I know we are a day late with this week’s installment of Song of the Week, but as the old saying goes, “better late than never”. This week’s edition of SOTW is delivered with a heavy heart. You guys know that King Jerm is an avid sports fan, and today one of the most popular and beloved mascots, UGA VII suddenly past away. For you guys that don’t know UGA VII is the mascot of the University of Georgia. UGA VII was 4 years old and compiled a record of 16-7 during his tenure as UGA mascot. The Bulldogs will have to take the field with a replacement for this Saturday’s home finale against the Kentucky Wildcats. RIP UGA VII.  So sit back and take a minute to reflect on anyone that you have lost. I’m out.

Download: Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth – “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)”

I really don’t need to say too much about the man this Song of the Week is dedicated to. Big Pun’s birthday was this Monday (Nov. 9th) and it’s time to pay homage. As one of the nicest, Big Pun needs to be in your conversation of one of the best MC’s of all time. Here’s just a small sampling of why. R.I.P. Big Punisher.

Download: Noreaga feat. Big Pun, Nature, Cam’ron, Jadakiss, & Styles P – “Banned From TV”
Album: N.O.R.E. (1998)
Lyric: “Ay yo I hold niggas ransom for money/Like johhny handsome/Been sonning niggas for so long/I think I got a grandson/My passion is money, a stash and a honey/That won’t ask questions but will blast anybody”

Download: Fat Joe feat. Big Pun, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Nas, & Raekwon – “John Blaze”
Album: Don Cartagena (1998)
Lyric: “I hate a actor that plays a rapper/I’m Terror Squad beta kappa everybody’s favorite rapper/Grand imperial college material insane criminal/The same nigga who known to blow out your brain mineral/I reign subliminal inside your visual/Try to supply your physical with my spiritual side of this lyrical/I’ll appear in your dreams, like Freddie do, no kidding you/Even if I stuttered I would still sh-sh-sh-shit on you”

Download: Big Pun feat. Fat Joe – “Twinz (Deep Cover ‘98)”
Album: Capital Punishment (1998)
Lyric: “Dead in the middle of Little Italy little did we know/That we riddled some middleman who didn’t do diddily”

Bouns: Joell Ortiz – “Happy Birthday Pun”
Joell Ortiz pays respect to one BX’s finests

This weeks edition of Song of the Week is dedicated to someone who puts in ALOT of work, but doesn’t get the credit they deserve, or they even care to have. But I got to let you people know who is the engine powering the car…B-EASY. The dude puts in the most time for the site, and without him, there would be no FRO! The man posts, does all the graphics art, the design, ALL HIM. (I’m the brains and the VOICE..so that matters…) So I decided to make this a B-EASY appreciation post instead of your typical SOTW. So give it up for B-EASY and enjoy a song…which is FIRE and really doesn’t fit an appreciation post, but I’m the KING!

Download: UGK – “Murder”

Seeing that I picked Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit A (Transformations)” as one of the best songs of 2008, I was super hyped to see this track pop up on the internets. Just Blaze was on Tony Touch’s Shade 45 radio show last night and premiered “Exhibit C”…and the shit was bananas! Example: “They call me Jay Electronica/Fuck that/Call me Jay ElecHannukah/Jay ElecYarmulke/Jay ElectRamadaan Muhammad Asalaamica Rasoul Allah Supana Watallah through your monitor”. The beat is crazy too (Just Blaze!).

Download: Jay Electronica – “Exhibit C”

This weeks edition of Song of the Week is dedicated to Bryan “Baby, Birdman, Stunna” Williams. This coming off of his recent comments about Jay-Z being #1 on MTV’s Hottest list. Lists sure do make for ALOT of blog material. Now I can understand you going to bat for your team…but let’s be real Birdman, Weezy isn’t on Jay’s radar moneywise. You might be, but not your son. Back to the music. I know Birdman isn’t going to make anyone’s list of Top MC’s, but you can’t kid yourself and say Baby didn’t lay a gem down on this one. I know some of you “purists” out there are going to turn your nose up to this one, but this song still goes hard to this very day. As always, this is King Jerm reminding you to help control the pet population by having you pet spayed or neutered…WRONG SHOW! Enjoy this installment of Song of the Week!

Download: Big Tymers – “#1 Stunna”

“This goes out to you, this goes out to you, this goes out to you, and you, and you, and you!” It’s hard being a King, hell it’s hard wearing a crown all the time. I’m not complaining because someone has to do it.  We have all these Carl Thomas ass niggas in the World..they EMOTIONAL. So for this week’s edition of SOTW, I decided to dedicate this to all of you HERBS out there that think King Jerm doesn’t know HIP-HOP? Are you serious? You really think because I fucks with Gucci, Soulja Boy, and other new school acts that I don’t have any knowledge about the “real” artists out there? “YOU STILL RECOUPIN..STUPID!” As always sit back and do what you does and enjoy this edition of Song of the Week!

Download: Notorious B.I.G. – “Kick In The Door”

I’ll be real with you, the only reason I’m posting this track as Song of the Week is because for some reason a few people asked me about it today. Do I like it? No. Take off Snoop’s vocals and this song could probably fit on Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel (I guess that maybe true for all of the productions by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart). But hey, don’t be surprised if this doesn’t tear up the radio airwaves. It’s suppose to be on Snoop Dogg’s Malice In Wonderland which suppose to drop in December. Enjoy?

Download: Snoop Dogg feat. The-Dream – “Gangsta Luv”

For any soul that has had a conversation with me or read my blog, you know that there are 3 things I love. Women, Hip-Hop, and My People (all of these being used as very broad, open terms.) After hearing about, and watching the fatal beating of Derrion Albert this week, I felt it was appropriate that we take time out for this weeks Song of the Week, not just send our love and prayers to his family and friends as well as those that were affected by the events, but to reflect on what it means to be a community. That one day, that one moment, as many as 5 lives were dynamically altered, one of which will not be replaced. At some point, it’s bigger than you and what may be convenient and comfortable. We’ve been long past that point…so what are YOU going to do about it? I’m speaking specifically to those who “look like me” when I say this: We each have a responsibility to ourselves and others in our community. We’ve got to do better. I’m sorry that I haven’t done more in my past, but thankful that I will do more in my future. We just can’t sit bye and let this stuff happen. Yes, I know you come here for Hip-Hop, but sometimes, it really IS bigger than Hip-Hop. R.I.P. Derrion Albert

Download: Donny Hathaway – “To Be Young, Black, And Gifted”

C-Murder gets life for shooting and killing a 16-year-old. Max B gets 75 years for his role in a robbery attempt-turned-homicide. Damn, even Plaxico Burress is going to Rikers for 20 months for shooting himself in the leg. And now Boosie gets two years in prison for drug and gun charges. Even though I shake my head because a lot of these situation could have probably been easily avoided, I also shake my head at more brothers going to jail.

But hopefully, when and if these men get out of prison, it will be a lesson learned and they will not have to venture down this path again. So the Song of the Week is dedicated to Boosie, Max B, C-Murder, Plaxico, Shyne, T.I., Tru Life, …. sad right? It’s Ludacris’ “Do Your Time” appropriately featuring three rappers who have been behind the steel bars, Beanie Sigel, C-Murder, & Pimp C (R.I.P.).

We gotta do better people.

Download: Ludacris feat. Beanie Sigel, C-Murder, & Pimp C – “Do Your Time”

Bonus: Nas – “One Love”

Seeing at how he is looked at these days, it may seem weird that I picked Kanye’s “Champion” for Song of the Week. Well, actually, it’s a dedication. To who? To Kanye West. That may seem even weirder since H20 recently gave him our coveted DMF award. Not to say he didn’t deserve it for what he did at the MTV VMA’s; he did. But we’ve given him enough flack about this already and honestly, now I actually have Kanye’s back.

You see, this whole thing has gone too far. Yes, he acted like a jackass. Yes, he’s acted this way before. But come on, does he deserve the backlash like this? Does he really need to be vilified? Or even called ni@@a by racist assholes? If we replaced Taylor Swift with Keyshia Cole, would we get the same effect to this extent? At the end of the day, Kanye West made a mistake. It’s over. A lot of these idiots are taking this shit too far. (Okay, the photoshop stuff is still funny).

This one goes out to you Yeezy; you still a champion homie.

Download: Kaye West – “Champion”