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Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts

By Cly! Host of "The 4/20 Lounge"!

3

As the People catch on, the Junior Mafia 2 Wave continues...


Hopefully you can take a few minutes from imitating the latest imitation Biggie “Unh” that Ricky Rozay has been sporting while he continues to think he’s Big Meech, Larry Hoover, MC Hammer, Albert Anastasia, Biggie Smalls to give your opinion on what’s going on here in the Hip-Hop scene…

Ross’ momentum is already impressive and increasing at an outlandish pace, respect is due. Nicki Minaj has solidified herself as the first and biggest heavyweight female representative on the Hip-Hop scene, since Lil Kim had everybody reciting her verse from All About the Benjamins. Furthermore, Diddy’s Dirty Money is quietly becoming a big contender in the market of dynamic artists to feature on a track. All this while a beef with 50 Cent slowly grows in popularity, after that “…hatin-ass crab” remark from Diddy on the post-show for the BET awards. All that’s left is for Ross to have a romance with Nicki to complete the “New Junior Mafia” picture I mentioned in May.

However, there are roadblocks to be considered. While 50 may not be the juggernaut he was in 2006, he’s still making moves quietly, and Diddy especially can’t ignore that, as he is a fellow NY mogul.

Ross has apparently stirred up Jeezy with the BMF record, but I’d even venture to say the success of the record is what has Jeezy feeling salty, while I’m still a fan. I could see Jeezy being the source of a potential downfall for Rick Ross, as the subject matter is similar, but Jeezy is ‘the snowman’ and having the official street stamp behind him is going to play a role that could put him over the top in battle, as long as he delivers when he gets in the booth to let these records go, and takes advantage of the residual damage 50 Cent left behind. Nobody forgot about the lie Ricky! Trying to hide the correctional job is bound to come back in the worst way, as this battle with Jeezy runs its course.

Nicki has The Game taking stabs at her, along with every female that aspires to be in her position, along with claims that she hasn’t graciously accepted her position. Personally, with verses like the one she put down on Kanye West’s “Monster”, I don’t think it matters what people say, she has her lane on lock and her fan base is growing in multiples. She just needs to deliver a classic on that first album, since Drake’s collaboration fest still left many skeptics with a voice against the Young Money camp. Other than that, I don’t see many ways to derail Nicki on her path to the throne, as the next queen of Hip Hop.

Diddy has the machine clicking on all cylinders for the moment. However, If I saw this Junior Mafia repeat coming, back in May, I would assume those who compete on that level saw it coming too. Jay-Z signing Lil Kim is going to be an impact move sooner or later. Ross’ battle with Jeezy is going to pose a threat to his progress. Finally, I wouldn’t see it as a surprise if 50 cent makes his first relatively successful moves in a while, off of this ensuing battle with Diddy.


All in love, but we gotta speak on what goes on, you know you gotta pass that one on! Wahh!

By Cly! Host of "The 4/20 Lounge"!

0

Mosque at Ground Zero: A War in Itself

As the 9th Anniversary of 9/11 quickly approaches amongst civil unrest in NY...


This is a hot-topic to talk about in many ciphers. Why not talk about it in the best one of all!

The term “Ground Zero” has taken an entirely new meaning since 2001, when the horrifying events of 9/11 occurred. That being said, the idea of a Mosque being built 100 feet away from the site of the attack on the United States has raised some eyebrows, along with some allegations, as the hate for Islam is manifesting in demonstrations and violent acts throughout the city.

Mayor Bloomberg has made it clear that he feels the opposition of a mosque near ground zero would go against the grain that makes up the dynamic fabric of the United States. Especially, in the diverse demographic that makes up the city of New York’s population.  That being said, it looks like the mosque will be built to represent the good people of the city that live under the Muslim faith, and follow the same ideals, and not to represent the extremist fiends that were willing to sacrifice so many lives for their own agenda, under a religious umbrella.

I feel like I understand the concerns of those who are angry at the idea of a structure that represents the faith of those we are at war with, as a result of those events. I’ve even heard some express ideas that the mosque would subliminally represent a ‘victory’, for the extremists, but the likelihood of that idea not being rooted to some kind of propaganda against the construction of the mosque is barely existent.

All things considered, we are still a nation at war with the insurgents that chose to attack us.  If we allow their actions to change our ways of life, take freedoms away from others, and hate our own citizens that they have commonality with, then they win. They’ll have succeeded in separating a large body of people from the rest of America, as they’ll feel like their rights have been trampled, if suddenly a mosque can’t be constructed on public grounds in the Land of the Free. The general consensus will be “what’s next to be taken from us?” This will result in more racism, terrorism, and confusion among the American people. That’s the last thing we need, everything but the unity it will take to get past what’s been going on for the last 10 years.

Bottom line, this wouldn’t be a problem in the city if the events preceding it didn’t take place, so we can’t allow it to be a problem now.  The terrorists don’t run things, we do (to the extent that we even are made aware of them)! So, we can’t let what they do change how we live and treat each other. These are the same freedoms I’m sure everybody reading has at least one friend or family member fighting for. Shouts to everyone in the Armed Forces, hold your heads high while we keep things in order, so you have something to come back to that you can say was truly worth fighting for.

Whether you’re in a 420 kinda mood or not, this would definitely be something to “pass to the left”…Wahh!

Article first published as Mosque at Ground Zero: A War in Itself on Technorati.

By Cly! Host of "The 4/20 Lounge"!

11

KING James? Not in WADE County!


Classic NY SOUR -no pun intended- Upper Clouds.

From a shunned Knick fan perspective:

What can I say? You promise the man the support, in Stoudemire and Lee, a chance to bring a championship to the biggest city you can play for, and the opportunity to make up to $1,000,000,000 by taking advantage of the NY market, as the face of basketball on the biggest stage. He didn’t want it, and who can say he’s wrong for that, nobody. At the end of the day, this argument isn’t about whether or not he made the best decision to get a championship, as he obviously did, theoretically. Wanting to see Lebron James on the Knicks brings a lot of bias to the criticism of the decision to play in Miami with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. However, you can’t lie, the Knicks had a championship contender situation built for Lebron James. The chance to play with Amare Stoudemire, David Lee, and another presence to come, would have been a better SUPPORTING cast than Cleveland was ever able to provide. While I would have loved to see D-Wade and Lebron on the Knicks, I wouldn’t be able to argue against the idea that it was a kind of surrender for them to team up, nonetheless.


From an NBA fan perspective:

I grew up watching basketball. Like many, dreamed to one day play in the league, and came to the realization that it wasn’t my calling, and settled for being a fan of the Pros that dedicate their lives to doing something that provides so many nights of entertainment and memories. Lebron James and Dwayne Wade shouldn’t be playing on the same team. If anything, they should be battling it out for supremacy of the east coast. This move to Miami says “if you can’t beat em’ join em”, with regards to these super-teams that are being built, like the Lakers and Celtics. All this will become in the NBA is total imbalance. The juggernaut teams will be few, but dominant, and it will bring about the end of other franchises, as there are only so many Hall of Fame worthy superstars to go around, save this shit for the Olympics. I couldn’t even put this team together in a Fantasy Draft in NBA2k10! The gripes can only concern the presence of the heart of a champion. If Lebron went to the Bulls, Knicks, Nets, or even stayed in Cleveland, there would still be the consistency of him being the LEADER Instead you go play for Wade County…as a member of the SUPPORTING cast, regardless of how much they pay you to keep you quiet.


Finally, from a Lebron “fan” perspective:

Maybe I’m just upset because I didn’t expect to see Lebron James playin’ “Pippen” after all these Jordan comparisons. When the man-child was dunking on his peers in the 9th grade, I didn’t view him as a role-player. When he gave me reason to actually take the Cleveland Cavaliers seriously, as a championship contender franchise, it didn’t remind me of Robin, it reminded me of Batman. Needless to say, D-Wade’s “Batman Status” is only being solidified, as the BEST Robin he could have ever found, is now his right-hand-man, as long as he STAYS IN HIS PLACE. As a “Lebron Fan” when I see the GM of the Orlando Magic saying “I thought he was, I guess, more of a competitor”, and I couldn’t possibly have a sensible argument to rebuttal that comment, I find it to be annoying. Yet, I can’t argue with Mr. Otis Smith, after proving time and time again that you can’t handle the pressure it takes to make it to the top, you’ve shown that you aren’t the leader you were hyped up to be, and shown a lot of character by having the courage to put your pride to the side and step down. It wouldn’t be me speaking, if I didn’t take the time to respect this factor of the situation, but when I’m reading “Lebron James, more Prince than King” in the headlines, I just don’t think it makes up for these consequences. Point blank, anybody trying to be the next Jordan can't do so like this...As a fan, it looks like he gave up on the iconic path I'd planned to see him run through. 

In conclusion:

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a fan of Lebron James anymore, as I’m still impressed by his ability, but not enough to watch that stupid-ass ESPN special on his decision to be a sidekick. Knick fan first, but he’s a great player, one I thought fit to be a King, among the best in the world. However, he’s no Jordan, and never will be, after this, as much as I hate to say it. D-wade may have the chance to claim those kinds of similarities down the road, as I expect them to get it together and win it all, at least once. I also commend D-wade’s expert executive skills, for the “pay-cut strategy” put in play to bring this together. I’m sure that move will pay off on his business resume after his retirement from actually playing in the NBA, might even land him a GM position. Lebron’s made his position clear, win a ring at all costs, even if you have to put the game on “easy”…Pass that to a Miami Heat fan…Wahh!
<--Suddenly this picture doesn't mean as much...Maybe when you step back in the boss seat. We know this isn't how u wanted to make it happen, and no amount of fakes in the bandwagon talking that "its all about the ring" nonsense can change that. Period - Cly

Ps. I say this ends in a trade, within 3 years. Hopefully this soft ass move doesn't resonate through the NBA for any longer than that. O iight

Click here --> for Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith comments: "Kobe's proven he can do it alone."



By Cly! Host of "The 4/20 Lounge"!

5

Drake, groundbreaking HIP-HOP artist, or Big Impact Pop Star, the difference may effect your EXPERIENCE…

Yow! Classic NY Sour for this one…perfect vibe. Happy Fathers Day!

Ok, so I hit this “FREE CONCERT” last week sponsored by Ray-Ban and Paper Magazine. The concert was said to feature Drake and Hansen, in an attempt to mix the crowd and express the aims of the magazine towards diversity.

What apparently wasn’t on the agenda was actually having the featured acts PERFORM! Another aspect of the show it may have been nice to plan for is the 20,000 New Yorkers that decided to make their presence felt! For whatever reason, on this particular day, one of the hottest acts in the game wasn’t supposed to attract a crowd in the busiest city in the world, during a FREE show. PM and I didn’t want to get there too late, not knowing what to expect from a free “Drake Concert”, and we couldn’t have gotten there early enough to be prepared for the situation that was about to unfold.

Contrary to popular belief, this is not a “Niggaz don’t know how to act” themed piece. This is more of a “What the fuck is going on” kind of vibe I’m working to establish. The crowd at the concert has been recently portrayed, as “the reason for the concert being cancelled” was the type of crowd that HIP HOP artists live and die to entertain. Ciphs among strangers, beach balls flying, crowd surfing, and general rare UNITY were among the features of this “angry mob”. They were actually so angry, that I was able to interview various people about current issues in hip hop. So, for the sake of not lying my ass off and going with the flow of bullshit that is the media, I deem this to be a “don’t blame us because you don’t have your shit together” themed piece. However, if we don’t hold promoters and artists accountable for things like this, how is it ever going to change?

What starts a “riot” is getting a big group of people together, and pissing them off. That’s precisely what happened. People came out to see Drake, some to see Hansen, and nobody saw anyone, except NinjaSonic, who left the scene unscathed, along with the DJ who got a few minutes to rock the crowd. Everything was fine until it came down to show and prove that you had the hottest act in the game here to perform for everybody, free of charge.

Nobody came out, hours pass as we wait for the DJ to get back to spinning. The moment never arrived, just the announcement that the concert was cancelled, and a fiery  reaction from the crowd upon seeing a TWEET from Drake, blaming his non-appearance on the NYPD, who blamed in on the unruly crowd, as the crowd blamed its unruliness on the lack of fulfillment of a promise. Up to that point, the only issue was people getting on roofs to get the best view! 

The crowd goes from unsettled, to unruly, to uncontrollable! Please take a moment to check the footage of the fights breaking out, a woman running with an infant -what the fuck she was thinking, remains a mystery-, various foods and bottles flying and landing with no direction, clear safety violations, nobody explaining anything, overly-aggressive police, and unified anger.  The worst part of all this, it wouldn’t have happened IF DRAKE CAME out. I just wanted to set the tone for this. Real MCs Move Crowds, they don’t move away from them. People got hurt, children were at risk, and more of the negative vibes that already saturate this city were incubated here. Somebody has to take responsibility, and I don’t think it’s your supporters Drake. It might actually be the photographer that was ON STAGE, TAKING PICTURES OF THE ANGRY CROWD...

Real Hip-Hop superstars would have made that scene into a moment. All the ingredients were present. What if it were Jay-Z, DMX, Jeezy, or Busta Rhymes? That scene would have been replayed for years to come. Thousands were screaming “We want Drake!”, but the question at the end is, what do you want Drake? I feel like I shouldn’t be upset, because of the repetitive claims of being in this industry for the money, but how about what your support is in it for? Does that shit matter AT ALL ANYMORE?! 

This “in it for the money” trend that’s taken over Hip Hop is translating to more than a loss of substance in the genre, but a loss of integrity and responsibility, as people don’t take the initiative to not buy your shit when you fuck them over. Congrats on the gigantic album sales Drake, I guess “Thank Me Later” was an appropriate title, because according to these interviews, one of the aspects that he's still developing is his stage presence, and I don’t see shit to be thankful for right now on these vids and pics. Except, a chance to see a lot of angry ass people that felt like he wasn't built for the NY scene. Keep that weak shit outta here...

Hold dat, WAhhh!