Let’s Get Ready To Rumble…

tyson bruno

I haven’t spoken to the nonsense that took place this past weekend. I’m not talking about the Jay-Z Oprah tour through Marcy projects. That was another level of bullshit that I will open up tomorrow. Today is all about the debut of the SlaughterHouse album (and subsequently the Joe Budden digital project on Amalgam). We have waited months for this project to come to fruition and we are still waiting to see if our hopes for rap are confirmed with this group.

At one of the Cali stops for Rock The Bells we learned that the phrase ‘Deeper Than Rap’ just isn’t the title to a Rick Ro$$ album. The arena that rap exists within from time to time switches from microphones to fisticuffs. This goes way back to the gangs that ruled turf in the South Bronx and would have to be consulted before a deejay could set up his soundsystem. Actually, this goes back to Jamaica where soundsystems would have soundclashes that often ended with a stampede and blood spilled.

This is where Hip-Hop takes its DNA from. From the selectors and deejays that traveled the island and came to America with their style of presentation. Remember that Hip-Hop is borne in Harlem Brooklyn and the Bronx not from just Black folks, but from poor people. Who else needs to take electricity from a streetlamp? This presentation was ALL poor people had and if you tried to take it from them or disparage it your ass was in for a fight. Not too much has changed about rap up to this point.

Styles change. The fact that the last 15 years we have seen more artists emerge from middle class and wealthier backgrounds as opposed to the impoverished and working class artists that brought the art culture to prominence. There are still artists though that can remember not having the means. They might not even have the means totally at this point. For those people this rap shit, or this graff shit is ALL THEY HAVE. So don’t be surprised when they defend their only possession with any means necessary. From emotions to physicality.

Most of the people I spoke with took exception to Joe Budden’s anti-Vibe mag outburst all the while admitting that Vibe magazine wasn’t credible enough to describe the difference between shit or Shine-ola. Joe Budden was outrageously emo. This makes him one part honest, one part annoying, and yet still two parts entertaining. The real side of those outbursts is that real people have their emotions bruised on the receiving end [ll]. Does this mean Joe Budden should shut up? Hell no. Does it mean that he should be more cognizant of his words? Of course.

Only the biggest cynic would say that all of these videos featuring musicians which aren’t music videos are for album promotion. I feel like every time I have the chance to sit in the studio with an artist is a chance to get a slice of their daily life. There are going to be things said that may offend people but rarely are those things uttered to be offensive. If a rapper really wants to offend someone he says their name on a record. Otherwise, I don’t listen to shit I see on handi-cam videos.

SlaughterHouse is very similar to Wu-Tang in that these are all men that have lived through poverty and the pitfalls that are inherent to being poor in America. All of these guys have firsthand experience of what living on the bottom looks like. I don’t discount any of them when it comes to getting on the microphone or throwing up some hands. That is the fire that Hip-Hop is borne from. And if it gives me some great music in the process?

Well… Let’s get ready to rumble.

18 Responses to “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble…”

  1. Dom Corleone says:

    Budden’s EP drops on Amalgam. Might as well be Asylum the way it gets virtually no promo bc Slaugtherhouse drops today too.

    “There are still artists though that can remember not having the means. They might not even have the means totally at this point. For those people this rap shit, or this graff shit is ALL THEY HAVE. So don’t be surprised when they defend their only possession with any means necessary. From emotions to physicality.”

    Very good fucking point. Some people forget that sometimes rap is all a person has that keeps them from going insane. Once they’re pushed or provoked, it’s on like Donkey Kong.

  2. Combat Jack says:

    Good post. Cats forgetting Hip Hop is the most combative art-form currently in existence. Talk that smack, u might catch that smack.

  3. the_dallas says:

    Dom C,
    Thx for that correction. You would think I would be able to get that right with all the e-mail that they send me.

  4. mercilesz says:

    Very true in depth evaluation of all the so called machismo and violence in hip hop. There werent any hip hop records out when the skulls nomads golden guineas spades tomahawks etc were running around the boroughs. Everything in hip hop comes from the culture of those who make it so yeah somebody will get duffed out from time to time. again…good post.

  5. Lion XL says:

    While I cosign this drop completely…..I still think grown ass men need to act like GROWN ASS MEN. Shit was squashed why bring it back up? and Why talk shit anyway when all you gonna do is wave your enterage(?) around? Yeah I know me and him both are old as fuck, but when I talk my shit I walk it too!.

  6. ian says:

    I just watched the video that Budden made that I guess started all this nonsense. Joe was responding to some March Madness Rap bracket that Vibe magazine (whose validity Joe B. questioned in said video) had on its website. All he said was that he thought he was better than Method Man. Never claimed to have sold more records, or starred in more movies w/ Redman etc. What’s interesting to me is that literally EVERY rapper says they’re the best on record and it’s accepted as just “part of the game”, but when a dude makes an honest assessment of his own abilities compared to a competitor without production in the background it’s a problem. He specifically named Meth which I guess rubbed him the wrong way but maybe the lesson to JB should be to not record video every time he opens his mouth.

  7. Jesus fuck, I thought Jay and Oprah were at like… Peter Luger’s or getting their goat roti on Cock’s on Nostrand (as I will be before Black Moon/Smif N Wesson tomorrow), not doing the “grand tour.” This is where I discovered Bleek!! Fuck it, BDK didn’t need any more than Scoob, Scrap, Masta Ace and Craig G. anyway. I thought the one new song Kane did with the soul dude was pretty good too.

    Re: Slaughterhouse, can I lower my sales # guesstimate one more time? Reason being is whether ya’ll like the record or not– I’m not feeling ANY of these guys at this point and I consider myself a Joell fan– Slaughterhouse went from come ups to embarrassments in… how long? Which is to say this shit is SILLY and if I was on the fence about copping, the answer now is NO. Not out of any great Wu loyalty mind you but just because these guys are wasting ALL of our time with this shit, which ain’t cool (again, if I was on the fence about dropping my $10 at J&R.)

    Question: Ya’ll think any of the Random Axe dudes (Sean P, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson) are gonna be this goddamn emo when launching ** their ** album?

  8. Slaughrtherhouse before Buddens crying my estimate was 12,000

    now after crying holding his eye and going on hour long tuff guy rants days after the fact they may do 90k.

    People love to feel sympathetic………

    Plus we in the generation of kids who don’t even know who Raekwon is and look at you like “purple tape, what the hell is a tape?”

  9. IHateOnJoeBuddenCauseIDontLikeJersey says:

    Someone in the Wu should cyph with Joe. Right or wrong?
    Rap is rap a smacks a smack.

    One thing to say about this music shit is that most music has come from or was stolen from the ideas and thoughts of mostly poor or impovrished people. From the blues, rock, country, jazz, reggae to hip-hop and whatever else. Especially in America. Hopefully the thoughts they put down help them out of their situation, but it doeesnt always work like that. The artists give their experiences, thought or opinons and people dig it or they dont. As more time goes on, music genres become a little uniform and its the job of the artists to make a spot for themselves. Wu definitley acheived it. I feel Joell, Royce and I guess Crooked-I did as well [Crooked I is debatable], without the Slaughterhouse fame. As for Joey B? I think he had a high point but got caught up. Maybe he didnt even get to his high point yet.

    I think Joey claimed that he was better then Meth. I think he said he was better then the whole wu. im sure hes not the only one who thinks that. maybe hes right, maybe hes wrong. competition is competition. I think raekwons point is respect. because they do come from the low and real and have earned their way doing what they do. Its like you been workin at your job for 18 years and then some dude comes in claimin he does your job better then not only you, but your whole squad. Whether he can or cant doesnt matter right? Wouldnt that shit make you wanna stone-cold stunner his ass? i dont wish bad shit on most people including Joey B, but he shouldnt of asked or stated what he did without expecting something. Unless its a hip-hop conspiracy [not really tho] .

    One more thing. this is like the only site I leave comments on usually btw. Does Sean P make better music then Joe Buddens? I fuck with Sean P more then Joe-Joe but are his lyrics as thought provoking? Are his bars filled with more literature terms? I fuck with Sean P because through his words, he makes me believe that he sells niks at night and loves goin home to his son and watches Nick at night.

  10. IHateOnJoeBuddenCauseIDontLikeJersey says:

    I dont really hate the dude I wish him best of luck no matter

  11. WhoTheFuckIsJoellOritz?! says:

    No shots at Joell because folks will recognize that as the title of his first mix cd I copped at Beat Street for .99 during their closing sale.

    However, Sean Price “Mess You Made”–

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkctfraZcYE

    Is better than anything Slaughterhouse has done or likely ever will do.

    The list goes on but I think Ruck is a LOT smarter (we know his wit) than folks give him credit for, whereas Buddens is way dumber than his internet soldiers want to believe.

  12. Russ the bus says:

    Supporting slaughterhouse > defending Joe buddens. I think I can dislike a lot of buddens’ posturing and still love this project.

  13. Kiana says:

    I agree with Lion XL. And, is it just me or does everyone seem to be so cotdamn sensitive over silly shit? Looking at your pic above I think these rappers need to take a cue from boxers (many who come from the gutter as well) and refuse to respond to people until they are on their level. Imagine if Wu Tang said “who the fux is SH?..tell them to holler at me when they beat somebody that beat somebody that was somebody.” Heavyweight champs don’t even get in the ring with somebody till they’re worth fighting. Not saying SH is nobody, but if you’re doing battle with words the biggest mind game you can play on your opponent is to make them think they’re not even worth your ammunition.

  14. Yooj‽ says:

    I think that we all can agree that Slaughterhouse energy in February trumps their energy now … we might agree on that… however I just now…just now as i wrtie this…am starting to realize that those outside the bubble are just now catchin on… partially due to the shenanigans…. As much as I hate to say it… Joey might LFTW …Lose For The Win (c) CoJack.

  15. Benner says:

    The one redeeming quality of the WU/Slaughterhouse beef is that it is basically about rap or rapping ability. It seems to me that most beef these days starts because somebody didn’t say hi to someone at an awards show. The Budden beef started because he said he was a better rapper than Meth. Plain and simple. The solution to such a conundrum would be to battle rap. Thats why I was dissapointed that Raekwon decided to turn into a physical battle. Even if just for the simple fact that I dont think Raekwon will win a “fair one”, and the 15 year old Benner wouldnt be able to handle Rae getting knocked out.

    I dont care if it’s Rae or Meth (or Fes Taylor) against Budden, but the obvious solution to this beef would be to “battle for cash, to see who sons who”

    I think they should let Joe punch the goon in his face or arm too i f that would make him feel better (or at least get him to stop making vids).

  16. VEe says:

    Interesting post although throughout early hip hop history there were folks from middle class enclaves that peppered the soundwaves of the ghetto. Got me thinking about classism and values in hip hop.

    —-
    What @Lion XL and @Kiana said. Fortunately there are some mature folks in the realm of hip hop.

  17. Polotron says:

    Someone please tell me this was all contrived album promotion. That would be a couple shades better than pure nizzle nonsense. And there may be something to the Lose for the Win theory…’nuff cats that were giving me the “Who?” consistently for months, now know who I’m talking about. If that translates to sales remains to be seen.

    I hope the fact that SH just dropped (barring the test of time) what might be a classic, isn’t lost amongst all this. I for one am type digging the album.

    Speaking of classic, BCC LET’S GO!!

  18. Benner says:

    ya’ll respect the one who got punched by someone’s bodyguard, I respect the one who had his bodyguard punch someone

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