I usually don’t post movies in Friday Night ‘Fro that I don’t think are good. But seeing that Janky Promoters (Or The Janky Promoters as it says in the opening credits) is based off the shady show promoters in the Hip-Hop and the music business in general, why the hell not? Plus it has Young Jeezy in the movie playing himself.

Janky Promoters is easily the worst Ice Cube movie and you can quickly see why it didn’t make it to the movie theaters (Mike Epps isn’t at his best here either). Not to say there isn’t any funny parts…just not that many. The cast is the usual suspects (Darris Love, Tamala Jones, Glenn Plummer, Lil’ JJ, etc.). One person told me that it’s best to watch this movie while high to up the comedy. since I don’t smoke, I guess I’m outta luck.

Check out “Modesto’s Finest” and tell us what you think.

Sidenote: I would have uploaded a better quality version of this film but your boy B-Easy got the flu. I’m in a NyQuil fog right now (No Lil’ Wayne though).

A few Tuesday’s ago (May, 19th to be exact) we saw album releases from Busta Rhymes, Method Man/Redman, & of course, Eminem. This was so far the biggest release date of 2009. All three acts that I mentioned are veterans in the game and well respected by their peers. Another thing they have in common: They’re all over the age of 30. If you think about it, most of Hip-Hop’s elite are over the age of 30. I guess it’s no longer a young man’s game. So I was thinking, since you see a lot of lists with titles such as “25 Hottest Celebs Under 25” or “40 Richest Under 40”, why not The Best 30 Rappers Over 30? But for this list, we got set some ground rules. #1 of course is the most obvious; you gotta be over the age of 30 (That throws out people like Weezy, Lupe, Drake, & T.I.). #2, you have to be 30 as of this list (Both The Game & Joe Budden will be 30 this year, but aren’t as of yet). #3, you got to be active and releasing records with new material that’s relevant (Rakim & Big Daddy Kane are legends but they don’t make this list). Other than that, the only requirement is being 3-0 or older. So, here’s it: The Best 30 Rappers Over 30 (Ordered from oldest to youngest). 30 is the new 20! Did I forget anybody? (Update: Fabolous replaces Beanie Sigel)

Ice Cube (June 15, 1969) – 39
Jay-Z (December 4, 1969) – 39
Raekwon (January 12, 1970) – 39
Q-Tip (April 10, 1970) – 39
Redman (April 17, 1970) – 39
Ghostface Killah (May 9, 1970) – 39
Fat Joe (August 19, 1970) – 38
Scarface (November 9, 1970) – 38
DMX (December 18, 1970) – 38
Method Man (April 1, 1971) – 38
Snoop Dogg (October 20, 1971) – 37
Common (March 13, 1972) – 37
Busta Rhymes (May 20, 1972) – 37
Black Thought (October 3, 1972) – 36
Eminem (October 17, 1972) – 36
Bun B (March 19, 1973) – 36
Nas (September 14, 1973) – 35
Mos Def (December 11, 1973) – 35
Andre 3000 (May 27, 1974) – 35
Styles P (November 28, 1974) – 34
Big Boi (February 1, 1975) – 34
Jadakiss (May 27, 1975) – 34
50 Cent (July 6, 1975) – 33
Talib Kweli (October 3, 1975) – 33
Rick Ross (January 28, 1976) – 33
Cam’ron (February 4, 1976) – 33
Kanye West (June 8, 1977) – 31
Ludacris (September 11, 1977) – 31
Young Jeezy (October 12, 1977)- 31
Fabolous (November 18, 1977) – 31

This is one of those albums that will grab your attention just with the title: What better way to say America is racist than this? Back 1990, Ice Cube was fresh off of N.W.A., and let me tell you, this brother was hungry. This album alone, along with Death Certificate, which came one year later, shows that. Cube was ruthless back then, and when I say ruthless, I mean he wouldn’t be in a movie unless the rating was R. Hell, at this time, I don’t even think Cube was even concerned with acting, even though his performance as Doughboy from Boyz N Da Hood is still that of classic status. All he wanted to do was preach the evils of society in raps and just get his name out as a solo artist, which I think he was successful in doing with AmeriKKKas Most Wanted.

The album was produced by Tha Bomb Squad, known for their work with Public Enemy, and this work on AmeriKKKas Most Wanted gave Ice Cube’s album a very East Coast style sound that with Ice Cube’s storytelling and gifted lyricism, pushed him to the forefront of Hip-Hop and also gained acclaim from all parts of the Hip-Hop world. “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted”, the title track, is just amazing: the production flawless, with the way the track switches up frequently between each verse, and Ice Cube’s lyrics are fiery: “I’m smooth and slippery/They can’t get with me/Cops ain’t shit to me”. Ice Cube also displayed superior storytelling ability on the single “Who’s the Mack”, which was about a pimp and his interactions with various people. The ratings that this album has gotten from every Hip-Hop publication and website can only make this album nothing but classic.

Well, look at this. Even though King Jerm didn’t exactly love Raw Footage, you gotta give props to Ice Cube. He might not sale as much as his last album (Laugh Now, Cry Later sold 144,000 in it’s first week), but Cube’s been it the game for 23 years…and he’s only 39! Looking at it that way, 70,000 album sales isn’t bad at all. Speaking of elder rappers, I also gotta tip my hat to the GZA. Pro Tools sold 9,000 and landed at #52. I thought the album could have been better and really didn’t expect it to land in the Top 100. I also see Shwayze (From the MTV reality show Buzzin‘) is doing okay with their debut. And no, we probably won’t be reviewing that album; sorry. Oh yeah, where to fuck did Yung Berg go? He debuted at #20 last week. Dang, this guy can not catch a break. Check back next week to see how The Game’s L.A.X. did. Let’s look at this week’s numbers…

#5 Ice Cube/Raw Footage (Last Week: NA) – 69,763; Total: NA [Debut]
#7 Lil’ Wayne/Tha Carter III (Last Week: #6) – 56,820; Total: 2,263,325 (2X Platinum) [11 Weeks]
#10 Shwayze/Shwayze (Last Week: NA) – 46,584; Total: NA [Debut]
#12 Rhianna/Good Girl Gone Bad (Last Week: #9) – 39,301; Total: 1,675,974 (Platinum) [64 Weeks]
#24 Lloyd/Lessons In Love (Last Week: #17) – 15,611; Total: 88,997 [3 Weeks]
#25 Nas/Untitled (Last Week: #21) – 15,075; Total: 349,813 [6 Weeks]
#39 Plies/Definition Of Real (Last Week: #35) – 10,835; Total: 469,638 [11 Weeks]
#40 David Banner/The Greatest Story Ever Told (Last Week: #36) – 10,658; Total: 123,688 [6 Weeks]
#42 Chris Brown/Exclusive (Last Week: #37) – 10,300; Total: 1,759,300 [52 Weeks]
#52 GZA/Pro Tools (Last Week: NA) – 9,027; Total: NA [Debut]

Outside of the very first rap album ever released, this is the most important album in the history of Hip-Hop music and culture. The effects of this monumental album live on not just in music, but in our everyday lives. There was a time when the overwhelming majority of Hip-Hop music was feel good party music, braggadocios rap, and storytelling. Enter Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and DJ Yella here. With their eyes set squarely on letting the world see the tough streets of Compton, they hit us with Straight Outta Compton. Everyone knew of the gritty gang infested streets, violence, and drug world, but no one was covering it. NWA blew the lid off that world and allowed everyone in on how it went down on the west side and single-handedly put West Coast rap on the map. With songs like “Dopeman”, “Straight Outta Compton”, “Fuck the Police”, “Gangsta Gangsta”, and “Express Yourself”, the crew took over white suburbia, the government, and the music industry simultaneously with its Gangsta Rap.  The album was the first to reach platinum status with approximately 80% of that being bought in the suburbs. That is quite the feat when you consider that this was done with no commercial promotion and was banned from the radio. This is, still even today, the most gangsta album ever made and by far, some of the most classic material.

 Download: NWA – “Straight Outta Compton”

Another week comes up and once again we go with newer material for Song of the Week (Stop the complaining people, I promise we’ll start back to posting some older gems…one day). Well, this week we giving you two bonus tracks from two of California’s finest (And you say we don’t show West Coast love on nappyafro.com). Actually, these two have a lot in coming with all the West Coast Connection rumors. The first is a bonus track off the recently King Jerm reviewed Raw Footage (Thanks to Obese from It’s Another One). The second is from The Game’s upcoming L.A.X. (Thanks to Derek from Tha Carter Cartel). The L.A.X. will be reviewed by yours truly; but you won’t see that until next week when it officially drops.

Download:  Ice Cube -”Crack Baby”

Download: The Game feat. Newz – “Nice”

One of the most influential persons in Hip-Hop returns with his second independent release titled Raw Footage. After selling more than 600K units with his last offering Laugh Now, Cry Later, Cube found out that you don’t have to shop your albums with the majors if your paper is straight. Cube, who has been making big money in Hollywood, one would wonder why he would continue to make music anymore. The answer to that is simply because he loves doing it. Let’s get to the music!

What is a Pyroclastic Flow?
An intro with the person that played Lauren London’s father on ATL. Nothing major here.

I Got My Locs On
Featuring Young Jeezy; Produced by DJ Toomp
First thing you notice is the topnotch production by Toomp, and the second thing you notice is how Cube has dumbed his lyrical style down. He sounds like he is a Southern rapper instead of his usual Cali flow. Jeezy makes up for Cube’s shortcomings, but the song is still HOT.

It Takes a Nation
Produced by Emile
Cube comes back with a West Coast sounding rendition of Jay-Z’s “Takeover”. Cube gets political on the song mentioning he wanted to get into a fistfight with the President. The song definitely has that West Coast sound to it, but the beat is the only thing that I like on the track.

Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It
Produced by Maestro
This song came out at a time when Hip-Hop was the blame for everything. Cube actually sounds like the old Cube on this one. I am not a big fan of the hook, but I like the message on the song.

Hood Mentality
Produced by Da Beatsmith
The production on this one is different, but it’s hot in its own way. Cube goes back to the ABC rhymes on this one with lines like this one, “Everybody wanna call Michael a psycho, but he ain’t never come through the hood with a rifle.” The message on the song is dope, but the way it’s presented, will have you shaking your head.

Why Me?
Featuring Musiq Soulchild; Produced by Hallway Productionz
Cube raps over a soulful beat with the help of Musiq. I can’t front on this song, this one is real SMOOTH. Cube’s delivery is on the shaky side, but he makes it work on this track.

Cold Places
Produced by Da Beatsmith
The production on this one is good, it seems like Cube mailed this one in. He is just rambling on and on about the same topic he rapped about on the previous songs. NEXT!

Jack N the Box
Produced by Tha Bizness
Cube has some bubblegum rhymes like this one, “when I bring the noise from here to Illinois, muthafuckas love when I do what it does.” Come on Cube, you are better than that. NEXT.

Do Ya Thang
Produced by Polumbo Beats
He takes it back to the West Coast on this one, but his delivery is still the problem. He even says, “Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the flyest of them all” on the song. The beat is BLAZING, but the rhymes are on the weak side.

Thank God
Produced by Da Beatsmith
The production on this song is HOT. Cube speeds up his flow a little bit, and that was the demise of the song. When given beats this good, Cube still can’t deliver the goods.

Here He Come
Featuring Doughboy; Produced by DJ Toomp
Once again, Toomp comes thru with a bass pounding beat that Cube can’t keep up with. Thankfully, Doughboy came through with some decent lyrics to save the song.

Get Money, Spend Money, No Money
Produced by Maestro
All I have to say about this song is this…SKIP! The song is boring and Cube’s delivery continues to be a problem.

Get Used to It
Featuring WC & The Game; Produced by Embeatz
Off all the good beats that he has on the album, he decided to use one of the weakest for the song The Game is featured on. Cube’s verse is atrocious, WC gives us his usual rhyme, and The Game’s verse was the only reason why I would recommend this song to anyone.

Tomorrow
Produced by Warryn “Baby Dubb” Campbell
The good production returns, but we still have the same old same with Cube. Boring topics with a weak delivery that could have been avoided by picking up another movie script.

Stand Tall
Produced by DJ Crazy Toones & David “Dizmix” Lopez
Cube smoothes it out on this song and I have to say this is one of the better songs on the album. I have no qualms with his delivery on this one because it fits with the track. BANGER!

Take Me Away
Featuring Butch Cassidy; Produced by Djay Cas & Yung Fokus
Cube closes the album with a decent song which he namedrops Obama a couple of times and continues with the boring raps. How are you going to close out an album on a weak note like that? One of many questions I had for Cube after listening to this album.

Bottom Line:
When you are an independent artist and you’re paying most of the bill, you can do what you want. However, when you are a legend in the game and you continue to put out less than your best, then it might be time to call it quits. Cube is one of the most successful rappers of all time, but with him releasing music like this, I feel like he is Kareem in the 1989 Finals. He just doesn’t have it anymore. The window has passed and Cube has been spending too much time outside the studio. He doesn’t even have to make music anymore…so why does he keep going? Maybe he is just scratching that itch that makes him want to hit the studio, but when is he going to realize he is only hurting his legacy. Cube was an innovator, but on this album, it seemed like he conformed to what everybody else is doing today. His delivery was off, lyrics were on the dull side, and for most of the album he sounded like he was forcing the music. If you are an Ice Cube fan, you probably are going to be disappointed in this offering.

nappyPicks: “I Got My Locs On”, “Why Me?”, & “Stand Tall”

Download: Ice Cube – “Stand Tall”

It’s that time again! Back by popular demand (not really) its 5 Questions! King Jerm takes you down that road…again!
I’ve been getting so many emails, “King Jerm, when you bringing the 5 Questions back?” So for my fiends out there, here you go! Remember, the first time is on the house, next time you going to have to pay me!

Question #1: Are you excited about the new Ice Cube album?

His new album Raw Footage is set to release this summer, after some good response that he received from Laugh Now, Cry Later. That album went gold, which is good for an indie. I hope he goes the Snoop route and get some ghostwriters to help him out. Cube you are an OG, it’s cool for you to go out and get some help!

Question #2: When will we get another BIG Hip-Hop tour?

It’s been a while now, but we need another big rap tour. Remember the Hard Knock Life Tour, the Cash Money/Ruff Ryder tour, and the No Way Out tour. We need another big tour to restore the feeling. Artists, put the egos aside and figure out a way to put together something major! The problem is this; who’s the headliner?

Question #3: How do you use “No BitchAssNess” in a sentence?

Man is it that easy to coin a phrase? I wish we had a tenth of the resources that Diddy has, we would have T-Shirts out the turd cutter! But seriously, how do you use it in a sentence? Does it replace “No Homo”? Somebody help me please!

Question #4: What will T.I.’s next album sound like?

Now that he’s in the midst of all the courtroom drama, word is that Tip’s on his way to becoming a Pastor? Come on Tip! Don’t go towards the light! But if that is the will then that is the will. I just don’t think that it would be a good look, because if he wouldn’t have gotten in trouble would he be doing this?

Question #5: Is the Unit back?

Over the past few months G-Unit has been smashing the net with new music. Somehow I think that 50 is driven by beef! When some beef is brewing, Fiddy is in the studio banging out music. Word is that they are working on a G-Unit Gangsta Grillz album! That would be MAJOR!

In 1991, Ice Cube was the best MC in the world. I’m not telling you just my opinion, it’s the truth. Exhibit A: Death Certificate. In 1991, Ice Cube released what I believe to be one of the best Hip-Hop albums of all time when he birthed Death Certificate. After going East with the Public Enemy’s Bomb Squad on his first release AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, and testing more waters with the EP Kill At Will, this album was O’Shea Jackson at his finest. It was here that Ice Cube refined his social commentary; he wasn’t just preaching to you about the ills of society, he was explaining it and maybe offering a solution. The way the album was set up was also genius; one side was called The Life Side, the other The Death Side (It was a time of tape cassettes, youngsters). Ice Cube explains this himself on the opening of the album; “The Death Side: a mirror image of where we are today; The Life Side: a vision of where we need to go”. From the explosive opening (“The Wrong Nigga to Fuck Wit”), to the storytelling brilliance (“Steady Mobbin’”), to cautionary (“Look Who’s Burnin’”), to comical (“Givin’ Up the Nappy Dug Out”), to creative (“Alive on Arrival”), the album gives you a barrage of classics. If you want lyrics, it has that too. A great example of this is on “Alive On Arrival”; Woke up in the back of a tray/On my way, to MLK/That the county hospital jack/Where niggaz die over a little scratch/Still sittin’ in the trauma center/In my back is where the bullet entered/Yo nurse I’m gettin kind of warm/Bitch still made me fill out the fuckin’ form/Coughin up blood on my hands and knees/Then I heard “freeze nigger don’t move”/Yo, I didn’t do a thing/Didn’t wanna go out like my man Rodney King. Oh yea, let’s not forget that this album also contained the best diss song of all time and NWA funeral song, “No Vaseline”. I could go on and on, but in short, Ice Cube’s Death Certificate is everything a Hip-Hop album can and should be.

Example: Ice Cube – “Alive On Arrival”

We had to bring this segment back, this time with a new honoree to add to the Hall of Shame! The lucky winner this time is Ice Cube! After becoming the face of the early 90’s generation, Cube went to Hollywood and began a career in acting. Now there is nothing wrong with him leaving rap to act, he just needs to stick with one or the other. Today he is a far better actor than he is a rapper. But let’s turn the clock back 18 years when he was still a member of NWA. He was the backbone of the crew, writing most of the lyrics, and really the only one that could rap. After having some money issues he decided to go solo and that is where he began his rise to the top. After releasing what many think to be one of the best albums of all-time AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, Cube embodied what every young black male was facing in the good ole USA. After that album dropped he then went on to drop four more solo joints and one with Westside Connection before he started gravitating towards Hollywood. Ice Cube was a “Gangsta,” now he is a guy that makes PG movies that are safe for the family. Not that it’s anything wrong with that, because he has kids. The problem is this; don’t make “gangsta” music anymore if you are not a “gangsta.” I give guys passes all the time, but I had to call Cube out! I used to jam a Cube song every now and then, but honestly, have you heard some of his music lately? It’s garbage! I like seeing guys go out in style instead of being forced out. Nice Cube is digging his own grave. So let’s welcome the newest member to the club…Ice Cube! You had a spark when you started, now you just garbage!