Even thoughthis version of the song isn’t better that the Lupe one, this ain’t bad… I mean once you get pass all the Diddy Auto-Tune. Plus I’ve always had a place in my heart for Bad Boy music videos (“Feel So Good” is in my Top 5). You also get to see Ricky Ross live out more of his Biggie Smalls fantasy (Check out that 1st car scene with Puff and tell me I’m lying).

Download: Dirty Money feat. Rick Ross – “Angels (remix)”

I was on the internet and I saw a thing Vibe was doing to settle once and for all who is the best rapper alive. They made a bracket type thing to have the readers vote on who is the best; it’s like the March Madness brackets. They’ve got the four brackets based on some of the legends in Hip-Hop: The Notorious B.I.G. Bracket, the Tupac Bracket, etc. On the surface it seems cool, right?? WRONG!!

Vibe seriously fucked this up! Man, this could have actually been the official thing to prove who was the best rapper alive, but I’m like “what the fuck” for real! They had the nerve to put niggas like Soulja Boy and Rich Boy on here, but no mention of Freeway, Young Chris, or Blu. Not to mention they seriously messed up the match-ups: Shawty LO versus T.I.? We all already know who won that, but maybe the votes will snap Shawty LO back into reality. Kanye versus FOXY BROWN!?!? Oh come on!

I bet you can’t wait to hear who came out as the 1st seaters: Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne, Eminem, and Andre 3000. Eminem beat out NAS!?!? What kind of bullshit is that? Nas has at least dropped 2 hot albums in the last four years. Nas has been in the game longer, and everything. I could go on and on with this. #2 Seaters are Kanye (Not bad man!), T.I. (He edged out Luda!), Nas (Boo!!), and Snoop Dogg (Fair).

But you really can’t fuck with these match-ups: Jay-Z gets a BYE!! (He either has to go against Jim Jones or Diddy…). He’s too good for that! Then in the second round, he goes against Lauryn Hill!!! How ’bout Missy Elliot versus Lil’ Mama! Or Mos Def versus Talib Kweli! Lil’ Wayne versus Trina! I could really go on and on, but you can look at these fucked up match-ups yourself.

You can look at the brackets here

Below, I made a list of rappers that got robbed. I didn’t get everybody, but I got a quick list off the top of my head.

Freeway: You got Soulja Boy and Rich Boy up there, but this nigga has serious skills and they overlooked him! Two albums out, in the game for almost 10 years…

Blu: He’s got more skill than most of the niggas on that list, and that’s real.

Styles P: Man, where the fuck was he?? I can’t believe they overlooked him. They had Jadakiss on there, but they forgot P!

Rakim: Do I have to say anything here? He’s still alive people!

Dr. Dre: No Words here…

KRS-One: No Words here either…

Vibe seriously fucked up on this one. Here’s my prediction:

Final Four: Nas, Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne, and Andre 3000

Top Two: Lil’ Wayne and Nas

Winner: Lil’ Wayne

That’s a realist prediction. Personally, I think either Jay-Z or Nas is the best rapper alive, but Lil’ Wayne is going to win, and we all know that. And if he does, it truly shows how fucked up Hip-Hop in my opinion; that a rapper with no classic albums under his belt (unless you consider C3 classic…yeah, right…) could take it all away from 3 rappers with at least 3 classics under each of their belts. Just my opinion though.

You can vote right now to see who is better right now out of Jim Jones and Diddy. So far, Jim is winning…yeah. Anyway, if you want in on this, go to Vibe.com and vote starting July 21st. Let’s see how this plays out: any predictions?

Damn, it’s kinda quiet on the Hip-Hop front huh? No review going up today, so I guess it’s as good as time as any to do another iPod Hustle. This is where I pick some songs off my ever present iPod and explain to you what I’m currently listening to. Sometimes it’s new stuff; sometimes it’s old stuff, but all the time its good stuff. In this edition I‘m going all Nas. Yep, in anticipation of the “official” release of Untitled/Nigger, I looking at the Nas songs on my iPod I’m currently listening to. Not saying that these are the best or even the hottest Nas songs, just a few that I currently playing (That’s not on the new album).

Download: Nas – “Nigger Hatred” (2008)

I’m sure you’ve seen this one online (It was also played in the intro of “Be A Nigger Too” music video). But since all the links seem to be taken down, why not put it here. While “Queens Get The Money” is a worthy intro, I still hope this ends up on the official album (It may be a bonus track). It’s just piano and Nas spitting some revolutionary shit; “This is the genesis/I don’t even see a worthy arch nemesis/I get loose like the Jena 6/They put a noose on Pac/Now I’m defending Vick/And free that nigga Tip”.

Download: Diddy feat. Nas & Cee-Lo – “Everything I Love” (2006)

A lot of people hate on Diddy (including me) and I admit he does some cornball ass stuff. But that last album, Press Play, wasn’t half bad. One track that was a standout was the Cee-Lo/Nas featured and Kanye produced “Everything I Love”. Of course Nas outshines Diddy; “Think fast before I blast holes/Like grassy knolls/Went from scraggly old clothes to the illest fashion/The realest rappin’”(There’s also a remix featuring Jadakiss, but this isn’t about Jada).

Download: Nas – “Where Y’all At” (2006)

I’m still mad that this song wasn’t on the original album (Best Buy bonus tracks don’t count). It was this song that that initially got me hyped for Hip Hop Is Dead. I remember even the self proclaimed “Kufi Smacker” Jim Jones even said that the song was hot and good for New York. Nas channels his former ’94 self over Salaam Remi production; “Eat with my elbows top of the table/Street etiquette with speech impediments/And still see presidents, no matter who paid/Cause you ain’t take the last dollar made/Long as they keep printing it, there’s chances of getting it/Money’s my bitch, and we stay intimate”.

I’m a big kid. You know it, I know it. I paid to see all the Spider-Man movies and all three X-Men movies. I own the entire collection of Star Wars movies on DVD. The “Special Collector’s Edition” of course. So when I started seeing the trailers for the new Batman, Iron Man, and Incredible Hulk movies I was happier than pig in slop.

The closer we get to the release date the more excited I get so I decided to call my ten year old nephew and pass my excitement on. It didn’t work. It turns out that the youngest of us doesn’t really care too much about Superman or Batman or any super heroes for that matter or at least not as much as us old folks. This is how our conversation went.

D.: Hey Zeke. You having a good summer?
Zeke: It’s boring but it’s better than school.
D.:Yeah I know the feeling. So are you excited about seeing the new Batman movie?
Zeke: Nope, not really.
D.: Ahhh c’mon man we’re talking about Batman! Ok what about  Superman?
Zeke: Uh huh
D.: You know you can shoot him and he doesn’t die.
Zeke: Neither does 50 Cent.

Damn. He’s got me on that one.

D.: Yeah Zeke but Sperman can fly!
Zeke: Does he have a G5 like Jay-Z?
D.: Go read a book or something and put your dad back on the phone!

That’s when I realized that Hip-Hop stars have become the new Super Heroes to a lot of kids. Sad but true. So I decided to do a little comparing to see which hero and Hip-Hop star correspond to each other.

Superman/Jay-Z: The most recognizable hero and easily more powerful than all the others. He also married to a really hot chick that is quite ambitious and aspires to be the best reporter there has ever been or as like to put it “the hottest chick in the game”. Figure it out yet? Easy I know. Jay-Z is one of the few rappers that has gained the same level of respect that Tupac and Biggie didn’t receive until after their death. He also lives his daily life as the mild mannered Shawn Carter before flying to the rescue of the artist at the Daily Planet….er Def Jam or Roc Nation if that ever actually happens. The best rappers in the world aspire to be him and of course Beyonce is our new Lois Lane. I would say that Jim Jones is Lex Luthor but that’s giving that little piss ant too much credit.

Batman/Diddy: Billionaire industrialist, playboy, and philanthropist. Unlike many other superheroes, he does not possess superhuman powers or abilities; he makes use of intellect, technology, and physical prowess in his war on crime. He’s one of my least favorite superheros for that very fact. Sean Combs is his name and Puff Daddy, Diddy, Papa Diddy Pop or whatever name he’s going by today is his alter ego and like Batman he isn’t really talented. He made his fortune from stealing other people’s music and now he’s more of a personality and known for his clothing line than his rap songs. Batman has the best superhero costume and Puffy is usually the flyest person in the room.

The Incredible Hulk/50 Cent: He has little self-control and his actions have often either inadvertently or deliberately caused great destruction. As a result, he has been hunted by the military and other superheroes. Bruce Banner meet Curtis Jackson. Other than their remarkable physical similarities they both wreak havoc even when they are trying to do good. We all rooted Curtis on or as his known, 50 Cent, as he destroyed Ja Rule but like the Hulk he lets his rage get the best of him and subsequently starts beef with any and everyone in the Hip-Hop community. And yes Zeke like Superman and the Hulk bullets are useless against Fiddy.

Spider-Man/Eminem: Spider-Man’s early stories broke ground by attempting to relate to readers with a teenaged character who is not a sidekick but a hero himself, and who balances his personal struggles with his heroic exploits. Interscope Records along with Dr. Dre decided to make a white guy a Hip-Hop hero instead of a sidekick as well. Peter Parker has been updated to Marshall Mathers. The Amazing Eminem has made a career spewing intricate web like rhymes about his own personal struggles with his family including his mother and wife whom he’s married and divorced twice. Spider-Man tries to do the right thing, but many authority figures view him with suspicion. Thanks to a continuous smear campaign by the publisher of The Daily Bugle, many people consider Spider-Man little more than a costumed menace. The Source magazine did the exact same thing to Em but like the Daily Bugle was unsuccessful.

That was fun, weird but fun. Well it was either cool or I have my head where it can’t get any sun. I had a few more but I’ll stop there and maybe I’ll do a part two if you guys like it. With that being said I love Hip-Hop but I’d still rather have my heroes be fictional. So feel free to add any hero to Hip-Hop comparisons you have.

As I guide my way from site to site, I read all the articles and questions pop up in my head. This week some crazy things have been going on, and I had to bring some things to light. So this week we have Diddy, Amy Winehouse, Lil’ Wayne, Jim Jones, and The Game stopping through. Enough of the small talk, you came here for the QUESTIONS!

Question #1: What is Lil’ Wayne thinking?

Or should I say, is Weezy thinking? Okay, so you have 3.5 ounces of weed, over an ounce of coke, and 41 ecstasy pills, 22 grand, and a couple of pistols. Now granted, he had a license for the gun, but what are you trying to do kill yourself? Maybe Wayne is taking the “rock star” thing a little too far. Weezy is talented, but I don’t want him to have a “rock star” demise either. Come on Weezy, we want to hear the Carter III, but if you keep it up with all the charges, one of these are going to eventually stick, and you are going to get sent up the road!

Question #2: Why did The Game get ANOTHER tattoo on his face?

What these rappers are running out of real estate on their bodies? I sure hope he is putting some away for a rainy day, because what kind of job could some of these guys get with tattoos all over their faces? First it was Iron Mike, now we have The Game. When will these guys learn? Well at least this time it isn’t anything feminine, like his butterfly!

Question #3: Who cares that Diddy changed his name…AGAIN?

So this is the way you make news, Sean John? That’s the new alias in case you didn’t know. Here is a direct quote: “Right now I want to be Sean John because that’s where I am.” So what is this, the sixth name the guy has had. So Puff Daddy, Puffy, Puff, P. Diddy, Diddy, or Sean John, can we just call you what your Mom named you?

Question #4: Why do we have this love affair with Amy Winehouse?

This is the first time I have mentioned her, but B-Easy loves her and her music! But is her music that good to hear about her every move? So she wants to smoke crack, who cares? I get it, people love tragedies. We are watching a train wreck that no one is stopping. How many crackheads get as much airtime as her? Maybe on Crackheads Gone Wild, but that’s about it. So this is my one time mentioning her, and hopefully she can get some help, because all of you buying her music are supporting her habits!

Question #5: Where is Jim Jones new album?

2006 was big for Jim Jones, he had a quiet 2007, a remix here, a remix there. But he has to put out some more music for 2008! What how long did he think “We Fly High” was going to keep him on the charts? Now we will find out if he can hold the ball all alone. Hip-Hop is a strange game, one minute you’re hot, the next you’re not. Let’s hope that Jimmy is in the studio prepping some real music and not just some more mixtape music!

Well that’s all for now, see you again real soon! Don’t forget; if you have any questions or want to tell us how much you love us, hit us at nappyafromail@gmail.com!