Lil Wayne "Tha Carter IV"

A lot has happened to Lil Wayne between "Carter" albums, he's released a couple of mixtapes, 1 was outstanding "No Ceilings" the other was good, not great "Sorry For the Wait" and he released a rock album that I wasn't crazy about, an EP which was pretty good "I Am Not a Human Being" and a Young Money collaboration which honestly I didn't listen to because other than Wayne and Drake I can't stand the rest of Young Money. But Wayne's "Carter" albums are what his legacy is being built on, and after the first 3 "Carter" albums expectations are monsterious to say the least. As far as a lot of people are concerned "Tha Carter 3" may be the biggest Hip-Hop album of the last 10 years, and it was really amazing, and we may look back as that being the peak of Wayne. "Tha Carter 3" was Wayne with a lot to prove, he made several statements claiming to be the best rapper in the world before that album, he released several mixtapes before its release which were on par with the album, and he made 100 guest appearances in a span from 2007-2008 to help promote "Tha Carter 3" which has to be a record. All of the work paid off, not only was it a brilliant record, with critics, fans of Hip-Hop and fans of Pop music, it sold incredibly, at a time when people were saying no one could sell CDs anymore, Wayne sold 1 million copies in just the first week, that itself in this era is impressive. "Tha Carter 3" was the Top Selling album of 2008, selling about 3 million copies, and was also the most illegally downloaded album. Wayne was then deemed by many people to indeed be the best rapper in Hip-Hop by many people. I remember at one point if I saw one more magazine cover in 2008 that had "Wayne's World" printed on it as if that was clever I was going to scream, but looking back to 2008, it was Wayne's World. 

Before I start actually reviewing the new album I'll say this. People are going to be very hard on Lil Wayne, because "Tha Carter 3" is going to be a very hard act to follow, both from a sales standpoint and with fans. Every time Wayne has released something people have been saying the exact same thing, "He's saving his good music for Tha Carter IV", so now that its out is that true? Also, this is the last album coming out in one of the greatest months in Hip Hop History, First there was the Game mixtape "HoodMorning", then Ace Hood's "Blood, Sweat, and Tears" and the Kanye and Jay-Z collaboration "Watch The Throne" came out the same week, and just last week, the album I think is going to end up being the album of the year came out Game's "RED Album", so not only does Wayne have to follow his own tough act of "Tha Carter 3" but with the other great albums already released this month everyone is going to be comparing "Tha Carter IV" to what everyone else has come out with.

The big question is, is "Tha Carter IV" as good as "Tha Carter 3" and the answer is absolutely not, I would say its not even close, but I never expected it to be as good as "Tha Carter 3". As I said before, Carter 3 found Wayne trying to prove something to everyone and he did that. This is a different Lil Wayne than Carter 3 Wayne, that version of Lil Wayne was a rapper, who found popularity with Pop music fans, as a result a lot of Wayne since tried to appeal to a more Pop fan base, like the Rock album or the song "How to Love". However, as far as I concerned, this is the best Lil Wayne I've heard since the "No Ceilings" mixtape, while its not exactly what a lot of people will expect, its still really good.

I'm going to do another track review for the album, this one should be a little more entertaining than the "RED Album" review, which was nothing but praise for one track after another.

1. "Intro" (produced by Willy Will)

I really like this Intro, its not a typical Hip-Hop Skit-style Intro, its a regular song, basically called Intro. I was surprised by it actually, because it goes hard, which made me happy, I was very curious about the style of the album, and this put me at ease. Rating 4/5

2. "Blunt Blowing" (produced by Develop)

This is a pretty cool Wayne style song, full of a lot of typical clever Wayne worldplay. Rating 4/5

3. "Megamind" (produced by Megamind)

I liked this song, it has a similar feel to "6 Foot 7 Foot" Even the beat by Megamind has that feel, minus the sample playing behind it. Rating 4/5

4. "6 Foot 7 Foot" featuring Corey Gunz (produced by Bangladesh)

At this point everyone has heard this song, its great. The song goes hard, its clever, is funny, its super catchy. The beat is crazy, its just a great song. Rating 5/5

5. "Nightmares of the Bottom" (produced by Snizzy)

The first 4 tracks are what I would call Classic-Wayne, this one not so much. It slows the album down for the first of a few times. Slow doesn't necessarily have to mean boring, but in this case it kind of does, nothing to remarkable about this song. Rating 2/5

6. "She Will" featuring Drake (produced by T-minus)

And this is how you do a slower-song. This isn't Wayne in "6 Foot 7 Foot" mode, which is my favorite Wayne style, and yet this song is Awesome, there is something about the hypnotic beat, the chorus, Wayne is on point, maybe his best verses on the album, and Drake again makes another great feature appearance. Best Song on the Album for me. Rating 5/5

7. "How to Hate" featuring T-Pain (produced by Young Frye)

Well, this song is definitely better than "How to Love". This is a good song, not great. It kind of has a dated sound to it. Its a kind of paint by numbers "She broke my heart" song, but not terrible. Rating 3/5

8. "Interlude" featuring Tech N9ne, Busta Rhymes and Andre 3000 (produced by Willy Will)

I like the song, odd thing is, it features some great performances, including the always outstanding Andre 3k, yet there is no Lil Wayne on the track. Still a good song. Rating 3/5

9. "John" featuring Rick Ross (produced by Polow da Don, Rob Holladay, Ayo The Producer)

Why is it, anytime someone does a "Hard" song they put Rick Ross on it? This was the 2nd single off of the album, its a really good song. Rick Ross is really strong, as is Wayne. The song is a little overproduced, but Wanye and Ross are so strong together that it doesn't matter. Rating 4/5

10. "Abortion" (produced by StreetRunner)

I really like this song, again, kind of like "She Will" this isn't typical Wanye, it has a unique sound to it, especially on this album, and I would dare say this is Lil Wayne in story teller mode, which I haven't heard since about "Carter 2" Era. I think this is the best produced track on the album as well, I like the beat a lot. Great Song. Rating 5/5

11. "So Special" featuring John Legend (produced by Cool & Dre)

Another slower song, this one isn't bad, just a little on the boring side again. I would expect more from John Legend and Wayne. The weird thing is the song is really well produced by Cool & Dre, its just a boring song lyrically. Rating 2/5

12. "How to Love" (produced by Noel "Detail" Fisher)

I HATE this song, I get what he was going for, but for me this is the worst song Lil Wayne has ever done, everything about this song is terrible. This isn't just a case of not meeting expectations, he can switch his style up and it still work, look at "She Will" this song is just boring, not interesting, sugary sweet. If you read my review of Game's "RED Album" one of the things I liked so much about it was it was a classic Hip-Hop album, he wasn't trying to do R&B or Pop and appeal to Tweens and girls who frequent the mall the way this song is trying to do, when someone does a song like this it normally doesn't appeal to its target audience, and just pisses off the real fans of your music...like me. This song just angers me I hate it so much. Rating 0/5

13. "President Carter" (produced by Infamous)

Truth be told I just wrote this track review so I could unload my hatred of "How to Love" so now that thats over, lets continue. On the last "Carter" he was just "Mr. Carter", clearly Wayne has moved up to presidential status. Not a bad song, not great either. Rating 3/5

14. "It's Good" featuring Drake and Jadakiss (produced by Young Ladd and Cool & Dre)

This song created a crazy-stir on Twitter, saying it was a diss aimed at Jay-Z. I've listened to several times, and if it is a diss, it is the most unassuming diss I've ever heard, its a good thing when dissing someone to name them occasionally so they know who you are talking about. I'm convinced its not a diss track, but it is a good song. Jadakiss and Drake are really strong, and I like the way Drake sets the table for Wayne's verse. Rating 4/5

15. "Outro" featuring Bun B, Nas, Shyne, and Busta Rhymes (produced by Willy Will)

A strong outro, if for no other reason than Nas' verse, this is a classic and the strongest Nas I've heard in a while, it makes me hope for a new Nas album. Busta's verse is great as well, he basically thanks Lil Wayne for making "Tha Carter IV", its a good way to end the album...or is that the end? Rating 4/5

Bonus Tracks:

16. "I Like the View" (produced by Cool & Dre)

There was a reason this song was a bonus track, not that is bad, its really not a bad song, its just average, nothing really stands-out about it. Rating 3/5

17."Mirror" featuring Bruno Mars (produced by The Smeezingtons, REO of The Soundkillers)

Something tells me this song was a rejected single, it has that feel to it. The verse's are really strong, Wayne is really strong and the production through the verses are impressive, the chorus however is overproduced and Bruno Mars, who has a quality voice, is actually over-modulated, there was no need for that, still the verses are strong. 3/5

18. "Two Shots" (produced by Diplo)

This song should have made the album, its much better than several songs that did make the cut. The beat is simple, but really cool, and this is Classic Wayne, fun and clever. It boggles my mind that "How to Love" made the official album, and this is the last bonus track. Rating 4/5

After 3 years of waiting for another "Carter", arguably the greatest month of new music in Hip-Hop history, and all the Wayne-haters out for blood, Wayne had the odds stacked against him. In my opinion he delivered, however my standards were not nearly as high as others. As I said earlier, this is a different Wayne, it would be almost foolish to expect something like "Tha Carter 3" from him now, that would be like Nas doing "Illmatic" now (which a lot of people still compare everything he does to). Is Lil Wayne the best rapper in Hip-Hop, absolutely not, (after hearing the "RED Album" my answer is Game} but Lil Wayne is one of the best entertainers and the most polarizing performers out there, so maybe this wasn't "Tha Carter 3", we will probably never hear an album like that from Wayne again, but when you listen to "Tha Carter IV" without trying to compare it to everything he's done in the past or what everyone else is doing, its a really strong album. 

Final Rating 4/5

Throwback Thursday [U Don't Have to Call and David Robinson]

Usher's "U Don't Have to Call" isn't technically a Hip-Hop song but this song has been stuck in my head all week, and oddly enough, I've heard three other people sing it this week, strange. The great thing about Usher is his music is catchy, it gets stuck in your head, but its not annoying like say the Rebecca Black song "Friday", yeah it gets stuck in your head, but that doesn't mean its a quality song, its just good because its so terrible. Usher however, is a real talent, the dude can sing, he can dance, and he discovered Justin Beilber, depending on who you are thats a good thing or a bad thing. I love this song, its super catchy and fun to sing along with, even if you can't sing as good as Usher or for that matter even Rebecca Black, its still fun to sing, maybe that's why I've heard 3 other people sing it this week.

For some reason the history books haven't been extremely kind to David "The Admiral" Robinson, while people talk about the greatness of Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, and Patrick Ewing all the time as great Centers from their Era, Robinson goes largely overlooked. It may have something to do with the fact that while Robinson's Spurs were a perennial Playoff contender, the Spurs never won a title with just Robinson, it was when Tim Ducan got there that David Robinson and the Spurs finally won an NBA Title, however, just because he needed help doesn't discount how great he was. He was the most selfless player maybe in the History of the game, this guy was capable of scoring 70 points in a game, (I remember watching that game as a kid) yet he was an amazing defender, in a key series against Shaq and the Lakers, Robinson took the tough defensive assignment of Shaq, and let the younger Duncan be the primary scorer, how many players can you think of that would do something like that.

Robinson got his nickname "The Admiral" because he attended the Navy academy, that was were he played his college ball. Robinson won countless awards during his time in the NBA, he was the Rookie of the Year, was an All-Star a number of times, he won the 1995 MVP, he played on the very first 1992 Dream Team, with Magic, Bird, and Jordan, he won two NBA Championships and in 2009 was inducted to the Hall of Fame. He also has a reputation of being one of the most genuinely nice and caring players in all of sports. After a career like his, I don't think it really matters how history remembers you, but for my money during a span in the mid-90s there wasn't a better Center. Robinson could do it all, he had the finesse of Hakeem, could throw it down like Shaq, and play defense like Dwight Howard, The Admiral was a Jack of all trades....Master of All.

The Weird Reasons I like Football So Much

At least in America we feel like we have 4 big sports, basketball, baseball, football, and hockey. In recent years hockey has dropped out of the public conscience and as much as soccer is trying to be forced on us, and some people still question if Nascar is a sport (I'm not going to question that) and Tiger Woods has seemingly left golf, only to appear 4 times a year, just at the majors, we are essentially left with 3 major sports. I've said many times on this blog as well as to tons of people that I feel the way about the NBA that most people feel about the NFL. I'm a Lakers fan, a Die-Hard Lakers fan, when they lose a regular season game, I don't sleep well, its a problem and I'm aware of it, and then there is baseball, another sport I really like, as a young kid, maybe 6 months to a year, I was told by my mother and father that I was a Yankee fan, a great pick as far as I'm concerned. While having a rooting interest or a favorite team can make the games more dramatic and more entertaining, the agony of defeat is sometimes a bitter pill to swallow, especially if you're a fan of the Lakers and the Yankees, two teams expected to win every season.

But then there is the NFL, and I'm a Jets fan, I root for them, but unlike the Lakers for example, I don't watch every single play of every single game, if the Jets lose (and up until recently that was happening a lot) I don't lose sleep, and while me following the Jets more casually than I do the Lakers or Yankees makes the games a little less entertaining or dramatic there's a lot to like about it, other than messing with my sleep.

The biggest thing is I'm allowed to root for other teams, I have so many other teams I root for in the NFL, some are even hated rivals, but I like both teams. I really like the Falcons, I live close to the Atlanta area, and have a lot of friends that are Big-Time Falcons fans, but at the same time, both my brother and brother in-law are colossal Saints fans, and as a result I pull for them too. Its really cool to have other teams that I really like, while maybe it takes away from the dramatics of the one Jet game, it makes almost every other game more interesting because I have so many other teams that I like.

My List of Favorite NFL Teams (in no particular order, except for no.1)

1. New York Jets

2. Atlanta Falcons

3. Chicago Bears (my sister knows more about the Bears and football than I do, she loves her Bears)

4. New Orleans Saints

5. Philadelphia Eagles (say what you will, but I'm a big Vick fan)

6. Washington Redskins (spent a lot of time in the Norfolk area where every Redskin game was televised)

7. Cleveland Browns (ever since Cleveland's rightful Super Bowl went to Baltimore I've had a rooting interest in the Browns)

Another reason I like the NFL, I'm allowed to wear other teams jerseys. I have a rather large collection of jerseys, and while you wouldn't catch me wearing anything but a Lakers jersey (except for when I lost a bet) or anything but a Yankees jersey, because to me both cases would be blasphemy, I have no problem wearing teams other than the Jets' jerseys, I have no clue why that is, other than I have so many other teams and players I like. While I have a lot of other players in the NBA I really like, I get to angry when the Lakers lose, I like Kevin Durant, I think he's the 2nd best player in the league next to Kobe, but if I ever got a Durant jersey I could see that thing being ripped apart if the Lakers were to lose to the Thunder in a playoff series or dramatically close regular season game, again, I know this is a problem. But there is something pretty cool about getting to wear another teams jersey, just because you like the player and not feel like you are committing a sin against your team.

NBA Jerseys

23 Lakers Jerseys

1 Bulls Jersey (I lost a bet)

MLB Jerseys

4 Yankees Jerseys

Football Jerseys

2 Jets (Sanchez and Farve)

2 Falcons (Deion Sanders and Vick)

1 Saints (Brees)

1 Bears (Peppers)

1 Eagles (Vick)

1 49ers (Jerry Rice)

1 Vikings (Randy Moss)

1 UGA (Knowshon Moreno)

1 Virginia Tech (Vick)

Clearly what that list tells you, I have a lot more variety of football jerseys than any other sport.

And the last reason I really like the NFL is I can look at it objectively, even when I try to take a step back from baseball or basketball and try to look at the leagues from an objective standpoint I just can't. I always think that the Lakers and Yankees are going to win every year, because I'm looking at my team threw rose-colored glasses, all I see is how great they are, and until someone beats them and officially ends their season I'm convinced they will win the World Series or NBA Finals. I don't have that problem with the NFL, and it has nothing to do with the Jets not winning a Super Bowl since Super Bowl III, its more that even though the Jets are my favorite team, I can still see them for what they are, and can look at the other teams just as I do the Jets, which means when I'm making my Super Bowl picks I'm normally closer than I am with the NBA or MLB, although I did not see the Packers winning at all last year, and I think few people saw that coming at the beginning of the season. If you ask me at the beginning of the NBA Season who I think will win the Finals, I will of course say the Lakers, in baseball I'll say the Yankees (two pretty safe bets every year) but in football, I don't have that problem, and can pick who I think will win the Super Bowl based off of what they did last season and in the off-season.

My Preseason Picks.

NFC Championship Game

New Orleans vs. Philadelphia 

A lot of people forget just how banged up the Saints were almost all of last season, they are coming back healthy and rested as a result of an early exit from the playoffs last year due to compliance; losing a game to Seattle that they should have won easily. Philadelphia made more moves in the offseason than any other team, and they were all big moves, they have an All-Madden Team ready to go, but I don't think they will gel this season at least, I think they are a year away. I think the Saints beat the Eagles to go to the Super Bowl

AFC Championship Game

Pittsburgh vs. New England

Maybe not the most original choice, but think about it, the Steelers were the AFC Champ last year, they were a drive away from winning another Super Bowl but just couldn't follow through, and they didn't really lose anyone from last year. While the Eagles made all the big moves, the Patriots were making a lot of quality moves, of course they signed Ochocinco who I see pulling a Randy Moss and having an amazing resurgent season, they also stayed the same or got better at every position. I see the Pats coming out of the AFC

Super Bowl

New Orleans vs. New England

The Patriots teams of the last few years have been really good, they've just come up short, I don't see that happening this year with Belichick and Brady. I'm saying baring any injuries the Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl this year.

Of course I hope I'm wrong, I would like to see the Falcons vs. Jets Super Bowl with the Jets winning, but I can see the Jets for what they are, and this year I just don't think they are good enough, thats the problem with being objective.

The Game "The RED Album"

I've always been a fan of The Game, I thought "The Documentary" was classic, and "Doctor's Advocate" and "LAX" were both really strong records; in fact, one of my favorite Game songs comes from his "LAX" record "My Life". I also liked his mixtapes, his "You Know What it Is Vol. 3" was hilarious, for those unaware, it was about 20 tracks of him making fun of G-Unit, including a 15 minutes diss track aimed at 50 Cent and Jay-Z called "300 Bars and Running" a song that I always thought was so good and funny that when it came time to name this amazing blog my first thought was that it had to have something to do with that song...so now we have 300 Thoughts and Running.  I was a fan for sure, but I was a casual fan, I certainly didn't think he was a Top 5 MC off All-Time or even currently, I mean there is Kanye, Andre 3000, Lil Wayne, Nas, Lil B, Tyler the Creator, Drake, even though I don't care for him Eminem, there are a lot of great rappers around right now, and certainly through the history of Hip-Hop. Game was always that under the radar artist, I knew his songs, I liked them, but for the most part compared to other artist, he was somewhat forgettable. Then something happened just over a year ago, Game released his "Break Lights" mixtape also known as "RED Files" (RED Files was the same thing as the official Break Lights mixtape, just a few more additional songs, and no DJ Skee screaming throughout) and that tape was Brilliant, while it still sounded like a Game record, it was different, there wasn't any filler, every track was great, and it left a lasting impression. It was the best Game I had heard up to that point, and from then on, I was officially on board the Game bandwagon. "RED Files" was so good that when I made a Top 10 list last year of my favorite things from Pop Culture in 2010, Game's mixtape was one of only two music related things on it the other was Kanye's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy"


While "RED Files" may have been the reason I got on the Game bandwagon, it was his "Purp & Patron" mixtape that came out earlier this year that made want to ride shotgun on the bandwagon, the 2-Disc mixtape was the best Hip-Hop album or mixtape I had heard in a long time, for me it was easily the best I've heard since Kanye's "Late Registration". In a time when rappers are trying so many different things, they want to sing, they want to do rock albums, massive amounts of auto-tune, it was refreshing to hear a mixtape that sounded like real Hip-Hop, instead of a cross-genre album aimed at the absoulte largest possible audience. It was pure West Coast Hip-Hop at its best and finest, and not only brought back the found memories of Dre and Snoop in their prime, but built on what they did. Just a week later Game followed "Purp & Patron" with "The Hangover" the songs that didn't make it to the mixtape he released a week before, and it was every bit as good as "Purp" and better than most of the Hip-Hop out there.


Soon after Game finally announced a release date for his long delayed "RED Album", before that he would release another brilliant mixtape entitled "HoodMorning" (which you can read that review by clicking here). 


So, the big question is, after one outstanding mixtape after another, and four years of waiting, is the "RED Album" even worth it? Absolutely it is! This is by Far, the Best Album of the Year (if someone tops it in my eyes, I will be pleasantly surprised) and it is by Far, Game's best and most complete album. It's an amazing album, it has a very familiar sound (think 1992 West Coast Rap) a very current sound, a futuristic sound, and most importantly a sound its very own. While "Watch The Throne" may have been one of the most uniquely produced albums I've heard this year, "The RED Album" is the best produced, there were times during Watch the Throne were I felt like the production and beats almost overshadowed the lyrical content, on this album, the production and vocals work in perfect harmony.


Like "Watch the Throne" and "HoodMorning" I'll be doing a track by track review. I apologize in advance if the reviews of the songs get a little boring, its entertaining to read negative criticism, and maybe not as much to read nothing but positives, the thing is there really isn't anything negative to say, anything I have is nitpicking at best. The Album has 21 tracks, there is an Intro, an Outro and two skits during the album done by Dr. Dre. Those, I won't be reviewing, because there skits. As I've already said, the album has a Past meets, Present meets Future feel to it, part of the past feel is that there are some references to "Boyz In The Hood" including a song dedicated to Morris Chesnut's memorable character. 


1. "The City" featuring Kendrick Lamar (produced by Cool & Dre)
When you combine the opening intro from Dr. Dre with this track you get a perfect opening song to the album, which perfectly sets the tone for the entire thing. Kendrick Lamar's guest appearance is really strong, and the production from Cool & Dre is really cool, simple but haunting. I like the way the song ends, both Kendrick Lamar rapping without a beat, and the warning about visiting LA...which flows right in to the next track.


2. "Drug Test" featuring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (produced by DJ Khalil)
This is the only song to make it from the "HoodMorning" mixtape, and for good reason. Dre and Snoop on the same track again? Just that is a good enough reason to listen to this track, throw in some strong verses (with a unique flow from Game on this track) and a crazy beat from DJ Khalil, this is another great track.


3. "Martians vs. Goblins" featuring Tyler the Creator and Lil Wayne (produced by NO Id and 1500 or Nothin')
This song is so wildly creative, its unlike anything else. It could be the best song on the album (but the album is so good its hard to choose just one favorite) but one thing for sure, its an insane song, first off, it has a G-Funk sound to it, its about Martians vs. Goblins, Game is dissing Marvel characters, Tyler the Creator's verse is clever and hilarious he even disses Game in his own song about his tendency to name-drop and has a hilarious diss aimed at Bruno Mars and Tyler Perry in the same sentence, the Lil Wayne hook is great. This song is so interesting and imaginative I have a feeling Tim Burton is going to try and turn it into a movie.


4. "Red Nation" featuring Lil Wayne (produced by Cool & Dre)
This was the first single off of the album. The song and video came under heavy controversy because of it's gang affiliation, but controversy aside, this is another great song, Game's verse's are really strong, the Lil Wayne hook is again great, and the beat from Cool & Dre is energetic.


5. "Good Girls Go Bad" featuring Drake (produced by Cool & Dre)
One thing Game makes clear on this album is that he recently had a daughter, and this is song aimed at the ladies, as Game says, wether they be a 2 or a 10, and it features seemingly every woman's favorite rapper Drake. However, just because this is a song aimed at women doesn't mean this isn't a great song for the fellas too. Game and Drake's verse's are great, and the production by Cool & Dre is really strong, the beat has almost an early 2000 Kanye sound to it.


6. "Ricky" (produced by DJ Khalil)
This is the song I spoke of early, using a sample from the theme from "Boyz in the Hood" the song is about Ricky, who's scene where he gets shot down is the most memorable scene in the movie. He makes an interesting comparison about how 2Pac was the real life Ricky. The beat by DJ Khalil is great, just hearing the Boyz in the Hood sample sets the tone for the song.


7. "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" (featuring Hit-Boy)
This is Game in story-teller mode. Game's flow is real nice on this track and the production is strong.


8. "Heavy Artillery" featuring Rick Ross and Beanie Sigel (produced by StreetRunner)
Another great track, Game's verse is strong, Rick Ross is really solid, as is Beanie Sigel. The production from StreetRunner has a modern feel to it, which wouldn't normally stand out, but so much of the production has a past or future of Hip-Hop sound.


9. "Paramedics" featuring Young Jeezy (produced by Maestro)
This song just gets me amped, between the guitar-fueled beat, to Jeezy's verse (Jeezy can always get some folks amped) and Game's energetic verse. 


10. "Speakers on Blast" featuring Big Boi and E-40 (produced by Mars)
Kind of like "F*cked Up" from the HoodMorning mixtape, this song has a southern Hip-Hop feel to it, which once again is really cool to hear Game rap over, Big Boi only adds to the Southern Hip-Hop validity, as he shows up and delivers a remarkably strong verse. E-40 is also featured and he's really strong as well, Big Boi and Game kill this song though. 


11. "Hello" featuring Lloyd (produced by Mars)
I don't think you could have two more opposite sounding voices on a track. Lloyd's falsetto works well against Game's voice. Another strong song.


12. "All the Way Gone" featuring Mario and Wale (produced by Mars)
I really like this song, Game is strong as is Wale's guest appearance, Mario's hook is great. The smooth production from Mars has an R&B feel to it.


13. "Pot of Gold" featuring Chris Brown (produced by The Futuristics)
The second single from the album, I love this song. The hook from Chris Brown is just great, his voice and the beat work so well together. Game's verse's are incredibly strong, and the lyrical content is deep and thought provoking. The beat on the song is mellow and cool. 


14. "All I Know" featuring Lu Breeze (produced by Boi-1da)
Another really good song, nothing much else to say at this point. I told you this track review might get boring, you can only read so many positives before it becomes boring, don't blame me, blame The Game for making such an Awesome album. If your bored of reading nothing but positives just go out and buy "The RED Album" immediately if not sooner.


15. "Born in the Trap" (produced by DJ Premier)
I love this song if for no other reason than Game is once again going after Jay-Z, and now even Beyounce. The second verse on this song is hilarious, this is classic Game.


16. "Mama Knows" featuring Nelly Furtado (produced by The Neptunes)
Hey another stand-out track. A song dedicated to Game's mom, this song has a laid back feel, from Game's flow to the Nelly Furtado hook, (a bit of a surprise for her to show up on the album, but great none the less) to the laid back beat from The Neptunes.


17. "California Dream" (produced by Mars)
Game once again in story telling mode, if this were any other rapper other than Game you would accuse them of being to sweet. One this track Game talks about the birth of his first daughter, what makes this song so good I think is the difference from what Game was to what he is now, and how he has no problem admiting he's a different person. There is a vast difference from the Game reminiscing his gang relations on "The City" to where he is on this song, and unlike a movie mentioned several times Boyz in the Hood which didn't end so well at least this story (The RED Album) has a happy ending. This song provides perfect symmetry to the album. 




Game has promised many times that "The RED Album" was going to be worth the wait, and he wasn't kidding. This isn't just Game's best album to date, its one of the best and most complete Hip-Hop records of the last 10 years. It walks a fine line between being wildly creative and a throwback to the glory days of West Coast Hip Hop, and it works extremely well. I'm all for artist trying to change there style up and try something new, when it works, in the case of Game, this is a departure at times and it works, but at its core "The RED Album" is a Hip-Hop album, and with so many artist trying to please everyone all at the same time, its nice to hear a Real Hip-Hop album. 


Rating: 5/5

Throwback Thursday [Hate Me Now and Mark Jackson]

From the release of his first album "Illmatic" to his amazing "Hip-Hop is Dead" Nas was my favorite rapper. Nas is perfect at crossing conscienceness with mainstream Hip-Hop, especially during that span. In recent years he has become more of a conscience MC, but in his prime there was no better rapper, and as far as I'm concerned he is a Top 5 Rapper All-Time. Nas had several hit songs, but none was as catchy or memorable has "Hate Me Now" from his "I Am..." record. The track has an epic feel to it, due in large part to the Carmina Burana sample, and features Diddy at a time when he was known as Puff Daddy. 

Mark Jackson played for several teams during his NBA tenure, including the New York Knicks twice, but it was his two tours as an Indiana Pacer that are most memorable. While now I'm a hardcore Lakers fan, I grew up rooting for the New York Knicks, and Mark Jackson, not Reggie Miller, was the guy I loved to hate. Everyone knew Reggie could hit the big shot, and he did several times, but Mark Jackson was the king of the dagger-shot, Jackson hit so many big daggers as a member of the Pacers, that goes almost forgotten because of Reggie's heroics. Jackson was a key part to the Pacers, before getting Mark Jackson, the Pacers where a fringe team, with the arrival of Jackson the Pacers would be a championship contender every year. They had several intense battles with Michael Jordan and his Bulls and of course the Knicks, and in 2000 the Pacers went to the NBA Finals, only to lose in 6 Games to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Mark Jackson won the Rookie of the Year Award, made an All-Star appearance in the 1989, is 2nd All-Time in Assists (only John Stockton has more) and as Charles Barkley has said before "The Great One's Change the Game" the NBA invented a rule called the "5-Second Rule" where a player is not allowed to back down a player while posting-up for 5 seconds, this was a patented move by Mark Jackson, which has caused the 5-Second Rule to sometimes be known as the "Mark Jackson Rule".

Dork Trek

For almost 10 years the Mike and Bob show was on in either the Afternoons or Mornings (or through replays, sometimes both) in the Norfolk, Virginia area. It was unlike any radio show or podcast out, and I never noticed just how much so until the show was abruptly canceled in Mid-April. Without warning the radio station 96x changed format and got rid of the long-running, best part of their station. The two weeks between the cancelation of the Mike and Bob Show and the start of the Bob's Boneyard Podcast were two of the longest weeks of my life. I'm not Captain Fitness, but I like to work-out, go to the gym or jog around the neighborhood, I would listen to the Mike and Bob podcast while doing this, when I discovered that the Mike and Bob Show was available in Podcast form, working out went from a tedious activity to a highlight of my day. During that two week span between Mike and Bob and Bob's Boneyard I searched for a new podcast to help pass the time, and thats when I discovered, there wasn't any other show close to the Mike and Bob Show. I'm sure a lot of people feel that way about their favorite shows or podcasts, but in this case, there really wasn't another show that covered such a wide area of topics from sports, to music, to Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen rants to nerdy stuff like Star Trek: The Next Generation. What I began having to do to fill the void was download several different podcast, I downloaded sports podcast like "1st and Ten" (I admit to being a big fan of Skip Bayless) I would try to cover my nerdy bases by downloading "The Nerdist" Podcast, would try to cover my dick and fart humor by listening to various Kevin Smith podcast, and I would fill my most nerdy needs by downloading several different Star Trek podcasts.

That was about the time I realized as much as I liked Star Trek, and I love Star Trek, I would say Deep Space Nine is my favorite show of all-time and I love TNG and TOS and once you get past the terrible theme song even Enterprise is really good, I'm not nearly as devoted as some of these people are doing these other Star Trek Podcast. I also realized Star Trek fans must not have a sense of humor, all of the various podcast were dry and bland. The thing about Star Trek that has to be realized is that as great a show as it may be there is a lot to poke fun at, and these other Trek Podcast didn't point that kind of stuff out, they treated Star Trek more like a religion than a TV show.

After two weeks of no Mike and Bob Show, the Bob's Boneyard Podcast would premier, and the internet was going nuts, the first episode was every bit as good as the Mike and Bob Show and later episodes would prove to be even better than its predecessor and as several people have said, and I agree, Bob's Boneyard was the natural evolution of the Mike and Bob Show. The title Bob's Boneyard comes from the fact that the three members were fired by 96x Owner Bob Sinclair.

Bob's Boneyard would lead to other podcasts, including the great and wonderful Dork Trek. Dork Trek was the kind of thing I was looking for when I was "auditioning" new podcasts. While the others podcast treated Star Trek as the Holy Grail and no laughing matter, Dork Trek, pokes fun at it, because there is a lot to make fun of.

Dork Trek features Lt. Commander Bob Fresh, Lt. Commander Tug Johnson and Lt. Commander Dennis Black and Asian, as well as a revolving fourth member. They dress in Star Trek The Next Generation outfits, watch an episode, and then comment on the episode they just watched, describing the episode's plot, while poking fun at stuff along the way. There was some stuff they've commented on were I thought I was the only one that found it funny, like Tasha Yar growing up on a planet seemingly surrounded by Rape Gangs, and then point out stuff that I never noticed, like Captain Picard surrendering the Enterprise several times in just the first couple of episodes, including giving up his command a couple of times as well.

So far the dudes have commented on just a few episodes through the first season, the great thing is there is still 6 and a half season for the dudes to make fun of, this I'm looking forward to. If you're a fan of Star Trek, wether you're a hardcore fan (which I would say I was in that category) or a casual fan, or just someone looking for an excuse to get into a 25 year old show, then Dork Trek could be just the thing for you. Another great thing about Dork Trek is like the way the Mike and Bob Show rekindled my love of Predator, Dork Trek reminded me of my love for Star Trek The Next Generation, and thanks to their podcast and Netflix putting the show on watch instantly, I've watched the first season in about 4 days.

Dork Trek is available on iTunes, just search for it. New episodes come out every Tuesday and Thursday. There is a lot of Star Trek material on the internet machine, but Dork Trek is by far the best.

Click Here to Check Out the Dork Trek Site

Throwback Thursday [Uptown Anthem and Shawn Kemp]

Naughty By Nature was a lot more than O.P.P. while that may have been their biggest hit, they had several other great songs. "Hip Hop Hooray" comes to mind, as well as the single from the "Juice" soundtrack "Uptown Anthem", which for me was Naughty by Natures' best song, OPP to me falls in with songs like "Baby Got Back", songs that are schticky and funny to hear now, but not actually good, "Uptown Anthem" was and still is a great song.  

When people think about the great teams of the 90s people think about the Bulls obviously, the Rockets even the Magic and the Jazz make it in the discussion of great teams from the Era, one team that always gets forgotten is the Seattle Supersonics, that could be that for all their regular season greatness (which they finished several seasons with the best record in the Western Conference) they made it to only one NBA Final, and it was against arguably the best team in NBA History, the 1996 Bulls.

The Sonics were a flashy version of the Jazz, instead of the pick and role heavy Stockton and Malone, the Sonics had the fun and flashy Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp.

Maybe it was because of his later years in the league, but Shawn Kemp was at one time the most dominant Power Forward in the league. His back to the back game was powerful, he had a solid jumper, and was a great rebounder, but he and his point guard Payton were always at their best running a fast break. Hopefully future generations will forget about Kemp's later years where weight gain and injuries kept him from being dominate, and focus on the time when he surpassed Charles Barkley to become the most dominate Power Forward in the Game.

Kanye West and Jay-Z "Watch The Throne"

Kanye West is my favorite music artist, that may contradict something I've said before and to be clear, The Game is my favorite rapper, Kanye West is my favorite musician, Kanye isn't just a rapper, he's one of the best Hip-Hop producers ever, an amazing song writer, a surprisingly talented singer, the man can do it all, he even has a very dry, very funny since of humor, he doesn't take himself too seriously contrary to popular belief. Perhaps my favorite thing about Kanye West is the honesty in his music, for starters, Kanye West isn't a stage name, its his given name, his music is a reflection of him, its not the same, tired Hip-Hop cliches, Kanye doesn't pretend to be something he's not, he's never claimed to be gang affiliated or known for drug dealing, and as a result, his music has a personal touch not often found in Hip-Hop. There is no greater example of this to me than his masterpiece "808's and Heartbreaks" personally my favorite of his albums, a lot of people will argue that "College Dropout" was his best, and as far as I'm concerned, they could be right, that album along with "Late Registration" "Graduation" and "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" are all brilliant and amazing pieces of work, and while some people were enraged by his comments that he was "The Voice of a Generation" I think you could make a very good argument for Kanye in fact being this generation's voice, his influence isn't just limited to music, he has permeated not just pop culture, but our culture in general, and is a household name, recognized by everyone, ages 8 to 80, blind, crippled or crazy, they all know Kanye.

And then there is Jay-Z, for a long time I was just indifferent towards Sean Carter, I didn't think his music was great, I didn't think it was terrible. My biggest complaint about Jay-Z has always been that he is what's wrong with Post-Bigge, Post-Juicy Era of Hip-Hop, far too many rappers have used the rags to riches template Biggie used on his great song "Juicy" and no one used it as much or as often as Jay-Z. I could always excuse that though, because the dude has a nice flow, his rhymes are nice, and his production is always incredible, he hires the best producers, The Neptunes, Pharell, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, just to name a few, and oh yeah, Kanye West. As everyone knows, Kanye got his start as a producer for Jay-Z, on Jay's "Blueprint" album. The two would form a relationship which first started as a producer/talent relationship, and eventually would become an actual friendship. The two have talked for years about doing a collaboration album, and after years of talk, the album as finally come out. At least to iTunes its come out, the hard copy arrives in stores this Friday. So after years of talk, was it worth the wait?

My one time indifference with Jay-Z has turned into something like hatred lately, while I loved his record "American Gangster" I thought save for a few singles his "Blueprint 3" wasn't that great, and highly overrated, and that was about the time that Jay-Z started to adopt the Frank Sinatra of Rap persona. As somebody that loves Frank Sinatra and the entire Rat Pack, one thing Jay-Z isn't and will never be is Sinatra, there is only one Frank Sinatra. That makes this album something really interesting, its a collaboration between my favorite artist, and a rapper that I really don't care for, even I was curious what this album would present me with.

I'm going to do a track be track review again, but first thing a few notes about the album in general. I was curious who's album this would really be, or basically looking at this album like a movie, who would get more screen time, and to my surprise, both have an equal amount, I would say the album maybe leans toward being heavier on Jay-Z, but it's really close. Another thing is the album peaks in the middle, it starts off ok, and ends ok, but from "Otis" to "Murder to Excellence" is classic.

1. "No Church in the Wild" featuring Frank Ocean (produced by Kanye West and 88-Keys)
A really good song, I like the hook, Jay-Z's verse is pretty good, Kanye's verse was excellent and the production is sick. It didn't quite set the tone of the album, but overall it was a good way to open the record. Rating 4/5

2. "Lift Off" featuring Beyonce (produced by Kanye West, Mike Dean, Jeff Bhasker)
For a moment I thought the twist was "Watch the Throne" would actually be a collaboration record with Kanye, Jay, and Beyonce. This song is definitely too Beyonce heavy, and sounds like a Beyonce song that features Kanye and Jay. The production is nice and Kanye's really good rapping and singing, Jay adds nothing. Rating 2/5

3. "Ni***s in Paris" (produced by Kanye West and Hit-Boy)
Not a bad song, not a great song, pretty average, sounds almost like something rejected from "Blueprint 3", Kanye's verse is dope, I like the Will Ferrell drops throughout the song. I love the breakdown at the end, for me that lifts the song. Rating 3/5

4. "Otis" featuring Otis Redding (produced by Kanye West)
This is classic Kanye West production, think "Blueprint" Era production, soul sample and all. The song is awesome just as a result of the crazy beat. Kanye kills his part on the song, Jay-Z isn't bad, one thing I didn't like was Jay's opening lyric "I invented Swag", if he invented Swag then I'm personally responsible for making Nerdy Sexy. In spite of that one line, Kanye's production and his lyrics are unbelievable, this is a great song. Rating 5/5

5. "Gotta Have It" (produced by The Neptunes and Kanye West)
This is another somewhat average song, its not bad, I just expect a little more given these two rappers and who produced the track. Rating 3/5

6. "New Day" (produced by The RZA, Kanye West and Mike Dean)
This song has a crazy beat from RZA, but I thought the lyrical content was amazing, especially the opening verse from Kanye. Its a really cool song, and maybe for the first time on the album shows the definitive difference in rap styles between the two. Rating 5/5

7. "That's My Bitch" (produced by Q-Tip and Kanye West)
I can't decide if this is my favorite song on the album or another one later on the album, but this song is really dope, it leaked about November last year, and its still really dope after all this time. The beat is unlike anything else, both Jay and Kanye are really strong, and there is a lot of heavy stuff on this record, this song is just a lot of fun. Rating 5/5

8. "Welcome to the Jungle" (produced by Swizz Beatz and Mike Dean)
A really cool song, which finds Jay-Z in almost Kanye like mode, the back in forth between the two is really good on this track, and Swizz's production is on point. Rating 4/5

9. "Who Gon Stop Me Now" (produced by Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph and Kanye West)
Great Song, Kanye and Jay both really good, and maybe at their most energetic on this track. The production is crazy on this track, seriously I haven't heard a beat like this before, its off-tempo, it almost shouldn't work it's so crazy, but it does. Rating 5/5

10. "Murder to Excellence" (Murder produced by Swizz Beatz/Excellence produced by S1)
This is the other song that could very well be my favorite (and its so very different than "That's My Bitch") this song is Epic, basically two songs in one, and tells the story of the African-American struggle to present time, its a surprisingly touching and inspirational song. Its the best produced song on the album for sure, Swizz produced the "Murder" part of the song, using an Indigo sample, S1 produced the "Excellence" part and produced it like a modern track, its a really nice contrast from the beginning. Rating is No Question 5/5

11. "Made in America" (produced by Sham "Sak Pase" Joseph and Mike Dean)
This song is almost the counterpoint to "Murder to Excellence" both are conscience tracks, but this track is too sweet and mushy, I get what they were going for, but it comes off more as boring. Rating 2/5

12. "Why I Love You" featuring Mr. Hudson (produced by Mike Dean and Kanye West)
Not a bad song, kind of average, especially for an album closer. I like Mr. Hudson's chorus and Kanye's verse, also Jay and Kanye's back and forth was again strong. Rating 3/5

That's it for the album, unless you buy the Deluxe Edition, make sure you buy the Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition has four more tracks, most notably the lead single off of the album "H.A.M."

13. "Illest MotherFu***r Alive" (produced by Southside, Kanye West, and Mike Dean)
A really good song, great verse from Kanye which finds him at his most witty. Nicely produced, especially at the chorus. Rating 4/5

14. "H.A.M." (produced by Lex Luger and Kanye West)
At this point everyone has heard this song, and this nothing new to say. Its a an Awesome song, and made the acronym HAM part of the public lexicon. Rating 5/5

15. "Primetime" (produced by No I.D.)
This is classic No I.D. production, another great song. Both Jay-Z and Kanye are on point on this track. Rating 4/5

16. "The Joy" (produced by Pete Rock, Kanye West, and Mike Dean)
I think this song was release as part of Kanye's G.O.O.D. Friday's sometime last year, it was a Kanye track featuring Jay, which is pretty noticeable. Kanye is really strong on this song, I thought this was Jay-Z's best verse on the entire album. I wasn't real crazy about the beat however. Rating 4/5

Overall, this is a really strong album, its not as great as some of Kanye's masterwork of the past, but it's better than most of Jay-Z's work for me. I was curious how my favorite artist and one of my least favorite rappers would work together, and they worked great, they had a strong chemistry, and in my mind, Kanye elevated the level of Jay-Z on this record. One thing for certain, I've never heard some of the production like I heard on this record, and it has a couple of the Best Songs of the Year, and "Murder to Excellence" may be one of the best songs I've Ever Heard.

Final Rating 4/5

Ace Hood "Blood, Sweat & Tears"

Ace Hood has been around for a few years, he's had 2 albums "Gutta" and "Ruthless", but for a lot of people the first anyone heard of Ace Hood was his song "Hustle Hard" Ace Hood's first monster hit, and it was a monster hit for a reason...it goes hard. "Hustle Hard" produced by Lex Luger is a really unique song, with a crazy beat, and a wild flow from Ace Hood, the song was very fresh and made a name for him in mainstream Hip-Hop. The ironic thing however, is that while "Hustle Hard" goes hard more than half the tracks on his new album "Blood, Sweat & Tears" are mid-tempo sort of slow tracks, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected after the lead single.

Obviously both the original "Hustle Hard" and the remix are great songs, and there are other songs that go hard, like the second single "Go N' Get It" which is a pretty good song as well, but has a very similar feel to "Hustle Hard" both tracks were produced by Lex Luger, the opening track which features T-Pain called "King of the Streets" is a really good song, another really good song is "Memory Lane" which features Kevin Cossom. But that's about it for the up-tempo "club" tracks, everything else as I said is mid-tempo, slower track, like I said it's not a bad thing, the best song on the entire album is a slower song called "Letter to My Ex's" the song was produced by Cardiak, the beat is cool, but simple, lyrically the song is funny and honest, and has a unique sound to it. However the song "Body 2 Body" featuring Chris Brown is boring, unoriginal, slow and nothing new, I understand what Ace Hood was going for on this track, but it just didn't work and brings the album to a slow halt.

While the album wasn't exactly what I expected, it's still quality, of the 12 tracks all but 1 range from quality to great, as I said before "Hustle Hard" and "Letter to My Ex's" are great songs, I liked the opener a lot, "Memory Lane" was the most up-tempo track on the album, and very good as was "Errythang" which features a strong verse from Yo Gotti, and "Bitter World" was another good song.

One thing for sure about Ace Hood's lyrical content, the dude is very honest about himself, this isn't the typical post-Biggie "Rags to Riches" album, the album tells Ace Hood's story about survival by any means, and in case you haven't heard the other 2 Ace Hood albums "Lord Knows" is a good introduction song.

"Blood, Sweat & Tears" may not be what a lot of people expect from it, given both the lead and second single (Go N' Get It) but it's a really good album none the less, definitely worthy of picking up. It's funny to me that this week the Past, the Present, and the Future all have new albums coming out, of course Jay-Z (Past) and Kanye (Present) have a collaboration coming out Friday (or tomorrow on iTunes) but the future belongs to guys like Ace Hood, and with the future of Hip-Hop in the hands of Ace Hood, I think Hip-Hop is in pretty good shape.

Also, make sure to check back for a review of the Kanye West and Jay-Z collaboration "Watch the Throne"

Why NBA Fans Should be Concerned

For a lot of NFL fans the recent lock-out seemed brutal and as if it would never come to an end. Indeed, the two sides seemed so far apart that it did look as if football would in fact be delayed or that there would be a lose in games. Luckily, the two parties kissed and made up, with things basically back to how they were, the only players really effected were rookies, no more crazy and outrageous contracts for players coming out of college, they now have to prove themselves for 5 years before they can start making the money rookies used to make, which personally I think was a great move, teams with the 1st pick overall won't have to shell out the money they once had to get their players all but guaranteeing the players will have to play for the team that drafted them.

As rough as the NFL lock-out may have seemed, it's nothing compared to the vast differences between players and owners in the NBA, and will no doubt make the NFL lock-out look like a minor dispute by comparison.

There are a lot of variables David Stern and the NBA owners have to worry about that Roger Goodell and the NFL owners never did, the biggest cause for concern of course is that while football and the NFL is by far the biggest sport in the US, and I guess basketball and baseball would be tied for second, those two sports popularity are dwarfed when compared to the NFL, but as massive as the NFL is in the States, once you leave the confines of the US American Football is regarded as little more than a joke, on the world stage people just don't care about American Football. This gave players a lack of options, it was basically agree to these terms or you won't have a job. The NFL players got very little out of this lock-out, other than the fact that they still have jobs.

On the opposite end of the spectrum other than soccer of course, which is easily the worlds biggest sport, basketball is Huge on the world stage, it's definitely the number 2 sport in the world, giving the NBA players a huge advantage over NFL players. Lebron took his talents to South Beach last year, this year he could end up taking his talents half way around the world to Turkey, that scenario sounds hard to believe but is very possible. Already one of the leagues best point guards Deron Williams of the Nets has said if there is no season next year he will definitely play abroad. Nike offered Kobe Bryant something almost in the Billions if he would take his talents to China next season, were both the Nike brand is huge as is Kobe himself. The crazy thing is most of these players would make considerably more money by going overseas than they ever will under the new terms projected by David Stern and the owners. So at this point the question has changed from will there be an NBA season next year to why wouldn't they play overseas if that's where the money is? In the case of Deron Williams he's said it's not about the money, him playing overseas is more about not losing a year of his career (which he is in his prime) to a lock-out. Many other players have expressed similar sentiments, they don't care about the money, they just want to play, but in the case of Kobe who has been offered a fortune to play overseas, he's said the money isn't the issue, his career is starting to wind down, he has maybe one or two more years where he will look like the Kobe Bryant we all know, inevitably father time will catch up to him and he won't be able to do those amazing things he always has, between the playoffs and regular season this guy has a lot of miles on him. So with that in mind why wouldn't he play overseas, better to still play in your prime than to get a year older, and Kobe expressed similar feelings to what a lot of players have said, that the best basketball is in the United States and it's in the NBA, to compete against any other competition would almost be unfair, kind of like Kevin Durant scoring 66 points recently at Rucker Park in New York. Rucker Park is probably the toughest playground court in the country and Durant scored 66 on the guys there without hardly breaking a sweat. Even though the global game has improved, that's kind of the way I imagine games looking with NBA players playing overseas.

Someone could make the case that David Stern did this to himself, it was and always has been his intent to make the NBA a global phenomenon, and Stern is chiefly among the reason the NBA and it's players are so popular the world over. Stern wisely used the popularity of Michael Jordan and his name in the States to help build the NBA brand throughout the world, that combined with the popularity of Chinese Yao Ming would turn the NBA into a global force. This decision was very good for the league but as it turns out, could turn out to be a big part of the labor dispute.

What exactly is this current strike about anyway? The easiest way to put it, is Stern is trying to prevent a Super Team like we saw last year with the Miami Heat, by putting a strict salary cap on what teams can spend. This also means that many current players would have to take minor to sever pay cuts. A lot of casual fans have argued that "these players make enough money already" the thing people have to realize is these players were given contracts, they were told they would make 'X' amount of dollars and that's what they should get paid. It would be like an employer telling me he was going to pay me $50,000 a year and then halfway through the year asking if would I mind doing the same work for $5,000 a year, that's not right, and that's what Derek Fisher and the rest of the Player's Union are fighting against.

While the NFL lock-out was the equivalent of watching two 4-year olds slap-box, the NBA lock-out is a bare-knuckle heavy weight fight. Thankfully we will have football this coming season, and on time. I would be pleasantly surprised if we had any kind of season next year, half a season or even a quarter of a season would come as a surprise to me, the NBA Season starting on time...that just ain't gonna happen, I would love to be proven wrong.

Throwback Thursday [Straight Outta Compton and Elden Campbell]

With the new and brilliant Game mixtape coming out earlier this week it only made since to look back at West Coast Hip-Hop, there would be no Game, no Snoop, no Warren G, 2Pac's career would have certainly been different if not for one of the greatest Hip-Hop groups of all-time (personally my 2nd favorite all-time) N.W.A. 

N.W.A. didn't just change West Coast Rap as we know it, it changed Hip-Hop as we know it, while Public Enemy was out East doing somewhat of the same thing they did it in a thought provoking, conscience way, N.W.A. came out raw, angry, bitter, with a chip on their shoulder, and that was obvious when you first heard them. "Straight Outta Compton" is easily one of the best records ever made, not just in Hip-Hop, and the title track is explosive and set the tone for what type of group this was all about

While the group would split, Ice Cube going to a solo rap career, soon followed by becoming a very good actor/writer, Dre would go on to produce, and of course created another of the greatest records of all-time in "The Chronic" and Eazy-E tragically would die from HIV, they will always be remember for an amazing album, and single-handedly changing the course of Hip-Hop for years to come. 

One amazing thing about the album is how modern it still sounds, there are a lot of Hip-Hop albums that after a year or two sound very dated and lame, 20+ years later, "Straight Outta Compton" sounds every bit as good today as it did when it came out.

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Here is a fun piece of trivia, who was the Lakers leading scorer during the entire decade of the 90's? Well, obviously his picture was posted already, but yes, Elden Campbell was the Lakers leading scorer in that entire decade. The 90's was a very interesting time in Lakers history, it was the end of one great Era, The Magic and Kareem Era, and saw the beginning stages of the Kobe and Shaq Era, and yet with all that going on, someone had to keep the Lakers franchise going, and that responsibility when to Center Elden Campbell. 

Campbell was born and raised in LA, as a result he was a fan favorite, after playing college ball on the East Coast at Clemson he returned to LA as a Laker in the 1990 draft. During his time as a Laker he earned the nickname "The Janitor" both for his workman like skill set, and the way he "cleaned the glass" aka grabbed rebounds. Campbell played for the Lakers from 1990-1999, and after being moved around from one team to another he caught on with the Pistons in 2004, only to face his former team (the Lakers) in the NBA Finals, Campbell was a surprisingly big factor in the Series, as his tremendous defense against Shaq would prove to be a difference maker in the Pistons NBA Championship.