1995…

Having done 1994, it’s only right to move onto 1995. One thing to note about 1995 was that it was the year that The Show documentary was released. There were many classic hip hop releases during the year as well, but the year really belonged to the Wu. Building off of the group’s smash debut as well as Meth’s album, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, the GZA, and Ghostface all released their debuts in 1995. Kool G Rap made his last meaningful album. Mic Geronimo put some ish out for the heads. Meth/Red teamed up for “How High,” their debut as a duo. The BCC’s second artists, Smif-N-Wessun, debuted. The Pharcyde came back with a bang. The hype from Illmatic continued into AZ’s project. Same with BIG into Junior Mafia’s album. The Bay hit it big with E-40 and The Luniz both going platinum. But the biggest artist of the year was probably 2Pac….from a jail cell. His epic Me Against The World, arguably his best work, was released to praising reviews, and multi-platinum sales. But enough of that, let’s move onto the top 10 songs of 1995. I had a lot of trouble nailing this down to a top 10. And I must confess, I cheated, as you’ll see sooner than later:

10. “Shadowboxin” & “Cold World”-The Gza/Genius:
The Gza grabbed Method Man, Inspectah Deck, and D’Angelo (for the remix, fool!) for both of these cuts that I can never decide between. This is actually the first of two times I cheated on this list. What it really comes down to is personal preference. One of Meth’s best verses? Or D’Angelo’s soulfulness? So I have them both tying for number 10.  “Cold World” was the third single from the album Liquid Swords, after “Labels” and the titletrack.  Deck’s buzz was beginning to buzz as possibly, the best lyricist in the crew, at this point.  And “Cold World” only added to his hype as he out-performs Gza on the track.  Of course, when Deck finally dropped a solo album – no one cared.  But that’s not the point.  The point is that we often lose this album in the hype of some of the other solos that came out.  Rae’s album is a legitimate classic, and probably the best of all the solos.  Ghost has had a more prolific career, so Ironman is more remembered than Liquid Swords.  Meth was a bigger artist and had bigger singles.  And of course, Dirty went on to his own notoriety before dying tragically.  But it was Liquid Swords that was probably the second best.  It was dope from front to back.  And these two singles were the best songs on the album.

9. “Runnin’”-Pharcyde:
Back 3 years later after their classic debut single, “Passin Me By,” The Pharcyde came back with some help from a young J.Dilla. This was young Dilla’s first hit single, in fact. These guys had another hit single immediately following this one with “Drop” and its’ backwards video. But after this album, they pretty much went underground and disappeared, before eventually breaking up.  They briefly reunited the entire group last summer for a stint on the Rock The Bells tour (and put on a SHOW), but it’s unclear whether they will release any new material as a foursome.  And honestly, I’d like to keep it that way.  Their first two albums were great and dope, and the rest all sucked.  So let’s just remember them for the first two, ok?  Delicious Vinyl had a few acts on their label, but Pharcyde was probably their most popular (though Masta Ace had a big hit as well).  Mya actually used this song as a reference in her remix of “Fallin” a few years ago.  She even got a couple of the guys from The Pharcyde to rap on it.

8. “Brooklyn Zoo”-Ol’ Dirty Bastard
My favorite Ol’ Dirty record because he isn’t quite as R&B as he is on his other singles. And it’s cohesive enough to be a single, which makes it better than most of his album tracks. He’s always been very, um…Out There. But it was really creative, original, and fresh when he came out over this hard piano track that the Rza had put together for him. Released as the second solo from the Wu, Dirty was definitely different from anything anyone had ever rapped doing. Meth was probably a bigger star, but Dirty was just as impacting. He dropped “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and “Baby Cmon” as singles from this album as well, combining the two for a video. He also later went on to have a decent hit with the Neptunes-produced “Got Your Money.” But this is the rawnees, the ruggedness that I’ll always remember Dirty for. It’s a shame he couldn’t be here to remember it as well.

7. “It’s A Shame” & “Fast Life”-Kool G Rap:
Ok, so I cheated again. This is the last time, though, I swear! Anyhow, G Rap’s album, 4,5,6 wasn’t particularly good. But it had two classic singles. “It’s A Shame” was G Rap at his mafioso best, sounding every bit like the legend he was. In a way, he kinda sounds like Nino from New Jack City. The guy who sings the chorus gives us probably the hardest R&B chorus in history. The second single to the album was “Fast Life,” which featured an “in the zone” appearance from Mr. Escobar. This is probably the first time I heard Nas escalade into the mafioso thing. He was completely on fire in the post-Illmatic run. He dropped classic verses here, on Raekwon’s “Verbal Intercourse,” AZ’s “Mo Money Mo Murda,” and Mobb Deep’s “Eye For An Eye.” This was more of a true duet as both share equal mic time. For all the hype that Nas had at the time, G Rap was not going to be out-done lyrically, as he was no slouch either. To me this was the ultimate drug kingpin song. No one ever did that theme quite as well as G Rap anyway. G Rap managed to bridge the eras in QB from Marley Marl/Shan having him in the Juice Crew, to doing songs with Nas and Prodigy throughout the 90’s. An all-time great in the eyes of many, including this writer.

6. “How High”-Redman & Method Man
I always have Red ahead of Meth, just cuz Red’s iller. This was proof. Meth was in his prime and dropped some pretty good verses, but Red just spazzes out. “While the planet and the stars and the moons collapse/when i raise my trigga finger all yall niggas hit the deck/cuz aint no need for that hustlers and hardcore/raw to the floor door like Reservoir Dogs/The Green Eyed Bandit can’t stand it/with more fruitier loops than that Tucan Sam Bitch/plus the Bombazee got me wild/fuckin wit us is a straight suicide.”  I think i recall Red getting Quotable of the year for his second verse.  Anyway, it was ill.

(There is no video for this song)
5. “Death Around The Corner”-2Pac
After dropping the seminal Me Against The World, there are a number of songs I could put in the top 10. The safest would be “Dear Mama,” the passionate sentimate to Ms Afeni Shakur. However I don’t do safe. “Death Around The Corner” is the most classic of any of those tracks from his album. Everyone who listens to hip hop has the intro memorized. “I know what’s wrong with that crazy muthafucka, he just stand by the goddamned window with that fuckin AK all day. You don’t work, you don’t fuck, you don’t do a godamned thing.”  Calling this song the ultimate anthem in paranoia would be an understatement.  He goes beyond paranoia, and explains the background that brought him to this point.  The anger of every lyric he spits hits home when one considers the situation he was in at the time, being in jail for alleged rape.  If you are going to go to jail, you leave something as epic as Me Against The World behind to explain yourself.  2Pac was as good of an actor as he was a rapper.  And he took the acting part into his rapping by setting situations and creating moods in the music that were as epic as the themes he rapped about.  This is the perfect example of this.  He picked the perfect track for the paranoia rants.  Classic.

4. “Sound Bwoy Burriell”-Smif N Wessun
Black Moon had a couple of hits on their own, but Smif N Wessun backed them up with just as much heat to keep the BCC flag waving. I’d probably take the reggae-tinged “Sound Bwoy Burriell” over anything BCC ever created though. Tek N Steele debuted on “Black Smif N Wessun,” an album track from Buckshot and company’s debut. They dropped “Bucktown” and “Let’s Get It On” as the first two singles. The third single was “Sound Bwoy Burriell,” which finished 1995. They would eventually drop a remix of “Wreckonize” with a Bill Withers’ “Just The two Of Us” sample, which was the pair’s biggest crossover hit. In fact the first verse of that remix was recycled on the remix to Mary J Blige’s “I Love You.” But “Sound Bwoy” is their staple. The raggamuffin flavor at which they flipped their rhymes was akin to stuff KRS One had been doing for years. Only this Beatminerz track was the perfect setting to get gritty with the flow, and that’s what Smif N Wessun did best. While BCC never again reached the status they’d gotten to with the first two releases, they did spring a number of hits out of Heltah Skeltah, OGC, and even a BCC Group album. The second albums from Black Moon and Smif N Wessun got plenty of attention, but weren’t quite as good. Still, we’ll always remember “Sound Bwoy Burriell.” Jay-Z references the song on “Heart Of The City.” And for his Unplugged album, the Roots crew (who were backing him for the joint), interpolated the beat to “Sound Bwoy” into Hov’s performance.

3. “Glaciers Of Ice”-Raekwon
Only Built For Cuban Linx was the crown jewel of 1995. “Glaciers Of Ice” was the first single. “Criminology,” “Ice Cream,” and “Incarcerated Scarfaces” were all htis as well. But, at least for me, nothing quite hit as hard as those first bars that each emcee spits in this track. Masta Killa and Ghostface are along for the ride on this one. Masta Killa probably has the best verse: “Proceed with caution as you enter the symphony/degrees of pulse will increase intensely…” But Ghost has probably the most memorable few bars: “My seeds grow with his seeds, marry his seeds/that’s how we keep Wu Tang money all up in the family.” Rae, MK, and Ghost put together quite a thrill ride. After Meth, ODB, and Rae, Wu Tang had taken full control of the year. And they still had Gza and Ghost to drop before the year was over!

2. “Survival Of The Fittest”-Mobb Deep
While Cuban Linx was the best album of the year, The Infamous… was a close second. “Shook Ones Pt 2″ was the lead single. This was the second. There were plenty of other classics on the album as well: “Give Up The Goods” was the third official single and vid, “Eye For An Eye” featured showstopping cameos by Nas and Raekwon, “Up North Trip” and “Temperature’s Rising” are classics as well. I prefer this to Shook Ones partially because of that dark bassline and the beat feeling like a heartbeat. This is one of the most chilling productions ever created, and the fact that it was a single is pretty incredible. Nevertheless a classic hip hop single/video that rivaled Biggie’s “One More Chance” on Rap City’s Top 10, going back and forth in the top spot for two months. Biggie was running 1995, still releasing smash singles and putting out Junior Mafia. But Nas was not slouching a few hot guest spots, and two of his affiliates – Mobb and AZ, making major noise in the game as well. If Nas is the CEO of QB, Hav and P were the COOs at the time.

1. “Sugar Hill”-AZ
Hey did I mention AZ? Having been formally introduced to us on Nas’ “Life’s A Bitch,” AZ was backed by the same team that eventually rode Nas’ coattails to the top (Trackmasters). “Sugar Hill” was produced by Nas’ longtime DJ, L.E.S. It was really and expansion of the themes from “Life’s A Bitch.” For the hook, the visualiza grabs Miss Jones, the one time R&B starlett and current Hot 97 dj. AZ was the second member of the supergroup The Firm that was established. But like all the members without the name Nasir, he quickly faded into obscurity shortly after the group’s album flopped. AZ’s debut single went platinum, but the album only went gold. He had two more videos for the two Nas-featured cuts, “Gimme Yours” and “Mo Money Mo Murda,” but neither of them picked up much steam. He dropped an overly radio friendly single in 97, “Hey AZ,” that was supposed to be the lead single for his second album. But he quickly re-tracted it and the album didn’t sell much of anything. He left EMI for Motown for his third album. But when that one bricked too, he’s gone independent ever since. Historically he’s typically thought of as an accessory to Nas’ legend, but he was pretty damn ill in his own right.

1994….

The year was 1994, I was 12 years old.  Already a fan of a few rappers, I fully entered my hip hop fandom at the beginning of the year.  A couple of things happened at the end of ‘93: I discovered Rap City, The Wake Up Show, The Source, and the Internet.  I was ready to have an full fledged opinion of every rap single/album that came out.  It was perfect timing because 1994 was also the second “Golden Era” of hip hop (the original being in the late 80’s, post-Raising Hell). The year began with me bumpin’ Doggystyle, Enter The Wu-Tang, Midnight Maurauders, & Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. In tribute to it being 15 years since that wonderful year.  I am going to drop my top 10 lists of every year.  We’ll start with 1994.  With the world still reacting to some of the breakthrough albums of the year before, we had a number of classics in 1994 as well.  The list begins with Illmatic and Ready To Die, two of the five best albums ever recorded.  But that’s not where the list ends.  Many folks forget that Method Man was once considered the third member of NYC’s holy trinity (with BIG and Nas), after dropping Tical. The late Eazy-E debuted his latest protege’s, 4 cats from Cleveland named Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.  The Fugees also released their heavily slept-on debut, only to see superstardom two years later.  Gangstarr released their seminal Hard To Earn. An album almost as influential as Nas & Big’s, OutKast’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, as well as Scarface’s The Diary helped to re-establish the South.  Jeru The Damaja began his assault on commercial emcees on The Sun Rises In The East. On the commercial tip, Heavy D dropped Nuttin But Love, back ed by a first single (“Got Me Waiting”) that was the biggest pop single for his little cousin, Pete Rock.  Snoop’s best friend Warren G went four times platinum on Regulate….G Funk Era. Fresh off of Kris Kross, Jermaine Dupri released his latest protege, an extremely verbally abusive tomboy named Da Brat.  Craig Mack had possibly the single of the year with “Flava In Ya Ear.”  Pete Rock & CL Smooth returned fresh off “Reminisicin Over You” with The Main Ingredient.   Def Jam debuted its’ “Month Of The Man” promotion with Tical and Redman’s Dare Iz A Darkside. Red’s homie Keith Murray also repped Def Squad with his debut The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World. A Tupac-led Thug Life released their first (and only under that name) album Volume 1, before eventually becoming the Outlawz.  And for the headz, Common Sense released the seminal “I Used TO Love h.e.r.” and the Roots dropped their major label debut Do You Want More. And of course, Rappin 4-Tay repped the bay with “Playaz Club.”  Allow me to take you back to that magical year in hip hop.

10. “Got Me Waiting” – Heavy D & The Boyz:

Hev had released his most successful album to date in 1991, Peaceful Journey, which spawned the ultra corny new jack swing Teddy Riley-produced hits “Now That We’ve Found Love” and “Is It Good To You.”  But he wanted to re-establish his street credit immediately after, so 1993’s Blue Funk (which featured stuff like “Who’s The Man” and “A Buncha Niggas”) was released with plenty of more purist-heavy cuts.  It worked completely (though to be fair, anytime Primo and Pete Rock do most of your cuts, it’s gonna be dope).  He found his happy medium with the lead single to his 1994 album Nuttin But Love. I realize that I would probably catch a lot of flack from purists for putting this in my top 10 in such a historic year.  But I really don’t care.  This song JAMS. Hev’s lil’ cousin Pete Rock provides one of his most commercially acceptable beats ever, and Hev un-does the corniness of previous R&B singles (who knew he’d go on to produce “Feel It In The Air” for Beanie Sigel?).  With this song, Hev maintained his radio presence, and kept the heads happy.    The previously cheesy Hev-ster re-invents himself as the smooth, shy playboy.  This was the theme for a summer in which I started learning how to pick up chicks.

9. “Fat Cats, Bigga Fish”-The Coup:

The Coup is the best rap group no one has ever heard of.  After starting off allied with E-40 and Tupac, Boots and crew were blackballed for their harsh political stance.  Boots was a perfect blend of street smarts and politcal intellect.  He was about as extreme of a liberal as there is.  “Fat Cats” was vintage Boots, telling the story of being a pick-pocket before running into the bigger picture – finding major CEOs and government officials politickin’ over champagne about oppressing black folks, before realizing he really wasn’t shit in the grand scheme of things.  The crew had some other classics like “The Shipment” and “Me And Jesus The Pimp In a ‘79 Granada Last Night,” but “Fat Cats” was their main calling card.  Peep all of the bay area cats cameo-ing in the video. Boots was also among the illest emcees on the mic;

“This is how deep shit can get/
it reads maccaroni on my birth certificate/
pudding tane was my middle name but i can’t hang/
I’m gettin hustled only knowin’ half the game.”

(note: there is no video for this song, this is just a youtube link to the song)
8. “Crumblin’ Erb”-OutKast:
Before Andre became the eccentric Andre 3000, and before they were the biggest group in the world, they were just two pimps in a cadillac.  This was the deepest song on the album (ironic, despite the following track, “D.E.E.P.”’s title), and is usually considered ‘Kast’s coup d’ etat.  After an album full of pimpin’ anthems, they end by two tracks previewing the knowledge they’d kick on the following releases.  The track is about black-on-black violence, and features both emcees kicking the typical verses by the cats who would fulfill these types of themes in their day-to-day lives, while Sleepy Brown warns them about their actions on the chorus.  Who knew that these cats would end up being bigger than Run DMC?  At the Source awards following, ‘Kast won an award for Best Group, and Dre went on his famous lament finishing with “The South got somethin to say!”  The album went platinum based off of the singles “Players Ball,” “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” and “Git Up, Git Out.” While it was considered a success, it did not even begin to hint at the further success the group would achieve.  At the time of the first album, the group was considered a trio with DJ Mr. DJ as the third member.  Cee Lo was also originally supposed to be part of the group, but he was later the founding member of Goodie Mob, ‘Kast’s closest affiliate in the Dungeon Family.

(Note: This is another song with no video)

7. “Pain”-2Pac:
Despite not actually releasing an album in 1994 (at least a solo one), 2Pac was all over the place. His third movie, Above The Rim was released, as well as his last album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. was still releasing singles.  But a major highlight was a cassette-only track from the Above The Rim Soundtrack called “Pain.”  Despite being heavily featured in the film, it somehow only ended up on the cassette releases of the soundtrack.  However it was a classic (Ja Rule even did a strange cover of it a few years ago), there was even a promo-only single released to radio with an extra clean version of this track, radio-ready.  However 2Pac’s troubles with the law stopped Interscope from fully promoting the single, and they went back to the lab to prepare the marketing for his forthcoming third solo album, to be released while ‘Pac was incarcerated.  This track was written from the perspective of Birdman (no cash money), ‘Pac’s character in the movie, which was rumored to be based on the life story of then-Georgetown baller Allen Iverson.  In 2009, the movie actually ages very well and is still as gritty as it was back in the day.

6. “I Used To Love h.e.r.”-Common Sense:
Despite having a couple of minor hits on his debut, this was really the song that introduced the world to Common Sense. Back then he was a b-boy with sum shit on his mind. This album featured a slight backlash for his overly misogynist lyrics, which he would heavily avoid for the next few releases. This is another cult classic single that has had unnofficial sequels made by The Roots and Erykah Badu (both featuring Com) since. I once referred to this as “The Ultimate Backpacker anthem,” which is quite a true statement in itself. In fact, this song was so dope that i bugged my homeboy in gym class everyday for almost a month to make a copy of his Resurrection tape for me. Like OutKast earlier, who would’ve known how far this would eventually take Common. His career had been somewhat overshadowed by a Mr Nas Escobar until recently when Com aligned with Kanye West and re-ignited his own career. He’s also gone on to be quite the actor, and probably makes most of his bread in that lane. He’s gone from Erykah Badu to Serena Williams. It’s been quite a career for the wordsmith out of the Chi. This song in particular received some backlash from the west coast for the lines, “and on some dumb shit when she comes to the city/talkin about poppin glocks, servin rocks, and hittin switches/now she’s a gangsta rollin wit gangsta bitches.” Ice Cube in particular took that line to be saying that the west coast ruined hip hop. And they had a brief verbal war that was really ended with Com’s surprisingly scathing “The Bitch In Yoo.” Cube tried to reply, but the war had been won already.

(There is no video for this song either)
5. “Who Shot Ya”-Notorious B.I.G.:
Despite releasing one of the five greatest albums of all-time, the most memorable track from 1994 from Biggie was “Who Shot Ya.” At the time, Big’s first two singles (“Juicy” and “Big Poppa”) were smash hits. Big even had a cover of The Source Magazine where he was sitting on a throne and was titled the “King Of New York.” This obviously pissed a few folks off. Two camps in particular became Big’s rivals: Tupac’s Death Row camp and Nas’ QB/Wu Tang affiliates. But in particular this was seen as a shot at the former. ‘Pac had just gotten shot and was publicly blaming Big for the incident. So the timing of a song called “Who Shot Ya” was interesting to say the least. So as the heavy promotion was going on for “Big Poppa,” eventually there was a single for the Jermaine Dupri-helmed So So Def Remix of the song. On it featured the b-side “Who Shot Ya.” Originally meant as an intro to Mary J. Blige’s second album My Life, the song was deemed too violent for an R&B album. So it became a b-side and the same instrumental was featured with Keith Murray rapping over it for Mary’s album. That intro was later turned into a full-length by LL Cool J at the end of 1995, and he grabbed Keith Murray, Prodigy, Fat Joe, and a debuting Foxy Brown for the remix. This was just Biggie at his peak, awe-inspiring violent imagery with Puff playing hype man. It was also used for the concert scene during the Notorious movie.

4. “Bring The Pain”-Method Man
Now we’re getting into some of my top 10 all-time list. Meth’s classic is right on the borderline, depending on the day. “Bring The Pain” was the ultimate adrenaline-boosting anthem. The grimiest classic song, quite possibly, in the history of hip hop. The video painted the image even grimier than the original Rza beat did. And of course, there was his classic performance of this song at the 1995 Source Awards. In my opinion, this is the most classic Wu Tang song ever, and Meth just destroys the beat. This was Meth at his all-time best, just ripping the mic to shreads and continuing the vivid death threat sequences from the Wu Tang album’s “Method Man” track. “Bring The Pain” was the first single that went on to sell a million copies. And Method Man the brand was just beginning. He’d go on to sell a couple million more and do movies and TV shows with Redman. And sure, his most recognizable single was his duet with Mary J Blige, “All I Need,” but when you talk about Meth at his best, you speak of “Bring The Pain.”

3. “Keep Ya Head Up”-2Pac:
The third single from Strictly was ‘Pac’s ode to women. And while I normally thing songs like this can get corny (see Pac’s “Baby Dont Cry (Keep Ya Head Up 2)”), this one was a classic. The single was actually released actually released at the end of 1993, but we’re counting it here because it really didn’t impact until 1994. The Five Stairsteps’ “Ooh Child” is re-created for the chorus, and that’s a classic song as well. Pac was just becoming a star when this came out. He’d become a bonafied superstar with his next album. “Keep Ya Head Up” was positive ‘Pac at his best. But it ran quite an opposite direction from his previous single, “I Get Around.” The first single was the angry, “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” then the fun “I Get Around,” and finally the uplifting, soulful “Keep Ya Head Up.” Perhaps Pac’s greatest achievement, this song was later covered in an R&B version by Lyfe Jennings. Nas also did a live cover upon Pac’s tribute at VH1’s Hip Hop Honors, despite the rivalry between Nas and Pac.

2. “It Ain’t Hard To Tell”-Nas:
It says something when one of my top 5 songs of all-time isn’t even #1 for the year. But that’s how impressive 1994 was. And Illmatic was the crown jewel of 1994 as arguably the greatest rap album ever recorded. Nas was a fresh 20 in 1994, kicking bars that were so complex that folks had to rewind them over and over.  Of course, Nas went on to much more success following the album, which finally went platinum in 2001.  He went double plat a couple of times, before continuing to reel in the platinum plaques.  He dropped 7 straight platinum albums before Hip Hop Is Dead, which is very close to being number 8.  Untitled still has plenty of work to do before it nears platinum.  The guy has tons of classics: “If I Ruled The World,” “Hate Me Now,” “Nas Is Like,” “One Mic,” “Made You Look,” “Ether,” and on and on.  But this was his first official single and video and, many would argue, his best.

1. “I Seen A Man Die”-Scarface:
It is quite an honor to be the #1 song from such a prestigious year. But ‘Face deserved it. “I Seen A Man Die” is the ultimate morbid story-telling track of all-time. The song was so dope, it still got radio play despite being quite the anti-single. Plus it was really dark, as most of ‘Face’s better stuff is. ‘Face is top 5 all-time, I don’t really care what anyone else thinks. And The Diary was his most classic album. Bottom Line.

You Owe Me…

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that, for purposes of this article, Roc-A-Fella was the greatest crew of all time. That gasp you heard, that was Cash Money, Death Row, and Wu Tang fans all gasping at once. But that’s not the point here.

Remember Young Chris from the Young Gunz? Well he’s turned into quite the emcee. Through his affiliation with new hot shot Wale, he’s re-establishing his brand in the game. He has a scathing verse on the new Beanie Sigel mixtape/street album song “Run To The ROC,” which garnered praise recently from The Smoking Section (my favorite hip hop blog). Basically, the song is about the boss (“Big Homie,” err Jay Z) leavin his frontline soldiers out to die (or dropping them all from Roc-A-Fella). Beans and Sparks both lead verses as well, but its’ Chris’ that stands out. Mainly because he’s somehow become the best rapper in the crew. So that brings us to the question: What do these superstar rappers owe their proteges that helped them build their brand? We’ve seen it many times, from all the QB homies sayin Nas should be helping them out of the hood (Cormega, Nature, Lake, etc.), to The Eastsidaz sayin the same about Snoop, to Alfamega and T.I., even Bang Em Smurf and Fiddy. Jay himself has gotten the most flack; Teirra Mari, Foxy Brown, Jaz-O, and now the entire State Prop. For every Rihanna and Kanye who he “Run(s) This Town” with, there’s a bunch who say he turned their backs on them.

Young Chris is probably the most intriguing example. Most of these characters either really didn’t have much talent to start with (Teirra), got lazy (Foxy), or were just not marketable (Jaz + most of the State Prop cats). But Young Chris really doesn’t fall into any of these categories. He’s gotten better since Jay dropped the last Young Gunz album (which he through out with no promotion by the way), and he’s quietly been building his own buzz on the under. He’s now affiliated closely with Wale and has Mark Ronson and others backing him up. What he could really use is a co-sign and presence from an already established star, as Wale is still up-and-coming. You know, someone like…..Jay-Z!

But does Jay really owe it to Young Chris? The only hip hop superstar whose stuck by his original cats for his whole time was Eminem. But when was the last D-12 album, anyway? And the most talented cat that Em associated himself with, Royce Da 5′9″, hasn’t gotten any help from Em this decade. You think the Slaughterhouse album couldn’t have benefitted from an Eminem cameo?

The major thing here is ego trippin. Wu Tang has stayed a collective for 15 years, but they are really without a superstar. Meth had his moment, but never really capitalized on it. And they’ve had enough in-fighting to fill a gossip magazine. We rememnber seeing Meth cursing out U-God for getting out of line in The Show. We also remember Rae and Ghost anti-promoting the last Wu album. But they’re still together.

Cash Money is in its’ third inception and can’t seem to stay together. The only artists from the crew’s original heyday are Baby and Weezy. Both the former in-house producers, Mannie Fresh and Jazze Pha, left a long time ago. BG? Juvie? Long gone. Even the artists from the second era (circa Big Typers’ “Stay Fly” to The Carter I); TQ, Boo and Gotti, Mack 10? All Gone.

Death Row was the definition of in-fighting. Dre left, ‘Pac dissed him. Snoop left, Suge tried to sabotage him. Kurupt and Daz both left, came back, stayed, but never at the same time. And they stayed dissin each other until a couple of years ago.

And don’t even get me started on all the QB nonsense. Ok I give; Nas vs. Prodigy has been on and off for this whole decade. Nore had some issues with Nas at the beginning of the decade. When was the last Bravehearts record, anyway? ‘Mega and Nas went at it and then made up. Nature’s been exiled from the crew. Where’s Lake at? Even AZ & Foxy (who really aren’t from QB, but are included as part of Nas’ crew) have had his public issues with Nas.  Mobb Deep signed with 50 because they were broke. And many forget that 50 was actually a part of the Bravehearts at one point, before having his own issues with Nas.

And the Proof & Em vs. Royce thing finally died out when Proof, unfortunately, passed.

Don’t think the newer cats are immune. The whole Gucci/Jeezy thing started out of a song they did together. Tip’s got Alfamega dissin him now. The state of Florida was at one point united. But there’s the trio of Rick Ross/Trick Daddy/Plies that are constantly beefing on-and-off with each other.

The point is, this shit happens.

Once associates, now enemies on wax.

But let’s get back to the Young Chris/Hova thing specifically.  Hova took part of Chris’ style (the whispering effect) and ran with it.  Chris didn’t mind, in fact he and the rest of State Prop went at Nas, went at D-Block.  But did Hova benefit more from their help, or did they benefit more for his co-sign?

One thing’s for sure, Dame Dash isn’t looking like such a bad guy anymore.

In Retrospect….

The three biggest MC’s rappers artists in hip hop all dropped career defining albums in 2008.  One was heavily buzzed about for years (The Carter III).  One took off immediately upon impact (Paper Trail).  And one came out of left field and caught everyone off guard (808’s & Heartbreaks). It was easy to get caught up in the hype or the buzz of the moment when they dropped, but now we’ve had almost a year to digest both the albums and how they were accepted.  Were any of them classics?  All 3?  Are they, right now, better or worse than the first time I heard them?  Let’s take a look:

Lil Wayne-Tha Carter III (Cash Money/Universal)

The most commercially succesful of this “holy trio” was Weezy’s seminal third album of his Carter series.  At the time, this one had the most hype, and it seemed justified.  He was the biggest name in the market coming off of his double platinum, classic, Carter II, which managed to only begin his buzz.  Eons of high profile collaborations that became smash hit singles later, he released Tha Carter III to a million in the first week.  “Lollipop” was probably the song of the summer.  It’s main competition was actually its’ own b-side, “A Milli.”  “Got Money” became another smash shortly thereafter.  Only to be followed by “Mrs. Officer,” which was the theme of so-many great Halloween costumes.  But in retrospect, I tend to think of Wayne’s album as more of a pop/r&b album than a true hip hop album.  The difference from Tha Carter II to Tha Carter III was vast and fairly obvious.  Tha Carter II was an entier album of “A Milli”’s.  Even the singles: “Fireman,” “Husters Music,” Weezy was obviously going for the crown on that one.  On the third one, I’m not sure what he was going for.  Some of it was Weezy trying too hard to be different, and just creating trash (“Phone Home,” “La La”).  The rest was so heavily R&B influenced that even the songs without singing, it feels like you’re waiting for the hook to come in (ie. “Let The Beat Build”).  This is good and bad.  Bad because Wayne’s music becomes less “Great” and more simply “hot.”  Good because, other than; “A Milli,” “Mr. Carter,” and “Dr. Carter,” the rest of the more hip hop stuff is very forgettable (ie “Playing With Fire,” “You Ain’t Got Nuthin,” “3 Peat”).  The one somber moment comes on one of the album’s highlights, “Tie My Hands” with Robin Thicke.  The song, a bluesy rendition about the trials and tribulations of a post-Katrina New Orleans, is Weezy at his uplifting best.  Too bad he doesn’t stay there for long.

I’d have to say that this album has not aged well.  Of the 3 I think it’s value has sunk the most.

T.I. – Paper Trail (Grand Hustle/Atlantic)

Critically anointed as the commercial rap album of the year, T.I.’s sixth album finds him at his pinnacle.  Here he is as aggressive as ever on a few cuts (“What Up, What’s Happening,” “I’m Illy,” “Ready For Whatever”).  And somber and reflective on a few cuts (“Dead & Gone,” “No Matter What,” “You Ain’t Missing Nothing”).  He’s boastful and club-friendly as he has been in the past as well.  But everything is executed just a bit better.  The formula is the same, but the execution is just that much crisper.  That can be both good and bad.  For everyone who wants something as raw as Trap Music, this isn’t it.  T.I. is in full artist mode, but now has to sell 2 mil each time out to keep up with himself.  In 2003 he dropped “Be Better Than Me.”  In 2009, he drops “Live Your Life.”  He’s really saying the same things.  But he’s more commercially successful in 2009.  For those who think he’s differed his raps too much, it’s not really that.  It’s more that he’s now famous.  “My Life, Your Entertainment,” would obviously never have been recorded in 2004.  I would venture to say this is possibly his best album.  But I’m not entirely conviced, Trap Musik and 2006’s King were quite good as well.  Tip’s album is every bit as good today as it was when it leaked, forcing me to drive around aimlessly for an hour to get a full listen out of it.

Kanye West – 808’s & Heartbreaks (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDMG)

So your first 3 albums sold 10 mil and won you countless Grammys and other awards.  For your fourth album, you____.  If you answered “grab autotune and make a whole album of singing!” then you have guessed correctly!  808’s was tough to digest, but was good enough to keep you comintg back for more.  “Love Lockdown” was an anthem for the complications of single life in 2008/2009.  It was done brilliantly and executed to perfection.  “Heartless” was a track everyone could relate to.  And “Amazing” was just incredibly addicting with its’ off-key singing.  “Street Lights” and “Say You Will” both became classics quite quickly.  Not Hip Hop Classics.  Folky alt. Rock/Soul classics.  This album is as difficult to classify as it is brilliant.  The entire thing was panned early by critics.  But it’s come around on a lot of people and is in my mind, a classic.  Perhaps even more essential than any of his first three rapping-albums, 808’s is the most sincere and honest we’ve ever heard Kanye.  Gone are the cheesy broggadio lines, present is a look at the soul of a man who perhaps sacrificed his personal life for fame and fortune and now is stuck living with the consequences on tracks like “Welcome To Heartbreak” and “Pinnochio’s Story.”  One who is simply lost on “Street Lights” and “Say You Will.”  He takes a humorous-if not exaggerated,  look at relationships on “Robocop” and “See You In My Knightmares.”  Kanye’s album grows on you with every listen.

So there you go.  The hip hop album of last year (Paper Trail), the pop/R&B/alt album of last year (808’s) and a solid album that got us all caught in the hype and overrated it (Carter III).

“We give a damn about the drama that your dude bring/We just tryin to change the color on your mood ring…”

Quick note about some recent songs that’ve come out.  We can start with “Run This Town” by Hov, Kanye, and Rih Rih.  It should definitely be noted that Kanye appears to have passed his mentor lyrically.  And I must say, it’s a huge surprise to most everyone.  Don’t get me wrong, Hov can still hold his own, but ‘Ye murders this shit.  I must say though, I like the direction that they’re going musically, but this doesn’t seem like a huge song – despite the superstar supporting cast.  It’s dope, but (like the street single “D.O.A.”) it’s a little boring musically.

The Beasties grabbed Nasir for the new single “Too Many Rappers.” It’s vintage Beasties, so either you like it or you don’t.  Lots of activity in the drums, old school rhyming, and a Nasty Nas guest spot.  Nas’ verse doesn’t come across as heavily thought out and his rhyme pattern isn’t as conformed as he normally is.  He’s more relying on the Beasties’ element, and his everything sounds freestyled.  It’s quite dope tho.

Amerie had to go and remix “Why R U?” and grab the Whodini beat for “One Love.”  Why doesn’t this chick get more pub?  Former Current(?) big bro Nas jumps on the beginning, and Jada, Ross, and some other guy jump on at the end.  The OG still knocks harder, but it could be my preference of “Ego Trippin” to “One Love.”  Nas is sure startin to hit the cameo scene hard, must be gettin close to album time.  Ross needs to take a break, his verses are dope, but we’re getting a little oversaturated, here.  And I’m not sure what Jada’s doing with his promotion.  Speaking of….

Jada dropped his remix to “Who’s Real” a while ago.  And while I’ll take the Ruff Ryders crew any day over OJ Da Juiceman, it still wasn’t as classic as I wanted it to be.  And is it me, or is Eve the best lyricist in that crew right now?  Sheek’s verse is the only other memorable line “If you’re real and you know it, take the skinny jeans off/take the autotune off and stop actin all soft.”  By the way, Jada’s album sucked….again.

Drake’s hype train continues.  And this song is really old so I won’t say too much, but “Successful” = song of the year?

Lupe’s “Shining Down” seems to have been forgotten quickly.  But I still think its’ dope.  It could just be because he completely disappeared after he leaked the track.  He told us it wasn’t finished and then vanished.  Where the hell you been at, Lupe?  Drop some more ish…when’s the album droppin?

I was fairly un-impressed with the majority of what-was-to-be the Paper Trail re-release (though I think I have a full column in the works about the OG).  But this recent leak, “Bread Up” with ‘Face and Keri is fire.  I think if Atlantic just went ahead with the re-release anyway, it’d end up selling more than Carter 3. Which is a good thing, since it was a vastly superior album.  I think I’ll have more about the impact of those two albums and a third major album from last year later.

Twista’s on a nice run lately.  “Wetter” was fire.  “Yo Body” is ehhhh.  But the album’s pretty good.  I don’t think he’ll ever escape the shadows of his better albums, Adrenaline Rush, for the hardcore/underground, and Kamikaze for the mainstream/radio.  It’s interesting that the dudes has 2 classics/near-classics that couldn’t be further from each other in style.  Speaks to Twista’s versatility.

Slaughterhouse dropped a really dope album.  I honestly haven’t listened to the whole thing, cuz i can’t stop repeating the first 7 or 8 songs.  “The One” actually sounds better in the context of the album.  “Not Tonight” could easily be a single as well.

Meth/Red are thus far, the album of the year.  I’m pretty sure they could’ve gotten some more hype if they’d dropped “Hey Zulu” as a single.  Over a perfect synth-hype Rockwilder track, Red and Meth get their party on.  I’ll try to write more about Blackout 2 and Slaughterhouse too.

The Roots’ “How I Got Over” is a welcome change of pace for the group.  While I’m sure lots of fans are going to want more rapping from Black Thought, it’s a much more traditional rock feel for the group, more in lieu of “The Seed 2.0″ than “Adrenaline.”  Plus it’s jammin.

Finally, I was real hesitant to jump on the Raekwon hype machine, bein that I didn’t care much for “New Wu” and “Criminology 2″ was only so-so.  But “House Of Flying Daggers” is that ISH.  The re-appearance of Inspectah Deck is there, Meth drops the best verse, but it’s really the J Dilla beat, sounding like RZA in his prime, that steals the show.  That was a card I didn’t know that Rae had.  This is as good as anything Wu dropped in their prime.

“The N*gga You Love To Hate”

Every SG and SF in the NBA can breathe a sigh of relief.

Never have Ice Cube’s words rang so true than for one Bruce Bowen.  He was the ultimate most-hated player in the NBA (sans Spurs fans), but every fan in the world who knows anything about basketball would consent that if he were on their team, they’d love him.  It appears he might be done for, after being released by Milwaukee last week, so what’s his legacy?  He’s not the guy you think of first (Tim Duncan) when you think of the 2000’s Spurs teams with all the rings.  In fact he’s not second (Tony Parker), third (Manu Ginobili), or fourth (David Robinson – even though he only won two) either.  But he was just as vital.  And he picked up three rings for his troubles.  Bowen became the best defensive player in the game the moment he joined the Spurs, after years of apprentice-ship in Miami.  Learning defense from Pat Riley and Greg Poppovich didn’t make him the most feared defender in the league, but it sure didn’t hurt.

Many players in the media bashed him and called him “cheap” or “dirty.”  But you know what?  They say the same thing about Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he might be a first ballot hall-of-famer, and is a Super Bowl MVP.  But the beefs were numerous with Bowen; Steve Francis, Ray Allen, Chris Paul, and Amare Stoudemire.  The battle with Allen has been the most personal over the years.  For the better part of this decade (really, 01-02 through 06-07), he’s been the best one-on-one defender in the league in my opinion (Shane Battier has surpassed  him from the last two seasons).  Last season, Bowen’s defense took a dramatic turn south and he was really just coasting off of his reputation. He has his disciples around the NBA; DeShawn Stevenson is a similar forgotten man-to-star defender story, Tayshaun Prince and Battier are probably the two best wing defenders in the league today (and Kobe, when he wants to be), Dahntay Jones is attempting to be every bit the annoyance Bowen was.  All of these guys owe a lot to Bowen.

So here’s to you, Bruce.  It doesn’t look like you’re quite the player you once were, and maybe it’s time to call it a career.  But yours is one that is under-appreciated, and should be remembered.

The Hate Is Strong In This One….

A lot of times, an artist comes along and just blows the eff up, gets heavy backlash, and folks are quick to label him a sell-out. Every once in a while, we then see everyone in the industry follow the same formula, only to not catch the same backlash. These are times when we need to step back and go “you know what? Our bad.” In retrospect, these artists were simply ahead of their times. They really didn’t do anything but progress the genre.

The first time I remember this happening was LL Cool J on Walking With A Panther, circa 1988-1989. He had the big jewlery and fly shit before Slick Rick. He caught mad heat from everyone from Ice T to Kool Moe Dee, but was able to resurrect his career in 1990 with the epic Mama Said Knock You Out, and in particular the album track “To Da Break Of Dawn.”

Fate re-reared its’ ugly head in 1992 or so with MC Hammer. He had the big jewlery, the Hammer pants, the 100-piece ensembles. He really wasn’t frontin on nothin but havin a party. But he came out during a very grass-roots, organic era in hip hop and was blackballed by everyone from Q-Tip (“Whatchu say, Hammer? Proper. Rap is not pop, if you call it that then stop!”) to 3rd Bass (“Gas Face”). Hammer never quite recovered, in fact going broke in the late 90’s and becoming a trivia answer. In fact, he was realer than most of the rappers that followed him in the 90’s. I mean, c’mon, dude was about dancing and praying, ain’t nothin wrong with that.

BIG started to catch some heat in the mid-90’s, particularly from fellow NYC-ers. Raekwon and Ghost dissed him for biting Nas’ album cover, BCC alligned itself with 2Pac and went hard after him. Even Nas was exchanging subliminals with the Big-man over the “King Of New York” title he gave himself. Naturally, this all went away when he passed, and BIG became an instant legend.

Nas found himself on the same end of the stick in the late 90’s as well. Lots of former colleagues were crackin jokes startin with the Pink suit he rocks in the “Street Dreams” video and on through the glitz of “Hate Me Now.” His backlash hit a peak in late 99/early 2000, when rival Jay-Z was at the top of the game, and Nas put out a string of three corny R&B-videos – all of which seemed to differentiate from his previous righteous image: “Nastradamus,” “You Owe Me,” and “Oochie Wally” (even though the latter two were particularly big hits).   Of course Nas found his way back to the top with Stillmatic in 2001, featuring the scathing “Ether,” the righteous anthem “One Mic,” and the underground sounds that had established himself in the first place.

Fate happened to hit Ja Rule in 2003 as well. Ja was an international superstar at this point, with R&B-driven radio jingles flowing in by the dozens. But the expected backlash of his own market saturation mixed with the rise to the top of his arch nemesis, 50 Cent, led to Ja’s downfall.  Of course, 50 then copied his rival’s success-pattern and led to his own backlash.

Now I’ve never been much of a Ja Rule fan.  I even passed on his debut Venni Vetti Vecci, which Ja fans tend to point to as a showcase for his lyrical and artistical strength.  But I think it’s time for us to give him a unanimous, “OK dude, our bad.” Little did we know as we were dissin Ja in 2002/2003, that people would take his formula and run it to an extreme.  Last year alone, the top 3 rappers in the game currently each had a Ja Rule-like hit single: Weezy’s “Lollipop,” TIP’s “Whatever U Like,” and all of Kanye’s album.  These guys weren’t just putting melody into their hooks like Ja was, they were singing entire songs!

Stock Check: The 10 Hottest Rappers In The Game Currently

These are always fun. In case you missed it, Ne-Yo topped our male R&B singers top 10. While Rihanna ran the female side of things. Is this a good sign for Def Jam? Probably…..Def Jam has four of the rappers in this top 10, but will they grab the #1 spot again?

10. Fabolous
I went from wondering if Fab was ever gonna get anything buzzin for this album to being caught up in it completely. The “Throw It In The Bag” remix with Drake is completely off the chain. He also has a couple songs with Ryan Leslie on the album that are sure-shot hit singles should he decide to got that way (the best being “The Fabolous Life”). The Trey Songz joint is pretty hot too. I’m not too sure that he’s going to sell what he’s used to this time, because of all the leaks. But I’m going to say he’s still quite on a hot streak at the moment, and barely cracks the top 10 over bigger names like Luda, Nas, and of course 50.

9. Lupe Fiasco
Back to show the newbies that he’s still a little better than them, Lupe has seen a lot of copycats goin after his swag. But he dropped “Shining Down” and everyone was quieted. Lupe is probably the most questionable on the list (even more than Fab), but he’s doing a fairly good job of keeping the momentum from his last album going, and I think people are starting to view the bigger names (Luda, Nas, 50) who didn’t make the list as “past their prime.” 50 was probably the hardest omission, just because he’s been going so hard on the mixtapes. But he’s got to show me something in terms of a hit single or somethin to pass Lupe.

8. Young Jeezy
Jeezy’s lost a little momentum since last year with all the singles that went straight to youtube. Especially considering that last year at this time he was riding his biggest hit single to date in “Put On.” He’s consistently releasing new videos for just about every song on the album, and hasn’t promoted a real single. He’s about to drop a new album, which should pick up some slack, but it’d sure be nice if he had a new single to test the waters.

7. Eminem
All things considered, it was a fairly quiet album release for Slim. Despite the huge numbers he did, we haven’t really heard much from him since, even as much as MTV has been trying to shove him down our throats. “Beautiful” was the only song on the album that I’ve been able to keep much attention to (sans the second single “3 AM”). And altogether it seemed like Em had a huge month or so, and then we went back to talking about Tip, Wayne, Ross, Kanye, and everyone else.

6. Jay-Z
I originally was going to place Hov higher, but he really hasn’t caught the buzz he seems to be going for. His “Death Of Autotone” has gotten almost as much backlash as praise. I expect him to heat up and fly back up the list as we get closer to his album release, but at the moment I have to have him in the bottom half of the list.

5. Rick Ross
Despite being the most discussed MC of the first half of the year, Ross only manages to clock in at number 5 with all of the talk. He’s dropped probably the best album of the year, but his beef with 50 seemed way too contrived for most. He wasn’t quite able to etch his way into that top 3 and has probably had one man pass him. I don’t think he’s quite the star that the four dudes ahead of him are. But he sure has had a successful first half of the year, all things considered.

4. Drake
If anyone is going to give our top 3 some new competition, it is probably going to be this guy. He’s the #4 on this buzz-list and he hasn’t even dropped an album yet. That’s probably because he has the urban radio song of the summer (“Best I Ever Had”) and may hip hop publications’ best song of the year so-far (“Successful”), both off of his mixtape released at the beginning of the year. Sure it helps to be Lil Wayne’s protege and have Kanye West as your executive producer. But it probably helps even more to be managed by the team that manage both of the above superstars. Whatever the case, this dude has the biggest buzz of a debut artist in years.

3. Lil Wayne
He’s got his “brother” right on his heels, and he’s still supporting his “daddy,” but Lil Wayne is still well entrenched into the current holy trio of hip hop. He’s had one of the bigger songs of the summer in “Every Girl,” and has introduced a megastar in Drake to the world. Thought it does concern me that he hasn’t quite gotten much support in terms of MTV, BET and radio for his forthcoming Rebirth project. Do you think Def Jam would let Kanye fall into that trap? Atlantic definitely wouldn’t let T.I.

2. Kanye West
Unlike the others in this top 3, Kanye has been hittin the cameo scene hard as he attempts to make his return to rapping after his autotuned-sang 808’s & Heartbreaks, which, after all was said and done, still sold 2mil+. Most notably are his appearances on Dream’s “Walking On The Moon,” Jamie Foxx’s “Digital Girl,” and Beyonce’s “Ego.” And then there he was fighting over Keri Hilson with Ne-Yo on “Knock You Down.” He’s also executive producing Drake’s album, and is scheduled to guest-star (with Rihanna) on Jay’s first official single. Not a bad “off year” for Yeezy, musically. Oh yeah, he also released the Air Yeezy’s which are the current lust of the sneaker community, and shot him up into the Diddy/Hova/50 levels in terms of the Forbes list.

1. T.I.
It’s been fairly well established that going to jail helps your street cred in hip hop. Even moreso when you are a superstar already and just released your most successful project to date. And your star can only improve if you filmed a reality series leading up to your reporting to jail. Tip has elevated himself to the top of the game. Last time he went in, he was coming off his first breakthrough project (Trap Musick, which gave him his first real hit singles in “Rubberband Man” and “Let’s Get Away”) and he saw his momentum stalled with his time in jail. This time around, he was already in the elite rapper group going into this album, before releasing his most successful LP to date. He took full advantage in using his situation to help his momentum with his reality series, two #1 singles that kept fighting amongst each other for the #1 song in the country, a memorable collaboration with three others on this list performed at the Grammys, and many successful artists. Simply put, T.I. is on top of the game, even if physically he’s behind bars.

Around The League, 1

This is the dryest part of the sports year. The months from the middle of June to the middle of September represent three months of detox after 5 straight months of non-stop action from the Super Bowl to the NBA Finals. All we have left is baseball. And it’s only halfway through the season, the playoffs don’t even begin until late September! So with that said, the basketball and football offseasons have been interesting. I’m going to begin a look at all three major sports, beginning today with football:

Off/Pre-season Power Rankings:

32. Detroit Lions

This should surprise absolutely no one. The Lions were terrible last year, and will probably be slightly less terrible this year. They do have some weapons on offense, but that defense is just garbage and it looks like Matthew Stafford is actually going to have to earn the starting QB job. But they have a solid 1-2 punch at WR with Calvin Johnson and Dennis Northcutt, and a nice RB in Kevin Smith.

31. St. Louis Rams

Well a 2-14 team just lost its’ second best player (WR Torry Holt). Marc Bulger, at this point, looks like he’s taking too many hits to ever fully reach his potential. RB Stephen Jackson looks lost, and that defense isn’t fooling anyone.

30. Denver Broncos

This is a team that isn’t fooling anyone. They have an advantage over St Louis and Detroit because they play in a division that has 2 other crappy teams in it. So they have more chances to get wins than the other two. This may come as a surprise, as they were 8-8 last year. But they lost their best player (QB Jay Cutler), and are likely to lose their second best player (WR Brandon Marshall). Both of them were Pro Bowlers. CB Champ Bailey is a year older. And this team does not look good for the immediate future.

29. Kansas City Chiefs

So you might argue that I penalized the last two teams for losing pro bowlers and KC just lost TE Tony Gonzalez from a 2-14 team. Well they also added vet LBs Zach Thomas and Mike Vrabel, as well as Pro Bowl QB Matt Cassel. I’d actually put them higher, but we have to see what these guys have left in the tank.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After a terrible collapse last season, the Bucs went into full rebuilding mode. New Coach, new QB, newness up and down both sides of the ball. While CB Ronde Barber is still there, no one else instills much fear on the D-side. And while there is some talent on the O-side, much of it is a dramatic downgrade from last season.

27. Cleveland Browns

The Browns have a ton of work to do. Their QB situation needs to be resolved, Braylon Edwards needs to come back to life, Jamal Lewis is on his last legs, they don’t have much of a pass rush, and the D as a whole looks uninspired. We’ll see how much of a “genius” Eric Mangini really is.

26. Cincinnati Bengals

I don’t necessarily buy Chad OchoCinco’s playoff predictions, but a motivated Chad goes a long way towards getting the ship corrected. They do have some pieces on offense, and the defense is starting to show signs of life. But I’ll give ‘em another year before they really make a leap.

25. Oakland Raiders

Mainly getting by because of the terrible-ness (is that a word?) of the rest of their division. The Raiders may look a little better because they get to play KC and Denver twice each. But really, it’s the same ol’ Raiders. They’ll probably make the mistake of starting JaMarcus Russel at QB over Jeff Garcia. Which will go pretty well with the rest of the team’s mistakes this decade.

24. Seattle Seahawks

My how the mighty have fallen. Jim Mora didn’t do much in Atlanta, we’ll have to see what he does in Seattle. But I’ll say one thing: they have one helluva QB in Matt Hasselbeck. And sometimes that’s all you need to stay competitive.

23. New Orleans Saints

Same ol’ saints; great O, shoddy D. Just how far can Drew Brees lead this team before they get him some help on the otherside of the ball?

22. Miami Dolphins

I’m expecting a major step back for this team. Mainly because I feel they overachieved last season and will come back to earth this year with the tougher schedule. Also because both the Jets and Patriots got better, and the ‘Fins have to play each of them twice a year. I also don’t expect Buffalo to self-destruct again. This will be a much tougher division next year.

21. Green Bay Packers

This feels about right for the pack who combine an explosive offense with a defense that shows glimpses but ultimately seems to fail. They restocked the D side through the draft, but I think it’ll be another year before they’re ready to make a real run.

20. Carolina Panthers

Carolina seems to never put two good season together in a row, and you have to wonder how his horrible Playoff game affects Jake Delhomme’s confidence. One thing they did right is keep Julius Peppers. Dude is just a straight up BEAST.

19. Philadelphia Eagles

While the best division in football got better, the Eagles sort of stayed put. Another year of experience should help DeShean Jackson, but otherwise this team has no other players that look like they’ll do better than last year. Even D-Mac is beginning to see the end.

18. Houston Texans

This is pretty much where Houston always seems to end up. They are a damned-good football team. They just happen to play in the best division in the AFC. And they happen to be not quite as good as everyone else. But this team could make the playoffs in the AFC West.

17. New York Jets

Mark Sanchez will be a difference maker at QB, but I expect him to have his ups and downs this year. Similar to Joe Flacco last year. Only Sanchez’ team isn’t quite as good around him. The D is also young and should make strides, but I think they’ll be juuuust out of the playoff picture.

16. San Francisco 49ers

I’d expect a 9-7 season out of the Niners. Things are looking bright for this young offense, to go with an already very good defense. The addition of WR Michael Crabtree was a steal. Now if they could only figure out who is going to be throwing passes to him.

15. Dallas Cowboys

For everything that TO does, he’s also a damned good player. And the ‘Boys’ two WRs currently aren’t combined as good as him. Tony Romo and the rest of the team will benefit from his drama going away, but they’ll also be worse off without the talent. Altogether I think they are about the same as last year.

14. Jacksonville Jaguars

The addition of Torry Holt finally gives the team a playmaker at WR. However I think they juuuust miss the playoffs. We’ll have to see if Jones Drew can handle the RB spot by himself, and the defense way underperformed last year.

13. Buffalo Bills

I have them as the last team out of the playoffs. While I’d expect the WR position to flourish with the addition of TO (teams won’t be able to double Lee Evans anymore), the QB is still developing and the D is still maturing.

The 12 playoff teams:(they get a picture)

12. Minnesota Vikings

With or without Bret Favre, this is a playoff team. I might be the only one, but I don’t think Favre necesarrily makes them better or worse. The team is asking him to manage games and let RBs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor do the dirty work. The RB position is definitely a plus position, but the WRs are a minus. First rounder Percy Harvin should help, but I think he’s a #2. What this team could really use is a stud WR and/or a stud TE. The TE is also a minus. The line is a plus on the left side but a minus on the right. On the defensive side, the D-Line is a plus with both Williams and Jared Allen. However the LBs are a minus with a random assortment of players. The DBs are about an even, mainly thanks to stud CB Antoine Winfield, as the rest are probably a minus. Overall the team has lots of stars in Peterson, Taylor, both Williams, Allen, and Winfield. But they lack depth and seem to have below-average role players. This is what’s keeping them out of the Divisional round of the playoffs, not the QB spot.

11. San Diego Chargers

I know that a lot of folks have them pegged for the Super bowl, but I think the Chargers are the worst AFC Playoff team. They play in a horrible division, so their record is going to be a bit bloated. But I just don’t think this team ever plays up to its’ talent level. The QB, Philip Rivers is a plus. The RB position is now a minus as there are questions galore surrounding LT and Darren Sproles. The WR is an plus with Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers. They have a plus at TE with the best in the league, Antonio Gates. The O-Line is an even, with a solid but unspectacular line. This is another team with great stars but only passable role players. Jamal Williams, Luis Castillo, Shawn Merriman, Shaun Phillips and Antonio Cromartie are all studs. The rest of the D is pretty questionable. Like the Vikes, these folks are the reason the team seems to underachieve every season.

10. Washington Redskins

These guys are like the little team that could. They always seem to fly under the radar until January, when they’re right in the playoff hunt as per normal. It helps when you have RB Clinton Portis who has been as steady and spectacular as any RB this decade. Throwing big DL Albert Haynesworth into that D-Line should open things up a lot more for DEs Phillip Daniels and, especially, Andre Carter. Look for Carter to have a career year in sacks this season. CB DeAngelo Hall fit in quite well with the defensive scheme here, and has become a big-play corner for the team. The Safety position is also a plus one with LaRon Landry and Chris Horton. Defensively this team is ready to compete for a title. The O still has some bumps in the road with QB Jason Campbell, tho the O’s main problem is they don’t have anyone to take pressure off of stud WR Santana Moss. Rather what they have are two WRs who do the same thing, but not quite as well as Moss. Get some big possession receivers, and this team could be playing for a Super Bowl.

9. New York Giants

I think the G-men take a step back this year. There’s only so long Eli can go without a go-to WR, and this year they lost they’re former #2 as well. The RB position will suffer with depth as the oft-injured bruiser Brandon Jacobs no longer has Derrick Ward behind him. However they do get DE Osi Uymenyiora back from injury. And there’s no understating his importance on the D-Line, which was already a plus. The LB’s are solid-but unspectacular behind ILB Antonio Pierce. The major concerns for the D are in the secondary, where no one on this squad is particularly scaring anyone. Yet the Giants will find a way to win the division and end up in the playoffs again.

8. Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler + dominant defense = nice playoff run. That’s the equation that the Bears are counting on, and I’d say it works out. Cutler is one of the league’s elite QBs and has to be considered the best in the NFC North immediately. He will help the team’s faulty WR-core look much better than they are. The O-Line is already solid, and RB Matt Forte proved to be very solid in his rookie season. Plus they have losts of depth at that position with Kevin Jones and the “other” Adrian Peterson backing him up. The Defense is a year older but still very good. The D-Line gets an even with Tommie Harris and Alex Brown leading the way. The LB’s are a major plus with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. The DBs are a minor plus with elite CBs Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman. Look for this team to creep up into the second round of the playoffs this year.

7. Tennessee Titans

Last year was really a dream season for this team. But everything I’m hearing out of their camp sounds bad. RB Chris Johnson does not want to share the glory with RB LenDale White. We still don’t know who’s the best QB for this team. Nate Washington and Justin Gage are the starting WRs? Really? Plus the D just lost its’ best player. But all in all, you’d have to say this team is still one of the best teams in the AFC. And you cannot count out the emotional and spiritual journey that McNair’s death will lead this team into. Though McNair retired with the Ravens, he will always be remembered as a Titan/Oiler. Those were his glory days and the majority of his career. He was also deeply involved in the community. I don’t think they can beat any of the top 4, however, even if McNair was in his prime and starting at QB.

6. Indianapolis Colts

I think the drop off from Dungy will be greater than anyone thinks. This team relied heavily on its’ leader for spiritual and football guidance. Yes, QB Peyton Manning should be fully healthy this season, but they also lost WR Marvin Harrison. WR Reggie Wayne is still the best WR in the game, and RB Joseph Addai continues to impress. But the injury woes on the Defensive side start to worry me. When do we just consider S Bob Sanders injury-prone? Same thing with DE Robert Mathis. And without Sanders in the game, those young corners look awful ripe for the picking.

5. Arizona Cardinals

This Cardinals team is going to be very good again. They may lose WR Anquan Boldin, but his loss should be made up for with more minutes for WR Steve Breston. Plus, WR Larry Fitzgerald alone makes that position a plus. RB Beanie Wells fits the team a little better than Edge did, giving them a plus at that position, and at QB Kurt Warner looks as good as ever. The problems that will arise will come on the Defensive side of the ball. This is a team with a plus secondary, but a front 7 that normally does not create a significant amount of pressure on the QB. Ben Rothlesberger tore this unit up in the Super Bowl last season. While I think this team will be very good and prove the cynics wrong, I do not think that they will return to the Super Bowl.

4. Atlanta Falcons

While I do not think they are as good as any of the top 3 teams in the AFC, i have the Falcons as my Super Bowl pick. I think another year with Matty Ice will make this team much better. And the addition of Tony Gonzalez to the receiving core will do wonders for the team in terms of giving the chance for the WR’s to spread the field and get open. The Running game is as good as there is in the league, and the O-Line is solid. I can’t believe I’m saying this but the defense looks very solid as well from 1-11. Love the front seven led by DE John Abraham and ILB Mike Peterson. This is a team that will be right there with the big boys come January, and will steal the NFC from the heavily favored last two Conference Champions in New York and Arizona.

3. Baltimore Ravens

I think they will have another nice run, but ultimately will fall a bit short. They still have a very good Defense behind LBs Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs. S Ed Reed and NT Haloti Ngata are still forces, but they have issues at CB, with a ton of second-tier players. The offense is still developing as they have pluses on the O-Line and RBs, with some of the more underrated WRs in the league in Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, but neither of them are #1 guys. The TE is also a question after last year’s dismal performance by Todd Heap. I think Flacco will become a plus with another year under his belt as well. Overall, they are better than anyone in the NFC, but not quite as good as my predicted AFC Conference Champion matchup.

2. New England Patriots

Two years ago, the Patriots had a historically good offense. But they still lost in the Super Bowl. This year most of those same people contributing will be back healthy, finally. Tom Brady ought to be back for the full season, to team up with WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker. And while I’m not expecting them to break their records of two years ago, I am expecting them to be VERY good again. Adding Fred Taylor gave them yet another dimension out of the backfield, of a great RB to add to Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk. I love the pickup of Leigh Bodden as the second CB, to accompany Ellis Hobbs. Ultimately though, I think that front seven starts to wear out. I don’t think they have the players to stop the running game (either the RBs or the QB moving out of the pocket to pass or run) of my favorite to win it all.

….I hesitate to write this for fear of jinxing them, but…..

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Ultimately, a historic defense with a very good offense should beat a historic offense with a so-so defense, right? Well the Steelers are returning all of the key ingredients to their historically great defense from last season. In fact, they replaced an OLB because they felt Lawrence Timmons was going to make this D even better. That’s a scary thought. You know the basics by now, the best LB core in the league: Timmons, former Pro Bowler James Farrior, rising star/pro bowler LaMarr Woodley, and reigning Defensive Player Of The Year James Harrison. Pro Bowlers CB Ike Taylor and FS Troy Polamalu. SS Ryan Clark, who might be the hardest hitter in the league. And Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, and Brett Keisel up front. Every position on the defensive side is a major plus position. Don’t forget that this offense is loaded too. The O-Line is an even position, but everywhere else is a plus. The elite WR duo of Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. Pro Bowl TE Heath Miller, Fast Willie Parker at RB, who would’ve led the league in rushing two years ago if he didn’t get hurt. And of course there’s the ever present, QB Ben Rothlisberger. Remember that he was hurt most of last year, and the last time he was healthy he threw 32 TDs and a 104.1 Passer Rating two seasons ago.

Stock Check: The 10 Hottest R&B Chicks in the Game

This list was slightly harder to crack than the dudes.  There is way more star power on the female side of the R&B coin.  Let’s start off with someone on the downside of things:

10. Ciara
Let me be the first to break some bad news: Ciara is DONE. She had a flame when she started but now she’s just garbage. Her only real sure-shot single on her album was “Turntables,” and that one got fugged up with the Chris Brown backlash.  One has to wonder if she’ll recover.  But she obviously couldn’t sing anyway.  The BET Awards made that obvious to everyone, in her attempts hat hitting MJ’s notes.

9. Chrisette Michele
Consider her the new girl on the Def Jam block. She sold pretty decently on her first album, considering she only had one real impact single – and it was only on adult radio. This time Def Jam did some interesting marketing, selling her album for $3 on Amazon, in order to top Ciara. While that doesn’t necessarily means he’s a bigger star at the moment, it does mean she’s on the rise while CiCi is falling. “Epiphany” was a decently big single, and there’s lots of stuff on the album that could be singles.

8. Jazmine Sullivan
While I would’ve liked to put her higher, she does get here mainly on the strength of her near-classic debut album, Fearless. She had three singles and is now making the guest appearance rounds with a shot on the next Jada single, “Smokin Gun,” and Ace Hood’s “Champion.” Her and Chrisette are the new faces of the soulful side of R&B (and maybe Estelle too) and its nice to see her doing big thangs.

7. Keyshia Cole
Keysh is doin her thang, but she flamed out a bit with this latest album. She’s still a bigger star than Keri, but I would say right now Keri’s shining a little brighter. Both of her first two albums had single after single, but this one went pretty slept on. However it did still sell pretty well, so there’s still that.

6. Keri Hilson
Lots of competition in the R&B Chicks category. So much so that the new “it chick” is all the way down at 6. “Turnin Me On” and “Knock You Down” were fairly big hits, and i suspect “Get Your Money Up” will follow suit. She’s on the cover of various magazines and is doin it real big as a spokeswoman. Might I add that she’s gorgeous. Now if she’ll ever get to talking about those barbs she threw at Beyonce and Ciara….

5. Mary J. Blige
Mary was very hard to place on this list. In the end, she’s still Mary. She still pumps out modest hits, and sells millions. But she’s not quite as “it” as some of the other girls on this list.

4. Mariah Carey
Will she come back to the top with her new release? “Obsessed” is starting to take over radio. She sort of caught a dry spell during the E=MC2 album, but it was actually a pretty dope album. (A dry spot, for her, is 2 mil in the US) .

3. Alicia Keys
Very much out of the spotlight for about the past year, A-Keys is still a very huge star. But she’s been very silent amidst rumors of being a homewrecker in the Swizzy/Mashondra soap opera. Nevertheless, you can’t deny star power – and she’s one of the biggest stars int he game.

2. Beyonce
Tons of drama surrounding Bey at the BET Awards. Well, mainly from her supposed threat to protest the awards if Letoya Lucket performed on the same bill. Well, LeToya isn’t exactly a threat to her. Maybe a threat to her sister more. Hmm….that might be it, actually.

1. Rihanna
Rih Rih is still queen of the world, for now. At least unless her next album flops.