sorts, although I can't find much on that.

The sound quality is kind of lacking, but what do you expect, they are demo's. The music though, is in vein of that found on their "21 and Over" debut, kind of fun and carefree, in a good way of course. Not sure if there is a full demo out there floating around or if this is it. If anyone knows anything about it, kick the knowledge.

Everyday Street Poets (E.S.P.) aka Tha Alkaholiks
Groove Yard - http://www.zshare.net/audio/esp-aka-alkaholiks-groove-yard-mp3.html

Everyday Street Poets (E.S.P.)
Getz Funky - http://www.zshare.net/audio/esp-aka-tha-alkaholiks-getz-funky-mp3.html

Everyday Street Poets (E.S.P.)
LA Law - http://www.zshare.net/audio/esp-aka-tha-alkoholiks-la-law-mp3.html


Craig Mack is known as the first artist to come out on Puffy's (sorry I refuse to call him P.Diddy) "Bad Boy" label and the one that got dicked out said label in the mid 90's. Mack didn't fit into Bad Boy's image or the direction the label was going, which is probably all for the better for everyone involved, although I haven't heard much out of Mack since then. Every once in a while, he'll pop back up on the scene with a track. He dropped a joint called "Wooden Horse (?)" in the late 90's/turn of the century that was dope as fuck. It sampled a Sinatra tune and it actually worked good. I have it on a disk somewhere in this mess I have strung around my apartment. Back on track, before he was Craig Mack, he was "MC EZ" and his DJ, "DJ Troupe". I want to say it was '88 that he released a single "Get Retarded b/w Just Rhymin'", but I'm entirely too lazy to verify that right now. "Get Retarded" is kind of a underground classic of sorts, not because the quality of the album, but because it's not easily found and because of Mack's place in Hip Hop history. It can also be found on "Ego Trip's Big Playback" that was released in 2002.....I think. Regardless here is "Get Retarded" and I think I have "Just Rhymin" somewhere on my computer if someone wants it.

MC EZ & DJ Troupe aka Craig Mack - Get Retarded
http://www.zshare.net/audio/04-get-retarded-produced-by-craig-mack-mp3.html

Amazingly enough, I'm going to post one more track despite all my laziness. I've been chatting back and forth with another Hip Hop head this week and the topic of one James Todd Smith came up. While L.L. might have tarnished his legacy with some of the crap he has released recently, I doubt anyone can deny his greatness when he still had "it". L.L. was THE B-Boy when came up. Yeah, he may have ducked Kool Moe Dee on occasion, but he's go after just about anyone on wax. The dude was a beast on the mic. You just don't see that kind of flair, ego, or ability anymore.

Here is a clip of him freestyling over "It's Yours" beat, which I'm sure didn't go over to well with T La Rock, who wasn't exactly a fan of L.L.'s either. I'm not sure if this was on a radio show, which I think it is, or at a performance. It also has edits, so that lends me to believe that it was on a radio show. It's labeled as 1985, which would mean he was just coming out, I don't remember where I got this, probably Cocaine Blunts. The dude is a beast on this. Enjoy!

LL Cool J Freestyle over "It's Yours" 1985
http://www.zshare.net/audio/l-l-cool-j-live-freestyle-over-its-yours-1985-mp3.html

Link Love

I've added quite a few new links over the past few weeks. I have no rhyme or reason where I put stuff on that list, but be sure to give it a look over. Despite what some moron said a couple of weeks ago, I try to remember everyone I told I would link up. If I missed someone, all you have to do is simply remind me. I'm not perfect and forget things, but I don't mean any disrespect. I don't ask for people to link me in return, I could careless if they do or not. I appreciate any link love, but I'm not doing this as some sort of popularity contest, hell I did this for months when we were only getting 50 hits a day. I don't bomb people's cboxs (I don't care if someone does post a link to their site, it's a good way for me to check your site out) asking for link exchanges, which is probably why no one heard of us for the first six months. I put links up to things I like, hell it's my bookmark list.

With that said, I do have my favorites lately, From Da Bricks, Posionous Paragraphs, Cold Rock Da Spot, Souled On, ...And You Don't Stop, and Schooklyn Zoo. Of course there are my old reliables that are ran by people who I have the up most respect for and they will always have my support, Bust The Facts, Crooklyn's Classics, Streets On Beats, and Miscreant Productions (holla at your boy, Tommy!) . Then there are my Colorado Comrades, To The Break of Dawn & Back In The Day. A new site that has popped up on my radar, Boomers Hot Shit, despite the, ummm, questionable name, it's been, ummm, dropping hot shit lately, make sure you check it out.

Trav's Top 5 Spins of the Week

1. Juggaknots - Use Your Confusion
Yup, I'm still on the Jugg's dick. Might have to go back and change my Top 20 of 2006, or fuck it, it's my list, they might just make the Top 20 of 2007, since I didn't really listen to this album until then. I did the same thing with the Cunninlynguists last year. I had the promo version for a good 3-4 months until I sat down to review it for a site I was writing for and realized what a great piece of work it was.

2. (TIE) Masta Ace Discography & Jay Dee aka J Dilla assorted stuff
No change again. I guess you can argue that this could always be in the top 5, since I listen to Ace on the regular, but with those new Hits U Missed, I'm listening to him more than usual (Nawledge, if you are reading this, email me, contact info on the side bar). There was a lot of stuff on J Dilla this week with his birthday and the anniversary of his death just recently passed. I've been zeroed in on a lot of his material this week, even some of his sample sources, which shows why he was even more of a genius. You'll be missed Jay Dee!

3. De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate & Stakes Is High
So I broke down and joined that Last FM thing, I'm always into things like that anyway. Well it tracks your listening habits and all that, and this week De La was my leading artist plays, which kind of surprised me. I definitely listen to music other ways than just on my computer, but still, I didn't realize that I had played De La that much this week. Well it started with someone reminded me of Buhloone Mindstate, maybe it was Scholar posting up "I Am I Be" last week on "Souled On". I'm a HUGE De La fan, but when Buhloone Mindstate dropped, I was like a lot of people, it just went over my head. I eventually corrected my ways but I still find some mind blowing thing about that album every time I listen to it. And naturally when I think De La, I have to pull out my favorite De La album, "Stakes Is High".

4. Atmosphere Discography
Yeah, I know it's not always "cool" to like Atmosphere, but I've always liked their music. I'm an emotionally wacked out person anyway, so the Emo stuff fits me pretty good when I need it and this was one of those weeks where I put my mp3 disk of Atmosphere stuff in my headphones and bitch about drinking too much and women.

5. Brother Ali - Undisputed Truth
The advance of this has leaked. I'll admit that I'm not the biggest Ali fan in the world, but I'm starting to like the sound of this album. In the past, Ali's voice just graded on me after a few songs, and it still does kind of, but DAYUUM, Ant came correct with the beats again....which leads us into another episode of......

WHY??????
Why is Ant so highly underrated as far as a producer?
Why does Football end so soon and baseball can't start soon enough?
Why do I have a bad feeling about the Steelers new coach?
Why don't I have tomorrow off....fuck!
Why doesn't "Paul's Boutique" get the credit for one of the best produced albums that it is?
Why did no one ever use the Dust Brothers again in hip hop?
Why did I laugh so uncontrollably at the movie "Beerfest"? I guess it's so stupid it's funny.
Why do the first few months of every new year suck so much for new music releases.
Why do I hate Redman's new album cover?
Why are there so few women bloggers?
Why does free releases via the internet seem like the new rave, ie Talib & Madlib and the new Little Brother? (not that I'm arguing)
Why does the RIAA continue to shoot themselves in the foot ie the DJ Drama arrest?
Why haven't I listened to Nas' or Jay's new albums all the way through in months?
Why is this site so disturbing, yet so incredibly funny?
Why does the NBA Slam Dunk contest suck so much compared to what it used to be?

In Closing......Questions about the Site...forums?
It seems that we have some hosting space to use up. Chris, who created Bombfirst.com, has some bandwidth which he has offered to let us use in some capacity. Chris has been extremely helpful in the behind the scenes of this blog, coming up with the design and the such and might even be able to post some stuff up in the future, which I'll never argue with the others posting and taking some of the weight off of me. Anyway, we have been kind of brainstorming on how to use this space to our advantage. We thought about maybe doing some type of a forum. My question would be, would anyone use it? I don't want to try to do something like that if no one used the thing. I know I'm not the most active forum person in the world, I'm only really active on one forum (mastaace.com), but if done right, it can be a nice place to exchange music, discuss, learn and build on hip hop. Or do any of you have any other ideas on how to use this free space. I don't want to use it for hosting files, for legality reasons, but I would hate to see this go to waste.

Last thing, I've toyed with the idea of changing the design of the site. Maybe I should talk to Chris before I go doing this, cause I have no fuckin' clue what I'm doing when it comes to that. But it's been brought to my attention from someone I have a great amount of respect for (thanks Mr. O-Dub) that sometimes having white lettering on a dark back ground isn't always the best way to go about things. I personally never thought about it, but he has a point. Plus, since I'm a person that can never stay in one place for more than 3 years, I like change from time to time. Anyone have any thoughts on the design of the site? I mean, I like it the way it is, but I want to hear other peoples thoughts.

That's it, that's all, I'm going to lay on the couch and wish I had something other than fucking NASCAR to watch.....

Trav-O

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