11.14.2009

Top 10 Hip Hop Groups



10. The Fugees - What can you say about The Fugees. They had a style that no one can match. They blended the sounds of R&B, Soul, Reggae & Rap and made it flow nicely. Lauryn Hill who I should have put on the on the best female rappers list just had so much talent. Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel brought a sound from other countries made the group stand out. I like their albums and they remain one of the best hip hop groups in my book.



9. Black Star - Yeah I know they only had one album but it was a great album. In 1999, Talib Kweli & Mos Def got together to make one of the greatest rap albums ever. These two rappers are both known as conscious rappers and when they got together for the album it flowed so well. The door is still open to another between them.




8. Gang Starr - Not a lot of people are up on Gang Starr but in my book their one of the best hip hop groups of all time. They consist of DJ Premier and rapper Guru. They made classics albums from 1989 to 2003. My personal favorite album from them was Moment of Truth which dropped in 1998. The connection between DJ Premier and Guru was just great.



7. Eric. B & Rakim - Nothing but a classic hip hop group. Producer and rapper. They made music together from 1985 to 1992. Rakim one of the best lyricists of all time.  I'm a fan of their first two albums those are great ones. I mean who hasn't recited "Paid In Full.



6. NWA - Had to get at least one west coast rap group on here. Nicknamed "The Most Dangerous Group" NWA consisted of Easy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Dr. Dre, Arabian Prince & DJ Yella.  Their first big album "Straight Outta Compton" pretty much shook the world up. What I loved about them is how u could get into their heads and get their views on life. They would have been higher on this list if they could've stayed together.


outkast2-1.jpg image by PoetEDBlog
5. Outkast - These guys pretty much put southern rap music on my ipod. They were the first guys from the south that I listened to growing up. Their style of music is just so unique. Andre 3000 I think is one of the best rappers and he doesn't even rap all the time he can sing as well. That's probably why Jay called the male version of Lauryn Hill. I actually have 2 albums by them  like all Stankonia & Southernplayalisticadillacmusik. All of their albums are great.



4. Run DMC - If you listen to hip hop this should be the first rap group you check out. Run DMC made great albums from 1984 to 2001. Run DMC came at a time where rap was just starting to become a big genre of music. They kind of brought rap to the mainstream. You can say without Run DMC rap wouldn't have become as big as it is today. R.I.P. to Jam Master J.



3. Public Enemy - Hip Hop Culture just talked about them today so I'm not going to talk about them a lot. I love all of their music. Their album It Takes A Nation To Hold Us Back is one of the greatest in history. What can I say I'm just a fan. He Got Game is one of my favorite movies and their music made it even better.



2. A Tribe Called Quest - I know yall are going to question why I put them so high. I am simply just a fan of their music. The group consists of Q-Tip, Phife Dawg & Ali Shaheed. I like every single album they have ever put out. They had that style that was just right and the chemistry between the rappers can be seen on "Check The Rhime" which is one of my favorite songs. They should have never stopped making music.





1. Wu Tang Clan - Seperate you can argue that they are not the best but together Wu Tang Clan is my favorite Hip Hop group. If you're looking for just straight rap no gimics then listen to Wu Tang. Not many people know all the members. I'm not gonna list them all but here's the biggest Method Man, Raekwon, RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Inspectah Deck & R.I.P. to Ol' Dirty Bastard. They've been making music since 92 and still are today. Wu Tang Forever!


Public Enemy



Public Enemy what a group, they are true hiphop. They have been around for a long time since 1982. They done great things for Def Jam. Tracks like "He got Game", "911 Is Joke", "Fight The Power" and many more. They made 12 albums and all of them are dope. PE are from Long Island, New York. Their are five people in PE. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, DJ Lord, The S1W. And two former members are Terminator X,Sister Souljah.

Chuck D is a genuis on the mic and makes magic happen I think. His flow is out of this world. I think any true hiphop fan would agree. Flavor Flav is a other MC in the grop who often wears a clock around his neck. Yes I know strange fasion he got. But he is great for PE. Him and Chuck D work so well together.

I got couple of PE albums and listen to them over and over again. They are great and should be in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame soon I think. They are up their with hiphop groups likes Run D.M.C, NWA, Mobb Deep etc. If aint heard of Public Enemy check hem out ya need to.



AND HAPPY B-DAY REVRUN!!

11.13.2009

Kid Cudi



It's been a minute since I posted something (about a week) so I figured I'd post something. Kid Cudi is a rapper from Cleveland. He brings something a little different to the game. He's not like most rappers. If you listen to most of his music it's very personal and he's not really truly rapping a lot. But when he does rap he can kill it. When I first heard of him and check him out I thought he was wack. Then I checked his mixtape "A Kid Named Cudi" and I've been a fan ever since. His album "Man On The Moon" was good but I felt it could have been better. I feel like he's going to be out for a while. Here to stay in music





Weekend Wave.

Clipse
"Dope Track"



Beanie Seal Ft 50 Cent
"I like the track but 50 Cent I think back to his best on this"



Dirty Money Ft Drake
"Thought It was a good track but thought be better"



Snoop Dogg - Whats My Name
"what a track, had to add a clasic to the weekend wave"

11.12.2009

Jimmy's Top Ten MC's

Hey everyone this is my top ten mc's of all time and for me personally it's always changing, but this is what it comes back to the most. I took a lot of time putting this together and typing this up so please read it and any feedback positive or negative would be nice. Thanks a lot! AND ENJOY!

Also check out my blog @ SCHOLASTIC STREET SENSE!

10. SLICK RICK



THE BEST STORY TELLER EVER! Story telling has been a part of almost every emcee’s catalogue of records. But NONE like Rick have been able to make a career off the past time skill of hip hop. He can literally take you on a trip and be able to paint the exact picture inside your brain of the story through his lyrics. The best thing to do is just close your eyes and really focus in on one of his tracks, IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND! This dude SHOULD ALWAYS BE CONSIDERED FOR A TOP TEN PERIOD.




9. ANDRE 3000

Let’s forget the Andre of the last decade, this guy used to be a straight up EMCEE PERIOD! Back in the early days of Oukast no one held it down like Andre did, some people including myself look to him as one of the founding emcees of the of the newest mecca of hip hop Atlanta. He has always been consistent, and has never spit a whack verse. He even possess the skill of him being there right next there with you, which not a lot rappers have, I really feel that’s what makes him special. I also can’t leave out his partner in rhyme BIG BOI, who is especially dope going with a hard yet easy going flow. However, he stills fails to come across as cool as Andre does though. Andre is just plain and simple dope emcee, and should be worthy of any top ten.






8. AZ/KURUPT


These two dudes have both been personal favorites of mine. They’re both intense lyricists and played huge roles in developing each of their respected coasts sounds. AZ has that classic NY/East coast lyricism, while Kurupt has the west coast swagger and hard banging lyrics.
AZ first blew up when he appeared on Nas’ “Life’s a Bitch” and then went on to release the classic album “Do or Die”. I LOVE his lyricism, that’s his best quality, and he’s just a no bullshit type of emcee. You get NO weak bars from him, and he’s always stayed true to his underground roots. Speaking on skill alone, he’s only a shade below Nas.

Kurupt is just that west coast emcee with a take no bullshit west coast attitude, carried that swagger, and had very slick word play. His wordplay even rivaled jay’s in my opinion. Although he wasn’t at the front lines of the west/east coast battle he definitely played a role in kicking things off. He and Snoop Dogg originally recorded a track called “New York, New York”, which displayed the two as giant figures destroying NYC buildings, kind of cool but it ticked a lot of people off.


I’ve always liked to consider them the mirror image of one another, just opposite coasts. I mean that with all the respect to both artists and they’re STILL very different in style and skill.


7. JAY-Z

The most successful rapper ever? I would say so, he definitely accomplished a lot in his lifetime; everything from a clothing line, his own record label, to being the president of Def Jam. He really brings a lot of classic material to the table and always came with a sick flow and slick wordplay. I always admired him for his wordplay; he makes it sound so easy, almost making you envious of his skill.

I always felt his best material was in his early days, however I thought the Black album and the Blueprint 3 were both classics as well as his early work, such as Reasonable Doubt and the Blueprint.

I would have put him higher, but he’s just going a little too commercial for me. I mean doing songs with Robin Thicke, appearing on Oprah, and then touring with Coldplay; did we forget this guy once stabbed somebody for selling bootlegs of his album, lol! It’s just that hip hop has been a rebel genre for so long, and when you start doing shows that soccer moms watch it becomes a problem for me. Another thing he has a bad problem of old friendships coming up dirty. Whether it’s his fault or theirs, it’s not a good look for him.



6. NOTORIOUS B.I.G.

Obviously the guy’s dope, I mean he’s Biggie! Always had the flow, strong lyrics, and could always switch up his flow depending on the song. In no way do I want to deny the guy his talent, but in my opinion he’s a tad overrated, not by much though.

I don’t know how many people know this but Nas never liked Biggie. He felt like the crown of NY got taken away from him in all the east/west coast rivalry hype and he never get his rightful due. Ghostface & Raekwon even recorded a diss track for Biggie called “Shark N****s”, where they talk about how they felt Biggie stole Nas’ style among other things. I mean Nas’ by no means wants to show disrespect now, but this is just the way it went down then.

I just wanted to bring something different to the table when discussing Big; I mean we all know the general story on why he’s such a dope artist.



5. EMINEM

I debated on whether or not to put Eminem higher on the list because I’m a big believer in how the artist connects with listener; and in my opinion there’s hasn’t been a single emcee in the last decade to connect to their audience like Eminem has with his. Now in no way want to make this a racial issue or anything, but with me being white and hip hop just totally running my life for the past few years Eminem has always been somebody I looked up to and tell me it was okay for me to be who I was and just totally be in love with it. Obviously it’s ok for me to like hip hop, but when you grow up in a generally all white town and high school you kind of get casted out if you can’t talk about Laguna Beach or wear Hollister/Abercrombie to school every day and Eminem was just a rebel of that entire world of pop culture.

Without even getting into Em’s intense lyricism, storytelling and emotion I already proved why he’s a top emcee. HE CONNECTS WITH HIS AUDIENCE, you can’t teach that sort of thing.




4. WU-TANG CLAN

This one I decided to elect all members of the Wu-Tang Clan for this. It may sound a little cheap it, but it’s my list and together when all these dudes got on the mic is was just a monster to hear. You had the intense lyricists in Ghostface, Raekwon, and GZA and you had the characters in ODB and Method Man. The production from RZA was just completely dope and Inspectah Deck came nice always, I always thought he was mad underrated, and one of my personal favorites. NOBODY would mess with the Wu-Tang back in the day; it would just be career suicide. In my opinion they’re the best group of all-time, and when their all together in sync their one MONSTER EMCEE!!!!!!!




3. RAKIM

Quite possibly the most influential artist of all-time, he influenced everybody from 50 Cent to Nas. Rakim’s flow was unmatched by anyone in the industry at the time and still remains hard to top. Although he never went mainstream without Eric B. he still one of the BEST to ever do it. He’s never had a weak verse in ANY of his songs and just comes flawless every time he graces the mic.
One of my favorite song of all-time, from my favorite movie of all-time, “Juice”



2. NAS

Possibly the best lyricist of all time, not many people come close to Nas’ skills on the mic. He created in my opinion the best hip hop album of all-time in “Illmatic” and has yet to release a poor album. He has always stayed true to his music, never sold out, never did something for the fame and the glory. In recent events he dropped his last album “Untitled”, which I thought was severely underrated and should have one rap album of the year at the Grammy’s instead of The Carter III. I’m pretty confident that the people who give those out have no sense about hip hop, and they give it to the highest selling album.
But back to Nas, one think I always respect him for is for releasing the best diss track of all time “Ether” on Jay-Z. That track was one of the deciding factors for me in deciding who the better emcee was Jay or Nas .He totally just tore Jay apart, and Jigga could never really come back lyrically from it. Although both remained successful, Nas always stayed true to the roots, while Jay-Z went a little too commercial for me.




1.TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR

I really can’t put into words what this guy has done for hip hop. I honestly believe he was above it all; he truly was before his time. Lyricism aside, Shakur had the greatest message to deliver than any other rapper to this date and for me personally the message of one lyrics is always greater than ones technique in doing it. It’s even debated that the greatest song in hip hop history is even called “The Message”. Back to Shakur though, he touched people’s lives more than any other emcee to live and that’s why he’s number one in my opinion. In the words of the legendary KRS-One, “Rappers spit rhymes that are mostly illegal, Emcee spit rhymes to uplift THEIR PEOPLE!” nobody did that like Pac and that’s why he will always be my number one.

I also wanted to address Math/Nas, you were saying “I get around” contradicted “Keep ya Head up”, Tupac always had the upright fullest respect for women. “I get around” was more about how he just loved women, and how it was okay for both men and women to be promiscuous.

I finally would like to take the time to explain something, and hopefully get some responses out of you for it. Now call me a Tupac obsessed fan or what have you, but I feel like Tupac totally controlled the good majority of this list. Think about it…..it would totally be a different list and a totally different hip hop game if Tupac wouldn’t have died. There would be no Jay-Z, no Kanye West, no Lupe Fiasco, no Eminem, no 50 Cent, Nas wouldn’t be as big, and it would just be completely upside down.

Let me put it in more perspective; when Tupac died he HATED Jay-Z. Now back then people actually had their careers ruined over beefs, and Pac was in the process of doing that to Jay. Even if Jay’s career would have survived the battle there’s no way he would be who he is today if Pac were here. That means no Roc, no Rocawear, maybe even no Kanye West. I mean would Kanye have made it if Jay wasn’t there to put him on? That also even goes into Lupe Fiasco, would Lupe have gotten on if it wasn’t for Jay and Kanye? If Pac was there it’s likely those three wouldn’t even be relevant today.

Another perspective, no Eminem; and I’m pretty firm on this one. You see Dr. Dre and Pac were also beefing at the time of his death due to the fact Dre left Death Row, and went on to work with Nas and the Firm. Now from my understanding Pac was also thinking about leaving Death Row, and that’s why he didn’t want his Outlaws to sign there, so this could very well possibly mean Dre and Pac would have made up and Dre would continue putting the west coast on. Even if Tupac wouldn’t have left Death Row I still believe they would have made it up. Getting to my point, if Dre returned to Pac and continued making music for him and Snoop; then that leads no Eminem. I honestly believe Dre wouldn’t have had time to work find/work with Em. He would have stayed busy with all the west coast artists there was at that time. Even if you think Eminem would have found a window to crawl into he wouldn’t have had Dre’s beats to work with, which made him shine out from the rest when he got his debut.

So if Eminem wouldn’t have got his publicity, he wouldn’t have been able to put 50 Cent on. If you think about it one of the main attractions to 50’s first album is because he reminded people so much of Tupac. That means 50 wouldn’t have blown up either, which means no G-Unit and no Game.

Now I’m not saying I’m right or wrong in all of this, it’s just something to put in perspective, and something that I think is definitely worth thinking about once or twice. It just blows my mind how one dudes death has had the major of an impact on a specific type of music genre. It’s absolutely crazy to think about, and it even solidifies his spot at number one for me on my top ten emcee count down.

Hiphop TODAY.

Wow their is a lot of stuff happening in hiphop at the momment. Guess who 50 Cent done a track with and its dropping tomorrow Beanie Sigel yes. I heard he is heading for G Unit Records?
Here is an snippet of the track of them two. Check this link for it. http://globalgrind.com/source/www.thehip-hopchronicles.com/1136063/snippet-beanie-sigel-ft-50-cent-i-go-off/

Drake track "Forever" been remix by Travis Barker Its DOPE!. Check the video below out.


And finally keep checking the blog out for Jimmy top 10 Mc post its COMING soon.

11.11.2009

Weeks Sales

Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)
Rank Artist Album This Week Est. Total

1 Michael Jackson Michael Jackson'This Is It 373,000 374,000

10 Jay-Z Blueprint 3 41,000 1,200,000

14 Tech N9ne K.O.D. 30,000 30,000

20 Brian McKnight Evolution Of A Man 24,000 24,000

44 Triple C's Custom Cars & Cycles 12,000 2,000

146 Swollen Members Armed To The Teeth 3,400 3,500

147 Z-Ro Cocaine 3,400 3,500

153 New Boyz Skinny Jeanz & A Mic 3,300 35,000

166 Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 3,000 130,000

11.10.2009

Todays Thoughts.


Whats up everyone? You all good, just wanted to do a quick post. I got Wale album today off Itunes it is dope as. One best albums I heard in a while. Everyone should get it I think. Most of the trakcs are good and Wale flow is ILL. Anyways watch out for JIMMYs Top 10 Mcs List its coming soon. Either today or in the next couple days. I got lots of new ideas coming to the blog and need people to interview lol.


In the last week I felt listening to some hiphop groups I aint listen to for a while. The likes of Grandmaster Flash, Beastie Boys, N.W.A, etc. More hiphop groups lately. I think its good to listen to hiphop groups as your able to see how its different to a solo artist. Hopefully their be more artists spotlights on the blog. And cant wait for Diggy mixtape to drop it will be dope as.


Peace

11.09.2009

Interview With Bonkaz.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself ?

The Name is Bonkaz pernounced {Bon-kas} I have a Album on the way Titled "A Good First Impression"I am originaly from Cali but I moved and am based out in Harlem NYC

2. What was the first ever hiphop song you listen to?

I was prolly around 6 or 7 and the song was by LL Cool J "Mama said Knock you out"I Litterally lived by that song The energy of that record was crazy Lol

3. What was the first hiphop album you bought?

It Was the Clipse "Lord Willing" Album I was in the 8th grade i saved up 18 bucks and went and bought it. Pharell williams did most of the production the bars where dope! plus "Grinden" & "Whens the Last time" those were hot singles

4. Is their any artist in music who has inspired you to become an hiphop aritst?

LL Cool J, Lauren Hill, The Notorious B.I.G ,Outkast,Nas, mainly artist who in the 90's heavily influenced me.

5. When did you first want to become a rapper?

I was 11 and rapping kinda came as a accident. every kid in the neighborhood i was living inat the time was rappin and I used to Beat box when ever anyone would spit,I was asked to join in the cipha and i killed it no gas first timehomerun Lol and I stuck with it ever since I've always been good with words and Performing in a sense plus Ive always have had a deep love for music it was Natural and felt good my gift I say.

6. What hiphop artist could you compare yourself to if you can?

I promise I mean this in the humblest way possibleI honestly cant compare myself to any other artist! My sound,my voice,my formats are all different Ive never heard anyone like me EVER! lol

7. Can you tell us about your mixtape which you are currently making?

"A Good First Impression" is the name of itits all original music so its more of a album. Every single type ofsong you will want will be on there I am not limiting myself to one perticular sound. You'll find from the start when you listen the Intro Hard Punchlines and lyrics (got it), love songslike "Falling In Love" Feat. Ray Lavender (got it), club joints like "after this" Feat. Young Jerz (got it) to songs were listeners are gonnaget to know me (BONKAZ) with content and substence my story how it all started to where I am now and where I am going. its will be free download Via Datpiff.com, blogsites ,etc. or you can support me and Buy it Via ItunesWhen it drops. Classic,Crazy,Timeless, is how i can describe it.

8. What is your favourite song that you've have made so far?

"Falling In Love" Feat. Ray Lavender i got to showcase the softer side of me Lol which is my single right now request it on your local radio station call and ask for it!!!

9.Your latest track with Young Simmons "Paper Boy" what can you tell us about it?

ITS HOT!!! it's a fun record I had fun making it I wrote the recordJojo heard it and was like "I AM ON THAT!!!" I was happy to collab with a friend of mine and the outcome be so GOOD!

10. If you could work with anyone in the hiphop world who would it be?

Lauren Hill Shes Dope shes sings, raps, and songwrites and neither of her talents is any less then the others i really respect her artistry.

11. In next year what can we expect from Bonkaz ?

A lot of Great music you will be seeing alot of my face, my projectssongs, singles, Videos, my brand will be at top and expanding in the next yearI have high expectations (belee dat)

12. Last Is their anything you would like to say to the readers?

I thank all of the readers (YOU) I am so grateful for all of the readers, fans ,followers, supporters Etc."A Good First Impression" will be coming very very very soon continuesly look out forthat check out Myspace.com/B0nkaz or follow me on twitter.com/Bonkaz @BONKAZor Search me on facebook Bonkaz Bentley)
And thank you Hiphop Culture for this interview.