All That Carmen San Diego Paid Off

So when I was younger I used to always play Carmen Sandiego...and not to brag but I was pretty good...the problem solving part of my brain always worked better than the creative side but that was probably the last time I had to do some detective work. Picking up on non-verbal cues has never been my forte (see all past relationships) but when a problem lies in plain sight I can usually get it figured out...

So first off let me back track a tad... when I'm out in Germany (6 hours ahead of NY) and I wake up to Crooked I's (LA rapper 3 hours behind NY) late night tweets like "glad we had such a good turnout at the impromptu show tonight" I started to learn that people will really give no word to where they're going to be except on Twitter...I never paid it any mind until the European Slaughterhouse Dates online conflicted to what these dudes had on their Twitter accounts...so after that, I started to base my knowledge of where they perform on their Twitter accounts.

So now all week they were being "Shady" Royce Da 59 was out in LA with Crooked I at the Lakers Game...Joell Ortiz was getting shows in Boston canceled...and Joe Buddens was just being Joe Buddens. But I started to hear the innanets buzzing about a show in NYC...so now I'm locked in to every tweet they make because the first time I saw them perform at Rock The Bells they killed it...but it was a small stage out back (because Wu-Tang was there...some of you may remember that). Anyway all I see is Slaughterhouse x Eminem NYC June 21st...so now I'm on Eminems Twitter, NYC shows' Twitter blah blah blah and no one is giving me a solid answer.

So I go online and find out about this Road to 8 Mile rap battle...but it's at the Bowery Ballroom (200 people maximum)...he can't be doing a show there...and then I see it...Eminem writes online that the first 50 people that email emonletterman@gmail.com get to see his performance live in NYC...album dropping the same day...the whole works...so I'm like that has to be it...but I can't get tickets for Letterman...I emailed anyway though. Ended up getting on the standby list for Letterman but also copped two tickets for this RedBull Road To 8 Mile show...just incase...

So now my best friend and I drive down to New York City and catch up...it's been awhile since we kicked it and he's working full time...finally got some time off and I told him about this Lupe styled Fiasco that was going on. He has not ventured off into the Twitter world and seemed lost when I tried explaining to him that I bought tickets because of rumors...but he's the kind of guy who respects real Hip-Hop and would've been fine with just seeing the Freestyle Battles.

So (yes I'm going to start every paragraph with "so") now we're down there at this quaint quiet little ballroom that can barely hold 300 people. Any more than that is a guaranteed fire hazard, but we're there early and we're standing right down by the stage and the DJ is on stage playing a ton of NY rappers keeping the crowd entertained (unlike the Drake concert a week back) and we're having a few drinks waiting for everything to get started. Then I see The Alchemist who is a judge later that night and I'm telling my boy that him and I used to go to the same barber back when I was in college so as he's walking by, I go "yo do you still get your haircut by Steve?" and he looked at me and said "I was just there" and from his crooked line up I figured he wasn't lying. But he was just on WorldStarHipHop with Eminem and Royce Da 59 drinking RedBulls wasn't he? We'll come back to that later..

So now the MC battle is about to begin...there are four white guys and four black guys and it just so happened, randomly of course, that in each of the first round battles a white guy was battling a black guy...now we all know black people can rap better (Vanilla Ice and Eminem cancel each other out) but of the four rappers that advanced...3 were black...and I'm just saying that to say that the judges were wrong...the one white guy that advanced shouldn't have and the two that didn't should have (the other guy got cooked pretty bad). Now I'm internalizing this like Eminem in 8 Mile...because rumors have it that he's showing up tonight...Bunny Rabbit...gotta beat the 3 black guys to advance...it's working out perfect...that was until round two where he choked and got booed off the stage.

So now we're waiting for the Final round and Bun-B rolls thru, Royce Da 59 is kicking it with the judges and I see Joell Ortiz walk in. I immediately shout YAOWA (ya'll actually one world away) which is his individual little ad-lib catchphrase and he immediately looked up and dapped me up...so now Royce and Joell are in the building...Joe BuddenEminem but I would have been FINE with just them...Finals are over...DNA wins over the crowd with a shoutout to the judges (something about my homies just blaze...) and then finished with a shoutout to the XM radio station (like Shade 45 I'm Dead Sirius...then something about being over for this Maxi Pad...Period) and with that...DNA took the title

So we're waiting for the DJ to make an announcement after the finals because now all four members of Slaughterhouse are present and accounted for. They finally come out one by one and kill their song Sound Off...they then pay a tribute to Hip Hop with their song Woodstock Hood Hop...have us all hold our one's up in the air and The One and finally finish with my favorite Slaughterhouse song... Microphone

 So...I'm all set...my favorite Hip Hop group did 2 of my favorite songs and I got to see a very good rap battle all for $20 (4 Jim Beam & Cokes cost more than two tickets)...then Slaughterhouse exits stage left and no one moves...the "Shady" chant starts and the DJ walks off the stage...hmmmm??? Come to find out the Alchemist is going to be on the 1's and 2's for this "special performance." If it wasn't obvious before it just became clear to everyone there that Eminem was going to be performing. But we were nervous all night because we were hearing that he was on a rooftop performing Renegade with Jay-Z and I know he was supposed to be on Letterman tonight...but who the hell else could upstage Slaughterhouse at this concert???

So I'm getting the vibe all night...especially looking at the crowd that most people weren't there to see the rap battle...you could just get that sense...they were there because of the fact that Eminem was rumored to show...so all of a sudden the Over beat by Drake comes on and people are looking around like...wtf??? Is Drake here? No way, he was just in LA pulling Kobe on stage wasn't he? Well his concert did get shut down? Wait a minute...then this big ass black dude runs out on stage and I'm like no way is that Ving Rhames? Turned out it was Mr. Porter (from D12) and Eminem came out spitting his Despicable Freestyle

He then goes into On Fire and Won't Back Down...I didn't expect him to give us a 10-song set for $20 so I was cool with the 3 he decided to do...he then got a little emotional thanking the fans from Day One...telling us that he wouldn't be where he was today if he didn't start out battling...gave a tribute to his boy Proof and then walked off stage...people started cheering Encore and part of me thought that that he was going to bring Slaughterhouse out and perform Session One aka My New Favorite Song with a mystery verse from Joe Budden...but that would have just been asking too much. Night was over and I went home...but definitely the highlight of my summer to date

You probably won't hear from me again until AFTER Vegas...things are bound to get a little craaaaazy but whatever I can remember/am allowed to blog about I will...

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

My New Favorite Song

Eminem Said

now homie who's your favorite pain in the ass? who claims to be spitting the same flames as me?
Im Kanye when he crashed, in other words, I got the hood on smash, like I stepped on the gas
destroyed the front and deployed the damn air bags on the dash, went thru em and laughed
came back an hour after the accident and bit a goddamn jawbreaker in half

Royce Said

I got a Posse of Insane Clowns blow your brains on your opposite ear then ask you how ya brains sound?
Bad? Evil? We go..Alfred E...Newman Mad Cerebral you on your last burrito. What that mean Nickel?
It's a wrap if you eating...get a beat then terrorize that bitch like I'm Middle Eastern.
Slaughterhouse on fire nobody touching that good day and good night Ortiz yo where the f*ck you at?...

Joell Said

and this joint...no exception, so just point...a direction, and record the pigs oink when I rip his intestines
this isnt' just an infection, this won't go away with penicillin injections, millions of questions arose after they did an inspection, what I exhibit seems to be non-contagious yet anybody can get it...awww shit I done did it again, when I li(f)t up this pen I emitted this phlegm and this time it's alongside Eminem so tell a friend to tell a friend...

Crooked I Said

I'll take ya life to the ninth inning, a knife in a gun fight I love it me and my knife winning
I laugh when you fall the shit'll be funny, I'll buy my bitch a new ass and watch her sit on my money man
all the bitches holla they wanna (drop my bridges)? then jaw my d*ck to swallow, leave drawers in this impala I ball like Iguodala...

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

New Style For The Summer

It's been a while since I touched up my blog and like most things in my life...I get bored of it after some time...so check the new template and let me know if you like it...the picture is of one of my heroes...Malcolm X and the quote is from Royce Da 5'9's The Bar Exam 3...

"Do What You Do" --blackhercules21

Get Familiar

So I know I've been MIA for awhile but I have a good excuse...ready?

Toward the end of one of my best statistical games of the season I fell from the rim and landed on my left side. I felt an immediate and sharp pain shoot from my shoulder blade down through my finger tips. I sat there for a second and made sure my shoulder was okay. Then checked my elbow and made sure it was just my funny bone. Then I looked at my wrist and was able to move it around with no pain...so I was thinking I was good but then I looked down at my middle finger and it was shaped like the number 7. So I made a fist and watched it pop half way back in. By this point my trainer was there and he walked me to the bench to pop it in all the way. He immediately told me that it was broken but asked if I could go back in and play. Adrenaline was pumping through the veins and the game was close so I replied with an immediate "yes" and worried about the finger after the game. Once the adrenaline wore off and the pain set in I could only think of one thing as I sat in the hospital. "Kobe Bryant"

This guy broke his right index finger and was quoted as saying "you just get used to it, it's a different technique to shoot the ball." So when the doctor walked in and told me 6-8 weeks I simply said "that's impossible, find a way to make sure I suit up [two days later]" Now the doctor told me there's a chance my finger could have ended up looking like this guys but it was just the top knuckle so I'll take my chances. Someone better tell these doctors to GET FAMILIAR

Now, since I've been out the blog game (it's extremely annoying to type without your left middle finger) I decided to get back on my "Brothers & Sisters" (pause). Every family has problems, mine included, but these Walkers...well they fit a ridiculous amount of problems and solutions into 41 minutes. Meaning between the cliffhangers and the blocks of free time, I watch at least four episodes a sitting. Without giving anything away, something major happens to two of my favorite TV characters in the most recent season. With the exception of Entourage and Dexter this is my favorite show on Television. Those three cover a wide array of spectrums and I feel like it completes my TV trifecta. If you are unfamiliar I'd recommend you to GET FAMILIAR very quickly because last month, ABC deemed Season 5 a "go."

Sticking with the TV theme I've also had a chance to check off a few "movies I've wanted to see since the Oscars." Most notably Brothers and Blindside which were neither as good as expected but enjoyable nonetheless. They were both held to pretty high standards so maybe if I could relate to my wife and brother hitting it off or being adopted and looked after by Sandra Bullock I would have enjoyed them more.

Besides the TV series' and the movies I've had a good amount of time to tidy up my music collection. Slaughterhouse (aka the Supergroup aka The Four-Headed Monster aka The Greatest Rap Group of All Time) just signed to Shady Records. So their next collective album is going to be another instant classic (remember where you heard it first)... Anyway, independently all of the members are dropping solo projects

Joell Ortiz- Free Agent
Crooked I- Million Dollar Story
Joe Buddens- Mood Musik 4
Royce Da 5'9"- Bar Exam 3



So as of late, to create that buzz, these dudes have been leaking tracks and freestyles and I'm willing to argue that there is no other "Hip Hop Artist" that can compete with any of these four right now. So if you aren't familiar with Slaughterhouse...GET FAMILIAR...Here is a little taste of how lyrical these guys can be.

"I do this for Sean Bell nobody's forgotten you

I do this for Diallo yeah this what Amadou (I'ma do)

I do this for both Kings, Martin Luther and Rodney

Life beat my ass til Hip Hop came and got me"

"I'm a big f*ckin deal ask Biden, the flow walkin' on water just like Posiedon

with a Trident, I get rich or die trying, just like the n*gga five times ten

so every event you'll see me there faithfully, I'm in the "house n*gga" like I was light skinned during slavery"

"It makes sense, I'm being framed I'm a work of art, But if you broke dawg
Don't blame the economy, Don't come with a handout, Don't try to E.Honda me 

See, I never ask niggas to come and be fond of me
You met your match now, what up eHarmony?"

"You heard who better than me? B*tch bring em, uhhh, he stepped up like Rocky

he’ll probably be finished. He’ll go from looking like he Balboa to Rocky Dennis
you thought you was winning...til every tooth in your mouth is in a pouch in your pocket
the next time you talk to your dentist"

And just so you know I'm not a lazy, 9 strong finger having bum I've also made significant progress in my book. It's entitled Talent is Overrated and it suggests that an ability to achieve greatness is more related to life experiences, lucky breaks and harder work rather than God-given abilities or natural born talent. It's not fair to try and paraphrase 300 pages in two sentences but it's a well written book with a lot of evidence to make you think...so I'd also suggest that if you are looking for a way to pass the time. If you didn't remember that reading is fundamental then you should probably go ahead and GET FAMILIAR.

Do What You Do      Hallelujah Hollaback      ...blackhercules21...

SLAUGHTERHOUSE

First The Rumors Start...Then The Drama Starts...And Now We Are Here

So last year rumors of Slaughterhouse (the Hip Hop supergroup consisting of Joe Budden, Crooked I, Joel Ortiz, and Royce Da 5'9") signing to Eminem's Shady Records were running rampant all over the Internet. The rumors were mostly the result of their appearance with Eminem during his verse in Drake's video for "Forever" and the recent reconciliation between Eminem and Royce Da 5'9". It seemed that label politics stopped the deal from happening, and the prospect of Hip Hops best new group of lyricists signing to the label of one of Hip Hops greatest MCs would be lost for now. That is, until all the the Twitter rumors started acting up:

"RT @Floss_B: @RoyceDaFive9 what surprise does #Slaughterhouse have for the fans tomorrow? (I'm impatient)<- patience my good man.." - Royce Da 5'9" Twitter
The trending topic from then on was all about Slaughterhouse signing to Shady Records. The next announcement from Eminem's Twitter seemed to only reinforce everyones suspicions:

"And don't worry. Some big news is coming. Soon." - via Eminem's Twitter around 10pm Central (yesterday)

"And if you like the whiteboy, then yo ass might as well start liking me too, cuz from here on out anytime you see him...you gon' see me too" - via Royce Da 5'9" Nobody F*ckin Wit Us (Bar Exam 3 leak this morning).



I know this doesn't seem like much evidence but in this day and age Twitter has replaced most media outlets as the number one source for breaking news - 140 Characters has replaced 60 Minutes. SMH!! I guess we'll find out once Slaughterhouse makes their announcement, until then check out Slaughterhouse holdin' Em down in Drake's "Forever" Video:

Drake - Forever (Official Video)

 Do What You Do      Hallelujah Hollaback      ...blackhercules21...

Keep The Date Open

I've been having some problems with my phone as of late...basically...long story short, I didn't have the full data package on my blackberry when I downloaded UberTwitter...the constant updates raised my bills to well over quadruple that amount I usually pay, and therefore it was cut off. But after a big win in France, the bill is paid and my service is back on...So I get the full data plan, turn back on my Twitter (since I'm now addicted) and the first tweet that pops up...Slaughterhouse European Tour Dates...some sort of Omen right? Well I go through the dates, go through the cities and realize my best shot at seeing them perform is February 2nd in Prague...who is coming with me?

Do What You Do      Hallelujah Hollaback      ...blackhercules21...

Joe Buddens

It's been awhile since my last series but it's about that time again. This one is not a competition, but a challenge for you guys to find a better rapper out than Joe Buddens. A teammate of mine argues that Lil' Wayne is the best in the game right now, and although I agree his swagger is on Mars, I don't consider him the best. You can say he is the best at what he does, (finding new ways to say the same basic metaphors or relating past topics that make people appreciate where his mind can go) but his rhymes are too basic for me. He doesn't tell a story and I don't FEEL his rap. Plus, with his new Rebirth album, it's obvious he's trying to venture off into other forms of music, and hey if he call pull it off, all the power to him.

But growing up in the Bronx, Hip-Hop was always a culture thing. Between the graffiti writing and the breakdancing, it was all about FEEL and there aren't too many rappers who I FEEL anymore. I still think Eminem is the best at making words rhyme, as well as winning a crowd over in a battle. Nas is the best at telling a story and lyrically no one can touch the pioneers of Tupac and Notorious BIG but the guy atop my favorite rappers list is definitely Joe Buddens.

After his Hip-Hop weekly series Crooked I has stayed a close second and when they came together to form Slaughterhouse, I started to listen to Joell Ortiz and Royce Da 5'9 a lot more and what do you know...they are now 3 and 4 on my list. But back to Buddens. A friend of mine, Mark Williams (who runs TEAM FOOTPRINTZ basketball training) and I were having a discussion of the top 15 Buddens songs of all-time. I put together a little list for him and thought I'd share a couple of my favorite Buddens songs with you over the next few weeks (randomly) to see if you can FEEL Hip-Hop music again.

Do What You Do      Hallelujah Hollaback      ...blackhercules21...