Inspired by my visit to the hip-hop class at Baruch College. What other rappers do you think are due for some investigating? Leave a note in the comments.
Posted by jsmooth995 at January 17, 2008 9:33 AM
Comments
is that the
me&
you&
your momma&
your cousin too
shirt?
Posted by: fastcharles at January 17, 2008 10:20 AM
True as always. Nice to see you've got you game goin on! Keep it up.
Peace from Stockholm.
//E
Posted by: E at January 17, 2008 10:55 AM
I see you with the regular posting, Jay! Another good video... keep it up!
And the analogy between baseball and hip-hop really fits. We know that 'roids in ball weren't introduced by a few evil players... the industry introduced it.
And yes, let's avoid any and all Oprah town hall meetings. :-)
Speak the truth!
I can't say that I've disagreed with any of your vid blogs I've seen thus far. Keep speaking the the REAL!
I'm a fan!
Posted by: chilady at January 17, 2008 12:09 PM
Speak the truth!
I can't say that I've disagreed with any of your vid blogs I've seen thus far. Keep speaking the the REAL!
I'm a fan!
Posted by: chilady at January 17, 2008 12:09 PM
Another on point commentary from J. It's funny, my boys and I were just discussing this exact thing like 3 days before it hit press. Talking how Tim, Dre, and Busta got so large without (excuse the obvious stereotype) being locked up. I mean, no way they just worked out that damned much. It's a sad thing. Crazy because, you don't have to be large to be big, or talented. TI is huge, and quite tiny. Kweli has an exorbitant amount of talent, and he's not a big guy. Sadly, this will lead to another negative light being shone on hip-hop. One we do not need at all. But, at least now the mystery of how Tim went from chubbed out to diesel is solved!
Posted by: Mike at January 17, 2008 12:18 PM
"Talking how Tim, Dre, and Busta got so large without (excuse the obvious stereotype) being locked up. I mean, no way they just worked out that damned much."
I guess instead of working on Detox, Dre was busy bulking up.
Anyway, I'm a big fan, Jay. I always get excited when I see a new video update of yours. Keep speaking the truth.
Posted by: Matthew Milam at January 17, 2008 2:08 PM
can we do some comparison photos like when you saw barry bonds when he was a rookie and now....like is there some random photo of 50 when he was 19 and weighs like 145 pounds? or has all evidence been destroyed.
but from what i remember he was always decently big....but anytime you have 6 pack and a swollen stomach its typically roids.
Posted by: r0k at January 17, 2008 4:25 PM
rappers on 'roids? i dont know if they need them, but why Mary J., why?
Thanks Jay, its about time someone asked rappers to stop taking their tops off... when u see crowd shots at a 50 gig, 95% of the crowd are skinny white boys screaming at the muscle man with his top off! THIS IS NOT A GOOD LOOK!!!! The similarities between hip pop and wwf just keep getting closer and closer and closer... wouldnt be so bad if these gangster chippendale shows weren't passed of as hip hop and these guys realised they were in the wrong business... there plenty of stripping jobs out there dudes.. go make it rain fiddy!!
Posted by: G at January 17, 2008 10:32 PM
Thanks for stopping by Baruch. definitely appreciate the time and effort you put into coming. hope you get the clipse on your station
Posted by: AcE B.w.B meng!!! at January 18, 2008 12:01 AM
You're absolutely right, Daddy-O!
Thank you for that.
Unfortunately, the difference is that baseball is a sport. In order to rap, all you need is to be able to hold the mic on stage. Has there even BEEN a video where rappers claimed to have hand skills since "Mama Said Knock You Out"?
I'm expecting major repercussions to the economy if you continue to be right on the money jay.
too cheesy?
Posted by: TakaM at January 18, 2008 9:07 PM
You blog is always right on. I don't want to say like "keep up the good work" because a. your blog is better than mine and b.you never fail to produce something intelligent and thought provoking
I don't know, man. Maybe if you were shirtless in your vlog, your point would have been more clear. LOL!
Seriously though, I think that using 'roids or HGH or whatever has been thought of as being akin to plastic surgery. That is, it's simply a way to enhance one's physical appearance, which is undeniably important in the music industry. E.G. 50 Cent gaining 80 pounds of muscle is the same as Lil' Kim growing a couple of cup sizes. Obviously, that's a point of view rooted in absolute ignorance, but that's my hunch. I even worked with a guy that took his wife's birth control pills to increase his estrogen levels so he could get a prescription of 'roids legally. I didn't hang around long enough to find out if it worked, but he did get all chubby and soft.
Anyway, people keep fucking with chemistry when common sense states that you don't fuck with things you don't understand. Maybe this is just further evidence of how thoroughly "style" is kicking "substance's" ass in the marketplace. And those of us who couldn't care less about the marketing of art are left scratching our heads, like when we look at a Billboard list any given day of the week.
Posted by: crjacobsen at January 19, 2008 1:40 AM
Actually, Byron Hurt's documentary "Beyond Beats and Rhymes" spoke on the "homoeroticism" that's been happening in hip hop. But there's always been rappers taking their clothes off. Even before LL Cool J was all bulked up, he rocked his teenage, bird-chested self all over the place. Even beyond hip hop... on Al Green's Greatest Hits CD Cover, he's shirtless. And there are countless others who rock with no shirt on. It's supposed to establish "strength" and appeal to the ladies -- which I think insults our intelligence. But what these rappers forget is it's not just ladies looking at them. And we know how they feel about that. But to keep up appearances on such hectic schedules, I don't doubt some will juice up. But, maybe if companies put more energy into making timeless music, rather than damage their artists' bodies, they'd stop putting out equally damaging music. Hmmm... now there's a concept!
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