Are You Man Enough

I’ve never known a world were complacency was the point of success, and in the world that we live in now, I am sad to say that many of my african american men are sitting back relaxing and enjoying the fruits of their hand me downs. 51 shots burts through a bullet and tear through the fiberglass of a car in the process they, shatter the skin and slice our hearts. but instead of fighting to dodge those bullets and find ways to improve, I seem to see a world were we as men enjoy the maximum of nothingness, Mental slavery is powerful because it rapes our souls and poisions our minds without us ever knowing it. The Men of this campus and then men of this world who live in our generation need to find it within their apathetic souls stand up and re enter the fight that our forefathers died in. if this dosent happen the bullet holes will continue to peirce our souls, burn through our cartilage and rape our woman. so my question to you boys is….. Are you really man enough.

Six Year Old Boy Raped And Murdered

I’ll have a reaction to this a little later

Wu Tang Clan “8 Diagrams”

The downfall of all great relationships is usually the point in which the communication stops. When one doesn’t know what the other is doing, it leaves openings for miscommunications, misunderstandings and separate agendas. What was once considered a dynasty, can then turn into nothing but argument sessions and shouting matches. From there, the relationship slowly deteriorates until there is nothing left but fond memories and bitter grudges. The members of Wu Tang have not yet made it to the point of no return. But with their new album and the war of words that have occurred over its release, it makes you wonder if this is Wu of old or just a compilation of disagreements.

Lyrics 9- If this album review was based solely on lyrics, this Staten Island crew would have a near perfect album. The lyrics are clearly the strongest part of this album. If you are capable of blocking out the sporadic beats and just focus on the actual words then this album has the ability to take any listener back to the 90’s when Wu Tang ruled and everybody knew about The Killer Bees.

Production 4- To say the production was bad would be too cruel. However, to say that the production was boring, repetitive, confusing, and a bit cluttered would be down right true. Some of the beats were so off that it felt more like spoken word than a song. Casual listeners will more than likely make it through 3 tracks before they toss this cd from their musical rotation. To add to the futility of the beats, most of the hooks are either non existent or just down right annoying, leaving several songs with horrible transitions. On the ODB tribute the beat totally switches towards the end of the song. This will leave many listeners scratching their heads, and wanting to smack the producer.

Songs 7- After going through two mainstream concept albums this past year, 8 diagrams is a breath of fresh air in this category. It offers no concept, no main topic…just strong words, somber stories and blunt declarations from an elite Hip Hop group. The Beatles sampled “Heart Gently Weeps” is a great example of the Wu’s story telling abilities and with the mellow beat, it offers listeners a chance to be introspective and doze off into their own thoughts.
Conclusion 7- If everyone on your team is against going left, what direction will you choose to go? Although this album wasn’t a complete disaster, it is a far cry from what it could have been. 8 Diagrams has its moments, but even a casual hip-hop fan who has never even heard of Wu-Tang can tell that no one was on the same page when this album was in the works. So for the Wu-Tang fans that were waiting for their triumphant comeback, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer. This album won’t be a complete disaster, but like Jay-Z’s “Kingdome Come” it will be labeled as the album that just didn’t cut it.

Web of Limbs

Warm skin grazes the other as comfort rises and nerves relax

Dousing us with laughter im drowning in the love that is us

limbs tangled in a web of happiness along with hints of other

but we ignore the obvious and enjoy what is appearently before us

Happiness cant be bottled so we save it in our memories

with the hopes that past feelings will stay present reality

so as I lay tangled in this web of your limbs, I feel heat rising

and can feel your chest falling, because now you are confortably asleep.

And who could ever be mad at a face so peaceful lips so soft slender love theres no equal

caught up in this web with no idea how to get out, so I relinquish happy to be entagled

Swimming, Stroking, laughing, Kissing, and finally living in this web of limbs

Did T.I. Snitch His Way To Freedom??

For a second, ignore the fact that this is a Hip-Hop website…. during this period, close your eyes and imagine that you are a judge in the court of law. Now imagine that you had a suspect who was caught purchasing several illegal weapons. Incorporate the fact that he is not allowed to purchase or own any fire arms because of past offenses. But before you jump to any conclusions, also remember that he is a convicted felon who has had serious run ins with the law on numerous occasions. To most people, the decision would be simple. You would give him a heavy sentence. If only life worked this way! Instead of you giving this man the jail time that many would expect him to receive, he cops a plea deal where he could do as little as two years. Does anyone find this a little strange……..

Just A Friend

Just a friend, just a figment of emotional affection nothing to ever desire with a wanting heart
So instead of spurring your Hormones I, just give advice and play the part. of the brother who’s understanding, I get to sit here feeling feel dry, when at last the frustration builds up, I just dont want to be that guy…..
Im so sick and tired of being that friend, the one you seem to trust with everything,
By living a good life, and being a good man, and improving who I am I seem to fall to the back of the hand
Its the Men with the girl friends Men with the wive’s while they swim in your affection I just stand right by,
Im only needed for conversation and some neutral advice, so instead of sexual seduction im just feeling real dry
Im not wanting anyone in particular, I just want to know that I can desired for… I just want to know if
the problem really is me, or if Im just not meant to be a man thats swimming in a sea of lovers,
so While I stay and be a friend he takes advantage of your love and sometimes just your body
But its quite alright when this goes down because when your head is hanging low you know that you can
Run to me…..YOUR FUCKING FRIEND

Sexual Tension

Steam grows and tension skyrockets, sending shock waves through the interior
while the pressure from the outside boils everything near, leaving nothing safe
the friction of the two continue to move at a pace so fast that any sight of a
pattern has been shot down to nothing but an illusion, as sweat and frustration
oozes from the skin while every thought, action and sin is adding to the flame
of what no one can categorize…
Almost scorching setting nerves ablaze and when the muscles tighten only then
is there a thought to slow down or even stop and retrieve whatever oxygen
that may be available, but like I said before, it was only a thought. So the Heat
Rises Blows me overboard, and I explode from the Fire burning inside me…..
No man can keep all his pains to himself.

My Mother

I love you mama, but you know you my Bitch, Dont mind the champaign that im pooring on your back
I love you mama and when I rape you its because I love you, forcing entry into a room with walls that didn’t want to welcome me in the first place, Stroking to reach a peak that can only be shared by one selfish mind which just happens to be me….
I love you mama, so I call you a hoe, and run through, you…you, and your sister to….thats just the way that I do….. dont mind the treatment just play your position….
I love you mama so when I bust this Nut dont expect me to stick around to take care of this kid, im a man, and as you should know we gotta do what we gotta do you stay with the kid, and you can keep the condom to
I love you mama, you accept me for who I am no judgment necessary so I gotta put these labels on you, put you on a pedestal and make sure you never reach the status that I claimed to have given you.
I love you mama, you and your strength, even the will power to give birth to a child, opening yourself up first to me than to something that hopefully another man will take care of because im not ready right now….
I love you mama, dont try to escape the mental rape that I plan to push into your perfect mind, with the intentions of destroying any level of self respect that you may have had….
Its my goal to destroy you, with a smile on my face, not because I hate you but because there is no one equal to you…. my mama my love the one that can never be replaced… SHUT THE FUCK UP While I recite this poem Bitch……
I didnt wanna knock you down your face ran into my fist….
I love you mama, I can never put any other above, if my love does this to you picture how much I must love myself…….

Think about it

Dry Dick Stan

With no relationship to mask the truth, I sit Idly by
No sex in my life so to on lookers im kind of dry
But without the risk of a relationship, or a buddy to grasp
I just have no plans to be running through random ass (No Homo)
So yeah its been a while, I’ve had no sex I cant even lie
but I’d rather keep this dry dick, no need to fuck everything that catches my eye
I cant look at myself in the mirror knowing I’ve been thorugh every girl
so instead I sit, while you run through chics, finding all sorts of kool infections for your dick
so while the STD’s and the pregnancies pile up on your doctors note, my dick stay’s dry
No stress no lie’s no sex no love for me.
But how do you look your love in the eye with no cause of regret without your soul screaming to scratch the surface
Your doing her wrong and your doing them all, piping pussy staying wet, but your concious you seem to forget
So when you laugh at my dry dick, and you recite that name remember I choose to be a man and not go off of my basic instincts…..

Dry Dick Stan… and Proud to be that way

Elephant In The Room

Consistency is the ability to remain at the same level that you started on– which essentially means that no matter what you do, the performance level should never be able to change.

As a rapper consistency can a double edged sword. If you put out a great album when you first burst through the scene and have continued to do so ten to fifteen years later, that is always a plus.

With a good track record, fans will always want to buy what you’re offering. But if you have always been known to be average and have continued to offer the same type of average work, fans can become tired of the broken record. Things can get worse for you, if you’re the type to champion the lyrical and artistic growth you have gone through as it becomes a big contradiction, like the paraplegic that says he’s going to kick your ass.

With Fat Joe’s latest offering “Elephant in the Room,” the contradiction seems to rein supreme, as the Southern rapper, aims to prove the critics wrong. After listening to this album about ten different times, here is the breakdown for Mr. Make It Rain, him self.

Lyrics 5- Over the past couple of years, whenever Joe is asked about one of his albums, or where he feels he stands when talking of the hip hop elite, he has been very fast to say that he feels like he’s getting better over time.

Listening to the lyrics on this album, I would seriously have to beg to differ. With a rhyme scheme that has yet to do anything to impress or intimidate anyone, Joe continues to spit average lyrics that tend to do nothing but keep listeners from thinking his album is an instrumental CD. There are no punchlines, no metaphors, no multi’s, no subliminals.

He never changes his pace over the beat, has a very limited vocabulary, and seems to run out of things to say on certain songs. His lyrics aren’t horrible, they aren’t bad either, but it’s nothing that will have you repeating his lines for days and weeks to come.

Production 8- The production is what will keep you listening to this album, with producers like, Cool & Dre, DJ Khaled, and Scott Storch as well as many others, the hits keep coming.

Most of the beats are up-tempo so there won’t be too many introspective sessions while listening to Elephant in the room, as every beat gives you a club feel. If you have never heard a Fat Joe album you’ll probably think he’s from somewhere in the south, as most of his beats, had a southern flair to it, but believe it or not he’s from New York

Songs 6- Once again Fat Joe swings and misses, there are twelve songs on this album and nine of them have a feature on them, on 6 out of those nine songs, it seems like the featured artist outshines Joe himself.

While listening to this album I fount myself more interested in listening to Wayne’s hook on Crack House than to what Joe was saying on all three verses.

If he isn’t outshined by the beats he’s outshined by his features, it’s actually quite sad. He also seems to have a hard time staying on topic, songs like “The Fugitive” are a great example of that, he starts off reminiscing about cutting coke in his apartment and getting ready to flee the cops, but somewhere in the song he finds a way to start discussing his ring tone sales. To make things worse he constantly makes references to cooked crack or hustling but has no in depth story to prove his point. Songs like “My Conscience,” ” I wont tell,” and “You Isn’t Saying’ Nothin,” will help to keep this album from being a complete throw away.

Conclusion 6.5- If you have been a fat Joe fan for a while, you will get exactly what you wanted from him, just with a southern twist.

He has stayed consistent in every way possible. His lyrics are still average, his delivery is still predictable and unoriginal, and he still mentions cooked crack after every other line. If you were expecting to hear some sort of growth, then this album will be an utter disappointment as it does nothing to stimulate excitement via lyrically nor does it expand content wise.

Fat Joe seemed to be trying to prove something to his fans and critics with this album, unfortunately he probably did nothing but reinforce a lot of what they were saying. He does sound like a southern artist, he has not improved lyrically at all, and other than some pretty impressive features and some head nodding beats, Elephant in the Room is utterly average.

Fat Joe gave it his best, but after this effort he should really stop telling people that he gets better after every album, because this is just another example of him staying the same, and once again providing average music with above average expectations.

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