Dime’s Fantasy Finals Matchups

Basketball websites always has these gimmicky user-involved tournaments. Balls Don’t Lie is probably the king of these. But the best I’ve come across is Dime Mag’s Fantasy Finals. In fact I like these so much, I decided to post my thoughts on their early matchups.

2008 Lakers Vs. 1995 Magic

In Dime’s rules, everyone’s healthy and the older team has home court. Now personally, I have a somewhat low opinion of last year’s Lakers team, at least historically speaking. Fish is/was washed up. His last great year was with Utah. And I say “great” because Fish is one of the most underrated players of my lifetime. Played great D, hit clutch threes, Kobe and Shaq both trusted him, Phil trusted him. Vlad just sucked anyway. Ariza hadn’t really had his 2009 breakout year. Bynum’s soft. And Gasol needs to demand the ball more. Odom’s inconsistent. At least Vujacic and Farmar were much better last year. And they had Turiaf. Come to think of it, with the exception of Ariza, everyone on the Lakers was better last year.

This Magic team was one of my favorite NBA Finals losers. They had Shaq entering his prime, Penny in his dead-prime (which only lasted like 3 years). Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott playing out of their respective minds. Horace Grant giving it one last shot, and Brian Shaw doing all those little Brian Shaw-things. But their bench was very weak after Shaw.

The key to this series would be Odom. If he shows up every game, the Lakers probably win in 5 or 6. But since I have never seen him do that (even in Miami and with the Clippers – the playoffs were what made Wade and Brand the number one guys on those teams), I don’t think he does it here. I’d say if Kobe gets a 10 in this series, Penny’s probably an 9.5. Shaq’s a 10, Bynum’s probably a 6. I’d give Gasol a 10 if he was demanding the ball move – the dude has a sick arsenal of post moves. But since he’s so lax, he gets an 8, Ho Grant was standing on one leg at that point, he gets a 5. Since Penny and Kobe would guard each other, it’s washed up Fish vs. pussy Anderson. Fortunately it wasn’t until after 95 (when he missed the free throws) that Anderson went into a complete funk. But here he should have enough to barely edge Fish, say…..7-6. In the Vlad/Scott matchup we’ll call it even since Scott’s much more deadly, but Vlad has the size advantage, 7.5 each. The bench is where Odom comes in. I’ll give this to the Lakers, but only barely. When Odom doesn’t show up, it’s basically even. So we’ll say 8-7. Coaching-wise, Phil gets it 9-8 over Brian Hill. Totals? 46.5 for Orlando, 46.5 for the Lakers. Dead even. I’ll go with Orlando in 7. Because we know that Shaw shows up, we don’t know about Odom.  Plus the Magic get homecourt.

1998 Bulls Vs. 2007 Spurs

This is closer than you think. The most dominant NBA team of all-time goes up against possibly the most boring dynasty of all-time. At that point, Ron Harper was 2005 Derek Fisher. And Tony Parker kills him, we’ll say 9-7. MJ probably guards Ginobili, but Bowen probably guards him. We’ll say MJ gets a 10, because even though that’s got to be tiring, MJ’s sort of…well he’s the best player ever. Ginobili probably guards Pippen. So we’ll say Ginobili’s tired but still manages a 7.5. Bowen manages to be a solid 7, and Pippen’s a 9 here. Duncan gets a 10 while Rodman gets an 8, good matchup. And both of the terrible centers get 5’s because it’s really the sixth men who get play. The coaches are even at 10, but the Spurs pull the advantage off the bench with Horry, Finley and Barry over Kukoc and Kerr, 8-6. 55 for the Bulls, 54.5 for the Spurs. Bulls in 7.

2006 Heat vs. 2001 Sixers

This is a fun matchup. It’s Allen Iverson in his best season vs. Dwayne Wade in his I’m-better-than-MJ season.  One thing sticks out, Wade can sort of guard Iverson.  Iverson has no shot at Wade.  Wade’s almost as fast and about half a foot taller.  They have similar games in those seasons, but Wade is worlds better in efficiency.  Plus he has more help.  If Wade gets a 10, and Iverson a 9, the rest of this matchup is pretty one-sided.  Jason Williams, in his last effective season, beats snow, 8-7.  ‘Toine, also in his last effective season, bests George Lynch, 7.5-6.  For fun, we’ll call Haslem/Hill a tie, even though common sense would go with Haslem, 7-7.  And Shaq bests Deke, 8-6.5.  Coaching is an even 9, and the Heat’s bench still had James Posey, ‘Zo,  and GP, while the Sixers counter with Aaron McKie, a not-yet-developed Raja Bell, and a bunch of stiffs.  Heat, 9-6.  For a final total of 57.5 for a strong Heat team, and 50.5 for the Sixers.  I think the Heat sweep this.  Fun Series, but not too long.

2004 Pistons vs. 1994 Knicks

Bad matchup for the Knicks. The Pistons counter the Knicks strengths too well. Chauncey dominates Harper, 9-7. I think Rip pulls out ahead of Starks, 8.5-8. Tayshaun edges Smith 7.5-7. Rasheed pulls Oakley out of the paint, and beats him 8-7. While Ewing can only muster a 10-8.5 edge over Ben. Plus that Pistons team was deep. The Knicks’ strength was their depth, but this Pistons team was even deeper. The Pistons rolled out Corliss Williamson, Elden Campbell, Lindsey Hunter, Mike James, and Mehmet Okur. Picture that. Okur, entering his prime, was the 10th man on this team. And he’s been an all-star in this league. Anthony Mason and Greg Anthony give the Knicks the edge in a lot of series, but here they lose 10-9 Though we just called the Pat Riley/Larry Brown matchup a tie, so we’ll stick with that, 9-9. Brown gets his revenge here, 60.5-57. I think the Pistons take this in 6, they weren’t too good at breaking team’s backs, if you remember.

2008 Celtics vs. 1993 Suns

Wow, giving this a quick eyeball, it looks like the best matchup yet. KG’s best squad vs. Chuck’s best squad. Rondo/KJ. Majerle/Ray Ray. I’m giving KJ the PG edge, 9-8. But remember, KJ disappeared in the finals that year. Rondo does not disappear. He’s consistently annoying you. But KJ was better. Ray Ray gets the same slight edge on Majerle, 9-8. Mainly because, none of these guys could stop each other. But Ray Ray’s slightly better. He might be the best pure shooter I’ve ever seen. Pierce/Dumas is where the Celtics probably win the series. Pierce gets this, 10-7. Dumas was slightly underrated in memory, but also slightly overrated at the time because his numbers were better than he was. Mainly because of the system he played in – like a mid-90’s Leandro Barbosa. We’ll call KG/Barkley a tie, 10-10. Both moved on from their crappy first teams to much more loaded second squads. This was Barkley’s best year, but KG played better defense. The Centers were Kendrick Perkins vs. Mark West, and we’ll call this even at 6. As good as the Celtics’ bench was last year, the Suns’ was even better with Ceballos, Ainge, Chambers, Oliver Miller (don’t laugh, he was decent that year), and Frank Johnson, 9-8. And in Doc Rivers and Paul Westphal we have two of the most maligned coaches of all-time. They get an even 7. Final score, 58-56 Celtics. But the Suns get homecourt. I don’t know how to call this. It’s too close. Put a gun to my head? I’ll go with the Suns in 7.

2003 Nets vs. 1995 Rockets

Interesting matchup. I don’t know exactly how this’ll come out. Memory would probably tell you the Rockets were better, but let’s see because I think the Nets would give them problems. Kidd takes Kenny Smith pretty handily. Smith was one of the more underrated PG’s of the 90’s, at least he was before his TNT stint. But Kidd was the engine that made the Nets go, and 2003 was his best season. We’ll say 10-7.5. Clyde was not in his prime anymore, but still was very good. And he beats Kerry Kittles, quite easily, 9-6.5. Richard Jefferson probably beats Mario Elie, 8.5-7. They were similar players in those seasons, the difference being RJ’s defense and athleticism. K-Mart beats a young Horry, mainly on the defensive end. Most people don’t remember, but both of these guys were extremely athletic at that age. That would be a fun matchup. But K-Mart takes it, 8-7. Meanwhile, Hakeem dominates Collins, 10-6. I don’t need to say much else about that. Benches are pretty even – Deke/Lucious Harris & Aaron Williams playing over their heads/Rodney Rogers/a young Anthony Johnson vs. a young Sam I Am/Charles Jones (milk carton?)/Mad Max/Chucky Brown, 7-7. And Rudy bests Byron, 9-7. 56.5 for Clutch City, 53 for the Nets. Plus the Rockets get homecourt, so we’ll say Rockets in 6.

That was fun, we’ll do it again.

 

Stock Check

The NBA Playoffs are still in the first rounds.  But it’s time to see whose stocks have risen and dropped in the playoffs this year, leading to a comprehensive “best players of the year” list that i HOPE to write deeper into the playoffs.

Let’s start with the just-finished Denver/New Orleans Series:

UP: Chauncey Billups & Carmelo Anthony, Denver:

Probably having the most to gain from this series, Denver’s duo of all-stars’ stocks both went way up in this series for two different reasons.  Chauncey showed more ‘Melo in his game, and ‘Melo showed more Chauncey.  And right now it’s a legit question: Are either or both of these guys top 10 players in the league?  Chauncey took off from the beginning, catching fire from the tip off of game 1.  He drained three after three to help dominate this series.  Really, he played the role of Carmelo Anthony.  ‘Melo did the opposite.  He started off pretty quiet scoring-wise, but picked his spots perfectly.  Passing out of constant double-teams, playing shut-down defense on Peja, grabbing rebounds, playing all-around inspired basketball, and looking like he’s enjoying every minute of it.  ‘Melo was playing like Chauncey.  Until game 5, when ‘Melo and Chauncey went back to their familiar roles with ‘Melo dominating offensively and Chauncey rallying the troops.  When these two play like this, even the Lakers should be scared.

However it’d be difficult to find anyone on the Nuggets whose stock has dropped in this series.  (Nene, maybe?)  Just about everyone finally started playing up to their talents.  Whether it was Dahntay Jones and Kenyon Martin smothering the Hornets’ two best players, Chris Anderson soaring for blocks and rebounds (sometimes on the same shot), JR Smith nailing threes and then throwing up his three fingers so it looks like a gang sign, or Anthony Carter just looking for another guard to hit.

On the flipside, it’d be hard to see any bright side for the Hornets, but their two stars played particularly bad:

Down: Chris Paul & David West, New Orleans:

These two are on the downside for different reasons.  Let’s start with West.  He is not a legit all-star.  And after stealing Melo’s all-star nod this year, it was obvious in this series who was the better player.  In fact, I’d be surprised if he ever gets another all-star nod again.  Words can’t describe how well Kenyon shut him down.  He did not look like the David West we’ve seen for the past two years, he looked hesitant and scared.  He very rarely took that confident, catch-and-shoot style midrange shot that’s his bread and butter.  He’d always look around, scared Kenyon was going to swat his shit into the fifth row.  If David West was considered among the top 10 PF’s in the NBA earlier this season, he may possibly have fallen out of the top half.  It was just a really bad series for him.  Kenyon was in his head, as was Chris Anderson.  And they rendered him irrelevant in this series.

CP3 looked up, I’d think sometime in the first quarter of game 4.  He looked up and his team was getting their asses handed to them.  He had single-handedly given up his body and all his energy to lead them to a two-point victory in the previous game of a series his team was obviously over-matched in.  He was physically beaten, emotionally beaten, and mentally beaten.  He looked up at the scoreboard, and he finally got to thinking “there’s always next year,” and he gave up.

He didn’t give up in the sense that he didn’t play.  He still played.  Even played well at times.  But he wasn’t Chris Paul.  And you have to wonder about that.  Paul is considered by most (including myself) the best PG in the NBA and a consensus top 5 player in the league.  But Lebron or Kobe wouldn’t have just given up.  Certainly Wade wouldn’t.  Dwight Howard’s stock  may not be as high either, but at least he would’ve hit someone.  Chauncey definitely wouldn’t have given up.  You saw Deron, he played every minute of the Lakers series knowing he was out-matched, but still left it all on the court.  Same with Tony Parker against Dallas.  Rajon Rondo’s still doing it in Boston.

Chris Paul is still the best PG in the NBA until further notice, but you have to wonder about him after this series.

Utah/Lakers:

Up: Deron Williams, UTA:

It’s hard to give any sort of nod to the Lakers, since they won this pretty much as expected, so let’s focus on the Jazz. Deron Williams is for real. I questioned him in his rookie year because his performance was so streaky (ala Derrick Rose this year), but right now….he’s legit. He’s the second best PG in the NBA and is closing in on CP3 (of course we’re learning that Chauncey may be better than both of them….still). He pretty much single-handedly carried this team in this series, eventually falling in a noble defeat to the most talented team in the league.

Up: Paul Millsap, UTA:

While the Jazz did lose the series, Millsap proved to be a problem for the Lakers every step of the way.  And if Jerry Sloan ran more plays for him instead of Jarron Collins (!?), maybe the Jazz take another game.  But we’ll blame that on Sloan’s old age, instead of sadling it on Millsap.  He pretty much proved to just about everyone what I’ve suspected all along: that he’s better than Boozer, at least as an all-around player.

Down: Carlos Boozer, UTA:

While I don’t think Boozer directly effected his stock on the upcoming Free Agent market, since the Lakers were supposed to win anyway, Boozer sure didn’t help his situation in comparison to Millsap.  Millsap outplayed him in this series – defensively AND offensively.  And Boozer’s flaws defensively were never more apparent than having Pau Gasol simply dominate him.  Though to be fair, Gasol dominates everyone in the post.  And the undersized combination of Millsap and Boozer couldn’t stop the Lakers’ bigs at all.

Down: Mehmet Okur, UTA:

While it’s quite possible that the outcome may not have changed anyway, it’s hard not to notice that the Jazz were playing this series without their center when the Lakers are dominating them up front in every way possible.  Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not doubting Okur’s injury at all.  But many players are injured at this time of year, and if you can play at all in the series, you should play the whole series.  Especially when you watch your team being so easily handled on the boards and you’re the tallest guy on the team.

Cleveland/Detroit:

Up: Mo Williams & Delonte West, Cavs:

Lebron’s undersized backcourt sidekicks are the most important factor of the playoffs, let’s start with Mo.

I am now a believer.  I was as critical as anyone when the Cavs signed Mo in the offseason, but he’s proven me wrong throughout the playoffs and on through the postseason.  He’s fit perfectly into the team’s concept and proven to be the one sidekick-star Lebron’s had that is as reliable as the King is.  He hits big shots, plays good passing lane defense, and adds a ton of intangibles to a team that is my pick to win the title.  He is a legit all-star and is playing as well as any Eastern PG not named Rondo.

As far as Delonte, I was always a big fan of the kid’s, despite his uber-ghetto off-the-court life. And he’s proven me right throughout the season and well into the playoffs.  He plays great defense (especially considering he’s probably closer to 6′1″ than his listed 6′3″ and he’s guarding 6′7″ two-guards), provides necessary hustle plays, and fills up a stat sheet (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and even blocks).  With his development and the emergence of Jameer Nelson in Orlando as a legit all-star, just how good was that St. Joes team?

Down: Rasheed Wallace & Allen Iverson, Pistons:

This is a painful one for me to talk about.  But as much as I’ve been in both of these guys’ corners throughout their careers, they both turned in horrible showings in this series. I’m letting Tayshaun and Rip off the hook, and Dice played his ass off.  But these two have some explaining to do.

Rasheed pretty much stopped playing, and resorted to his typical screaming at refs.  As talented as he is, he’s always been an equally big head-case.  We thought that was mostly behind him when he joined Detroit.  But he he looked intimidated throughout the series.  Did he simply give up in game 4?  It wasn’t like Cleveland had anyone who could stop him.

Iverson probably lost the most ground out of anyone in the playoffs, and he didn’t even play.  Or perhaps I should say, because he didn’t play. It is not like the Answer to give up. But that’s how it appeared this year. Allen has been one of my favorite players in the league for years, but this year he had his first terrible year ever, and he didn’t fight through it in typical Iverson fashion. In fact, he didn’t fight much at all. It seemed like he was backed into a corner with the team’s failings and the coach wanting him to come off the bench. Instead of coming out and being the killer he’s been throughout his career, he gave up. I don’t doubt his injury was legit, but it certainly had funny timing, coming right after he was demoted to sixth man. And he’s a free agent this season, so it looks like it came at the worst time in his career.

Atlanta/Miami:

Up: Mike Bibby & Josh Smith, ATL:

The first is a long time veteran who was supposed to be done, and the other is a immature kid who looked like he’d never quite live up to his incredible potential.  Bibby’s post-Sac rejuvenation is one of the more over-looked stories of the year.  He’s been the team’s second best player all year (after Joe Johnson) and has carried the team in its’ Miami series despite JJ being MIA (get it?).  Bibby went from being outplayed by Beno Udrih (the worst starting PG in basketball) in Sacramento to being the second best player in this series.

Smith finally seems to be getting it.  Of course, the kid is still a headcase without a jumpshot.  But he plays great defense, runs down loose balls, and dunks on…well…everyone.

Down: Michael Beasley & Mario Chalmers, MIA:

So the Heat had the second pick in the NBA draft.  Who’d they pick, again?  The most NBA-ready player in the draft, you say?  Was he injured during their first round series?  No?  Sure was hard to nice him…

And where was the other rookie they had?  The kid who won the NCAA title game with his three?  He keeps fouling out?  Is 95-year-old Mike Bibby speeding faster than him from Bibbs’ wheelchair?

Dallas/San Antonio:

Jason Kidd, DAL & Tony Parker, SAS:

This series has traditionally been about Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, but this year’s was about the veteran PG’s.  Now mind you, Kidd is essentially a PG on offense only (there’s no way he’s chasing TP around for 40 minutes), but he’s still proving his worth.  Devin Harris’ emergence as an all-star put a black eye on Cuban’s trade.  But I’m pretty sure Kidd would trade an all-star nod to still be playing in May.  He still ran the offense, and most importantly, kept the scorers happy.  Dirk, Josh Howard, JJ Barea, and Jason Terry were the central scorers, but Kidd made sure they were all involved.

Meanwhile, Tony Parker went down in a blaze.  He averaged 28.6 in the San Antonio, good for second in all playoff series’, just behind Lebron’s 32. Unfortunately, after Duncan’s 20 & 8, Parker got no help whatsoever.  Part of that blame could go on him as the point guard, for failing to get his other guys involved, but most of it is just his teammates aren’t that good.  Especially without Ginobili. If there was any doubt that TP is a top 5 (at the very least) PG, it was erased in this series.

Down: Bruce Bowen, SAS & Dirk Nowitzki, DAL:

There was a time at which this would’ve been the heavily buzzed matchup of this series.  However it wasn’t to be here as both players failed to show up.  Bowen couldn’t stay on the court and Nowitzki couldn’t stay effective.  Ultimately it led to the downfall of the Spurs, but Dirk’s teammates had enough to lift up his struggles.  However things won’t get any easier for Dirk as he will draw Kenyon Martin in the next round.  And just as important, his key teammates will also get some strong defensive assignments: Kidd is in line to draw Chauncey Billups, while Jason Terry looks like he’ll draw Anthony Carter, and Josh Howard should get Dahntay Jones.

Houston/Portland:

Up: Brandon Roy, POR:

If there was any question regarding Roy’s newly-found superstar status, it was certainly answered in this series.  The Rockets have, arguably, the two best wing defenders in the league in Ron Artest and Shane Battier.  But it hasn’t mattered to Roy.  Artest called Roy the best player he’d ever covered.  I’ll tell you right now that he isn’t too far behind Kobe and Wade as the third best SG in the league.   Obviously, he doesn’t have the rings that they do, but there’s plenty of time for that.  The Rox very will may close out the Blazers at home tonight, but it won’t be without a fight from Roy.  He’s just too talented and too motivated.

Up: Yao Ming, HOU:

Scola and Brooks have played way better than anyone could’ve expected.  But its’ Yao who’s gained the most from the Rockets side.  It’s time to end this silly Yao Ming/Dwight Howard debate.  Yao is the best center in the world.  Period.  No commas.  No parentheses.  He’s the best, ok?  Live with it.  If the Rockets passed to him in the low post every single time, they’d win every game.  That’s it, he’s the best.  End of discussion.  Period.

Down: Greg Oden, POR:

He’s become sort of the joke of this series.  He’s been racking up fouls like he did in the regular season.  And with Outlaw struggling, you sort of wonder how good Portland would be a with a really good SF.  Maybe a SF like…..say, Kevin Durant?

Down: Ron Artest:

As everyone is enjoying talking about how much better the Rockets are playing without T-Mac. The little secret no one’s talking about is how little they’ve gotten out of, essentially T-Mac’s replacement, Ron Artest. You mean to tell me the Rockets wouldn’t have already won this series if T-Mac was out there? Even at 65%? Ron Artest has given you nothing in this series. Roy’s lighting him up on D, and Ron’s only scoring 13/game at 37% shooting. In his worst playoffs series, as a sixth man for Toronto, McGrady averaged 16.7 points on 39% shooting, his career playoff lows. As a starter, his worst series was two years ago when he dropped 25.3 pts on 39% shooting. Think the Rockets couldn’t use that right now? Along with his typical end-of-game heroics?

Orlando/Philly:

Up: Louis Williams & Thaddeus Young, PHI:

It is the general consensus that Philly wasn’t supposed to be close to Orlando.  In fact most experts picked a clean sweep.  However, it is also general consensus now that Philly will probably beat an Orlando team without Dwight Howard and Courney Lee, to force a game 7 in Orlando on Saturday.  Most of the credit for this surprise has gone to the team’s two Andre’s: Iguodala & Miller.  However the most efficient players have been Young and Williams, the second-tier players.  Basically, these two can score.  And yes, Miller is the veteran leader and Iguodala, well, it’s his team.   But it’s hard to ignore these two.  Young is averaging 13 on 47% shooting, while Williams is only 8 on 41 % shooting.  So it’s easy to see why they are overlooked.  But these two are leading the team with energy and defense that don’t usually show up in box scores.  But anyone watching the game can see their impact.

Down: Dwight Howard & Hedo Turkoglu, ORL

These two also moved down for different reasons.  Hedo (or “He Don’t” as  I’ve called him in his post-Kings days…which…by the way…is a nicknamed i ripped off from a Lakers fan) has been terrible in the series.  11.8 points on 33% shooting, while averaging 3 TO’s to 3 Assists and 3.4 fouls per game.  Just terrible.  Hedo’s playoffs have been a series of stinkers: 2-8 with four fouls in game one, a 3-10 night that was saved by his 9-11 from the line in game 2, a 2-5 night with 5 fouls and 5 turnovers in game 3,  a 8-11 breakout game in game 4 with 17 points, leading into a 3-14, 5 foul game in Game 5.

Dwight’s numbers, on the other hand, have been outstanding.  He’s been completely dominant and has made Sam Dalembert look like a kindergardener who just got his transformers stolen.  So with all of his dominance, why the need for the sucker punch in game 5?  That could end up costing the Magic the series.  That plus his fall on Courtney Lee rendered their most effective perimeter scorer out for the playoffs.  Altogether, the Magic could very well end up losing this series.  And while some of the blame will undoubtedly fall on Coach Stan Van Gundy.  The majority should fall on Howard.  He got himself kicked out of game 6.  He fell on Lee.  And he is going to have to make up for all of this with a monster game 7.

Boston/Chicago

Up: Ben Gordan, CHI & Rajon Rondo, BOS:

Other than maybe the Nuggets, these two have raised their respective stocks as much as anyone in the playoffs.  Rondo is leading an under-manned, beat up veteran team, and Gordon is keeping the inconsistent, young Bulls affloat.  He’s averaging 25 pts on 42% shooting in the playoffs.  And this is with a bad hammy.  He’s leading a Bulls team deeper into this series than anyone expected.  And, oh yeah, he’s in a contract year.

Rondo has been the unsung hero for the Celtics all year.  While it’s true that Pierce is still actually their best player, Rondo is a very close second, and has been even better than Pierce in this series.  How about 24.2 points on 51%(!!!) shooting to go with 10 dimes and 10 boards a game.  That’s right – Rajon Rondo is averaging a triple double in this series.  he may have passed Nelson and Harris as the elite young PG in the east.

Down: Eddie House & Stephon Marbury, BOS:

Nice performance off the bench from House and Marbury.  Combined, they are 15-50 from the field.  That’s 30%.  That’s terrible.  One would think that the Boston guards would have the advantage off of the bench.  But Kirk Hinrich is outplaying both of them.  If they don’t turn things around, the Celtics could have a long summer.

 

Best of 2008: Part 2

The Top 10 Neo-Soul/Alt. R&B Songs of 2008:

10. Gnarls Barkley-”Going On” (from the album The Odd Couple; Produced by Danger Mouse):

Gnarles’ whole album was pretty knockin’, but this was really the jam. Though the soul of “Who’s Gonna Save Your Soul” is a close second.  “Run” was quite catchy on its’ own as well.  But on the real, Cee-Lo is dope in every project he appears on.  He also had one of the best song’s on Estelle’s album (“Pretty Please”) and Common’s album (“Make My Day”).

9. N.E.R.D.-”Spazz” (from the album Seeing Sounds; Produced by The Neptunes):

N.E.R.D. dropped their best album yet, unfortunately it got lost in the shuffle.  They just happened to come out the same week Lil Wayne moved 1.1 millies.  But it’s all good.  The Beatles-ish sound that permeated the last album survives on this one, but its’ the louder songs that are the highlights, led by “Spazz.”

8. Erykah Badu-”The Healer” (from the album Nu AmErykah Part 1: 4th World War; Produced by Madlib):

Erykah came back in a big way, taking us on a fonky Dilla-inspired ride.  The highlight was “The Healer,” a chilled-out tribute to the power of hip-hop.  I’m beginning to think that we love her more because she’s weird, instead of despite it.  She has this very charming old southern way about her.  The single “Honey” or the super-fonky “The Cell” could’ve easily made the list as well.

7. Foreign Exchange-”Daykeeper” (from the album Leave It All Behind; Produced by Nicolay):

Phonte and Nicolay teamed back up but went completely on the soul side.  Mostly singing, no real rapping.  But it sure was dope.  “Daykeeper” was the standout lead single that led us to the project.  I can’t front, you have to be in the right mood to listen to this shit.  It’s very slow and monotonous if you’re over-energetic.  But its’ cool pace music if you’re just chillin out.

6. Solange Knowles-”Sandcastle Disco” (from the album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams; Produced by Soulshock & Karlin):

In a year full of throwback records, Solange’s brought back the 60’s like none other.  After making some brief noise with her sister-inspired debut, Solange took some time off and kid a kid.  She decided to return and go exactly the opposite way of Beyonce.  And it worked.  She’s churned out three hit singles, despite not getting any marketing push at all.

5. Alicia Keys-”Teenage Love Affair” (from the album As I Am; Produced by Alicia Keys & Jack Splash):

Ahh…mi amor.  The third single from her album was the best song on the surprisingly low replay value cd, it also featured a pretty catchy Slick Rick-sampled remix – but the OG is where its’ at.  With another throwback groove and a School Daze-inspired vid, this is the jam.  And of course, she might be the most gorgeous woman on the planet.

4. Anthony Hamilton-”Cool” (featuring David Banner) (From the Album The Point Of It All; Produced by Kelvin Wooten, David Banner, & Ramon Montgomery)

That sample is off the hook.  It kinda sounds like a door that’s off the hinges.  Anyway, the song is that ishhhh.  You had to know that after the little success he had with the more uptempo “Sista Big Bones,” that he was gonna come back with something more contemporary.  But this is still way too soulful for urban radio.  And that’s just the way I like it.  David Banner provides a humorous cameo verse, and A. Hamilton once again does his thing.  Still diggin the album as well.

3. M.I.A.-”Paper Planes (Diplo Remix)” (featuring Bun B & Rich Boy)(from the album Kala; Produced by Diplo):

Of the three million versions and renditions and samples of this track, I prefer the Diplo Remix which actually circulated in late ‘07.  Of course the song was brought to popularity with its’ inclusion in the TV adds for Pineapple Express. But hey, whatever it takes to get good music out, right?  Both Bun B and Rich Boy prove their worth on this remix, each adding to M.I.A.’s original point of the song.  And each leaving with memorable endings to their verses.

Bun: “It sounds like a verse, but it’s more like a plan/get your Robin Hood on, put some pressure on the man.”

Rich Boy: “Excuse me, let me introduce my lady/her name is Baretta and she muthafuckin crazy!”

2. Raphael Saadiq-”Oh Girl” (from the album The Way I See It; Produced by Raphael Saadiq):

As much as I’m a Jigga fan, I prefer the Hov-less version of this track.  It’s not that Hov has a bad verse, but I much prefer the full instrumentation of the track.  It’s just that jammin.  But of course, we should come to expect that from Ray Ray at this point.

1. Jazmine Sullivan-”I Need You Bad” (from the album Fearless; Produced by Missy Elliott):

Of course, this was a banner year for Jazzy.  She just kinda took over the scene.  This, the lead single, led to comparisons to Lauryn, but they were premature.  Her album stands alone without having to lean on the L-Boogie comparisons.  Besides, she has some elements of L, but also some of Mary and others as well.  But this is still the jam and hasn’t gotten me sick of it yet.

 

And Down The Stretch They Come…

The baseball season is over in 13 days, and only one playoff spot has been clinched.  The hated Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim clinched the AL West sometime last season (or so it seems).  In fact, the lack of important games seemed to have caused the team to slide a bit, but they’ve recently righted the ship with a 5-game winning streak.  We’ll get to them in a bit.  First let’s get to the races:

The AL East and Wild Card spots look like they will go to the D-Rays and Red Sox in some order.  Technically, the Blue Jays and Yankees are both in both races and the Twins could catch the Wild Card.  But the Red Sox, who currently hold the Wild Card, are 6.5 games up on the next place Twins, and it would take a monumental collapse (something on par with last year’s Mets) for any of those 3 teams to catch Tampa or Boston.  The Sox go to Tampa and Toronto, before finishing the season with a four game set vs. Cleveland and end the year hosting the Yankees.  Tampa follows Boston’s visit with Minnesota coming to town, followed by trips to Baltimore and Detroit – all of them (after the Boston) of the 4-game variety.  If the D-Rays can take two of three from the Sox and then split with Minnesota, they should be able to take 3 of four from both Baltimore and Detroit.  In which case, I think they should win this division.  Boston will get the Wild Card though, no sweat.

The Central has the hurting White Sox leading the Twins by 1.5 games.  The Sox are suffering from injuries, but the Twins are shooting themselves in the foot.  The Chi-sox are probably going to take this division.  The only series left against playoff contenders is a showdown against the Twins.   The Twins also have a four gamer against the D-Rays.

In the NL, the races are a little more wide open.  The Cubs are leading the Brewers by 8 games and look like the closest thing to a lock.  The Dodgers have also extended their lead on Arizona to 4.5 games, and look must be feeling pretty secure at this point as well.  The final two births are completely up for grabs.  The Mets lead the East  by a game on the Phillies.  But the Phills are also tied for the Wild Card with Milwaukee, and only 2 games up on the quietly creeping Houston Astros.  St. Louis and Florida are still in the mix at 4.5 and 5.5 back as well.  I think the Phills are the strongest team of the main 3 (Philly, NY, and Milwaukee), and the other two are a bit shaky mentally.  With the rise of Brett Myers, the Phills now all of a sudden have become a pitching-heavy team with Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, and Joe Blanton.  The team’s major weakness (bullpen depth after closer Brad Lidge) hasn’t been as big of a factor as of late.  And Ryan Howard and Jason Werth are on a tear.  They also have a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way, after sweeping four games against Milwaukee.  Aside from a three-gamer in Florida, they play the other nine games against teams under .500 (3@ATL, 3 vs. ATL, 3 vs. WAS).

I think the Mets could be the next best team, as Carlos Delgado is making a late MVP run, but their bullpen is an even bigger weakness.  But they also have to close the year with both the Cubs and Marlins coming to town for the last 7.

The Brew-crew is probably more talented than the Mets, but they have 6 more left against the Cubs, and after losing 11 of 14, you have to wonder about this team mentally.  Two weeks ago their lead in the wild card looked insurmountable.

The Astros are the X-Factor.  Aside from losing the last two to the Cubs, they’d won 14 of 15 to re-join the wild card race.  They are undoubtedly the hottest team in the run.  And their schedule is pretty favorable and their ace, Roy Oswalt, has 3 more starts scheduled.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see them grab the Wild Card if the Mets falter at all.

So how do they match up?  Houston would probably draw the Phillies in the first round.  Call it Brad Lidge’s revenge.  This is the one team the Phills would love to draw in the first round.  They can beat the Astros.  The Phills have the pitching depth and star hitters to beat the Astros.  Both times are a little over-reliant on sluggers to be a quality playoff team, but in this matchup I’m taking the Phills in 4.

The Cubs would then draw the Dodgers in a media-friendly matchup.  Here, the Harden/Zambrano/Dempster combination will be too much for the Dodgers.  Harden is lights out when healthy, and Zambrano just threw a no-hitter.  Dempster has been the steady hand all season, and I like the Cubs in a sweep.  The Dodgers are a nice story with Joe Torre returning to the playoffs, but they just aren’t on the Cubs’ level.

The Cubs/Phillies matchup should be a dousy.  Harden/Hamels in the opener should be the premier matchup of the playoffs.  A Myers/Zambrano matchup probably goes to Myers right now, and Dempster/Moyer could go either way.  Surprisingly, the Cubs don’t generate a lot of runs from non-sluggers either.  I’m taking the Phils in an upset here.  Just too strong of a lineup in Philly.  You have Rollins/Utley/Werth/Howard – all of whom can take over the series.  Not to be out-done, the Cubs counter with a top 4 of Soriano/Theriot/Lee/Ramirez.  But I like the Phills because of their pitching depth (surprisingly enough).  Neither Ted Lilly or Jason Marquis beats Joe Blanton.  Kyle Kendrick, the Phills’ struggling fifth starter, is relegated to bullpen duty in the playoffs.  Beating Harden would be tough.  But the Phills can count on Myers/Moyer over Zambrano/Dempster.  I’m taking the Phills in 7.

Off to the AL, where it looks like the Rays would get the White Sox in the first round.  Here I like the Rays all the way.  The Rays can manufacture runs in the playoffs, the Sox have to hit the ball out of the ballpark.  It’s really what this comes down to because the White Sox don’t have the front line starters to beat out the Rays’ top 4.  Rays in a sweep

The Angels would get the Red Sox – again.  I like the Sox – again.  Becket, Lester, and Dice K should be able to silence an Angels team that is vulnerable to a lack of patience.  Despite the Angels’ success in the regular season, I don’t think they can take the Sox in the playoffs.  Sox in 4.

This would set up what everyone’s waited for all year – D-Rays vs. Red Sox.  The Rays’ fourth starter, Andy Sonnanstine is the only spot where they have an advantage on Boston.  Becket beats Kazmir, Lester beats Shields, and Dice K kills Garza.  At the plate, a healthy Red Sox team features all-star caliber players all over the place.  The D-Rays’ main advantage (bullpen) is negated a bit in the playoffs with all the days off.  I think the Sox take this in 6.

This sets up Sox vs. Phillies in the World Series.  Here the Sox should win it pretty handily.  The Phills have all sorts of matchup problems against Boston.  Too many sluggers, too much over-swinging.  I take the Sox in 5.

 

My Top 10

My favorite songs of all-time list changes periodically, but generally keeps the same top 10, just in different order. At the moment this is how it goes:

10. “Sugar Hill”-AZ:

This was my jam back in the day. I was hyped for his debut after “Life’s A Bitch” and “Sugar Hill.” AZ was an MC that was similar to his mentor, Nas, but maybe even more intellectual (at least at the time). Some of the stuff I didn’t quite understand as a 13 year old, but now it’s all that more impressive. Peep the alliteration: “formulatin’ up plots to escape from salem’s lot cuz it’s scorchin hot” or “But never me, see/my destiny’s to be forever free/an ecstacy on a hill that awaits for me, so/plush, just the visualiza’s like a coke bust/vivid enough to make livin this a must.” L.E.S.’ production was perfect in an R&B-ish, minimal sense, to accompany AZilla’s rhyme structure. If Rakim got the most out of his bars, AZ tended to take it to a-whole-nother level. And for the record, AZ was more like Rakim than Nas was. Nas was a completely different monster, but we’ll get to that later. The album itself was quite solid, if non-spectacular. It suffered from some drag concepts (“Ho Happy Jackie”) and some spotty production (“We Can’t Win,” “Your World Don’t Stop”) but is still, to date, his best full-length offering. The Pete Rock beats and Nas collabos were the other highlights. But “Sugar Hill” still stands strong today. And it is one of my ten favorite records ever released.

9. “Hip Hop Saved My Life”-Lupe Fiasco:

I know this just came out, but it has already risen to become one of my all-time favorite cuts. The story of Slim Thug was manifested as Lupe’s best cut to date. The fact that Lupe is the illest rapper in the game at the moment shouldn’t be too surprising. But the success he’s had with his classic second album, is a bit so. “Superstar” was the big song, and will probably be his signature track, but real heads recognize the second single. The story, according to legend, is that Lupe went down to Houston to visit the area. The first time he’d gone there he was completely bored, and this time he wasn’t looking forward to it all that much. So when he gets down there he calls Bun B, who takes him around and shows him the town. Lupe loves it so much that he decides he’s gonna write a tribute record to Houston. In it, he narrates the story of a (supposedly) fictional rapper from North Side Houston, and the rise of his rap career. It later came out that the song was loosely based on the life of Slim Thug, which probably was the most attention Slim got in his entire career. Lupe’s producer Soundtrackk’s keys and Nikki Jean’s angelic chorus create an atmosphere of hope and vividly enhance the story. But it’s Lupe’s picture-perfect portrayal that makes the song so memorable. This song was so dope, they were selling “Hip Hop Saved My Life” T-Shirts at the Rock The Bells concert (of which Lupe wasn’t part of) this summer.

8. “Crossover”-EPMD:

Erick and Parrish had been making dollars for years before I was as huge of a hip hop fan as I would become. But this was one of the songs that made me originally become such a big hip hop fan. The other (Tribe Called Quest’s “Check The Rhyme”) narrowly misses this list. EPMD came out in 1987 and released two straight hip hop classics. But the third album wasn’t quite as memorable and the duo needed some funk to get them back to the top. They sure got it. Maybe it was the duo’s breakup that made their fourth album so memorable. Maybe it was the two classic singles. Whatever the case, “Crossover” was the only EPMD song that ever got real radio burn. “Headbanger” was another classic from the album, but narrowly misses this list. The ironic thing about “Crossover” was that it was taking shots at rappers who made radio records, and it became their only radio record. Obviously hip hop has drastically changed since those days, but the record reminds me of when the music was more pure. Erick and Parrish go hard at these crossover rappers, but it’s Erick with the most memorable lines: “thinkin about a pop record, somethin made for the station/for a whole new relation-ship/or a new type of scene/to go platinum and clock mad green/aka a sell-out, the rap definition/get off that boy, change ya mission.”

7. “Bring The Pain”-Method Man:

It might sound strange now, but there was a time when Meth was thought of as highly as Biggie and Nas. Actually, those three were considered the holy trinity of NY in the mid-90’s. “Bring The Pain” was Meth’s signature record. Sure “All I Need” was a platinum single with Ms. Blige, but it was the grimey first single that pushed the album to platinum originally. “Bring The Pain” was one of the signature records of the NY-renaissance in 1994. It was grimey, dirty, and dark. The accompanying video was just as vivid, as it portrayed Meth in the subway seemingly high on angel dust. As the most marketable member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Meth hated being put into a “commercial” box. He didn’t like doin R&B records (he reportedly only remixed “All I Need” if Def Jam bought him a Lexus), and wanted to be remembered as a rugged, ruff rapper. “Bring The Pain” is his calling to arms. It is as hype of a beat as The Rza ever made. Sure the fallout over his disappointing later albums may still be fresh in your memory. As well as his bad movie and TV shows with Redman. Hell, I still remember him getting out-shone on every song on their album together. But this was his moment. “Bring The Pain” beats any song Red or any member of the Wu did, in my humble opinion.

6. “Why”-Jadakiss:

Jadakiss is as difficult a rapper as there is to be a fan of. When he’s not making up with rappers he’s bickered with for years (Beans, Jay, 50), he’s making horrible pop songs with the Neptunes (“Knock Yourself Out”). In fact, his partner-in-crime Styles has dropped a better album rate than Jada. But every once in a while, he just drops some shit. And you remember why you were a fan of his in the first place. “Why” was the best of that shit. Not only did it launch Anthony Hamilton to superstar status, not only did its’ timing perfectly mesh with the election, but it was Jada’s best and most popular record to date. The video was equally good, bringing back memories of Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” with the political rallying march and accompanying signs. It was the first non-Nas political/socially-charged mainstream record in years. And it established Jada as a problem. Many people forget that this was also Havoc’s most successful song as a producer. Mobb Deep’s had plenty of hits, but none quite reached the success of “Why.” The record finds Jada asking “Why” to a number of issues; social, political, and personal. The remix took the song to an even higher level. It was the first major appearance of Nas and Common (two of the greats) on the same record. And between Jada, Styles, Nas, and Com, everyone came correct. This signaled just how great Jada could have been. But like Meth before him, he was quite a flash-in-the-pan. The greatness was there, but the motivation wasn’t.

5. “It Ain’t Hard To Tell”-Nas:

Ok, so it’s not much of a surprise that Nas is my favorite rapper of all-time, or that I consider him the greatest of all-time. Nor that I consider Illmatic the greatest album of all-time. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s on this list twice. One thing that’s crazy to me is that the chipped-tooth Nas from the mid-90’s isn’t really that much different from the current Nas. What was cool about “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” was that it came out right after the big SWV single which used the same sample. But while SWV’s song sounded poppy and radio-friendly, the Large Professor-produced Nas joint still managed to sound rugged and underground. And with lines “I leave em froze like Heron in your nose,” there was no other way to go with this record. There were so many classic lines in this song, it’s hard to go into all of them. “I drink Moet with Medusa give her shotguns in hell” was one in particular that people took different meanings from. It was THE classic song from THE classic album. That’s what makes it one of the five best rap songs ever made, in my opinion.

4. “Bombs Over Baghdad”-OutKast:

Most people consider ATLiens or Aquemini as Outkast’s best album. Personally I thought Aquemini was their worst album. But Stankonia was always my favorite. I remember that i got an advance copy in the summer and played it for my crew. They hated it. It went way over their heads. Five or six months later, when the album actually came out, they denied ever saying such things. But “B.O.B.” was the center-piece of the album, along with being the first single. Sure “Ms. Jackson” and “So Fresh, So Clean” were the big singles – and both of them were quite dope in their own rights. But “Bombs Over Baghdad” was that SHIT. It was a sort-of-anti-war song over an electronic inspired beat, with an electric guitar solo made by two rappers. It was crazy. Of course, it’s been eight years since and the duo still hasn’t dropped another real OutKast album. They had a very successful stint with two solo albums packaged together as an OutKast album, but never a follow-up to Stankonia. Andre 3000 is a top 5 all-time rapper. And Big Boi, once a hinderance lyrically, really came into his own on Stankonia. Again, this song had a classic video that was as tripped out as the song itself. Classic shit.

3. “Dead Presidents”-Jay-Z:

Jay-Hova has been a lot of different things through the year.  And while i still contend that Reasonable Doubt was overrated, the young grimey-but-flashy cat that he debuted as was probably his strongest persona.  When he first dropped, he really just rapped about being a coke dealer.  But it was the mood and the images he created that sold the story.  “Dead Presidents” was the personification of this image.  After dropping a couple of singles that did nothing, Dame Dash finally got a video and distribution for the album off of the Ski-produced third try at a first single.  Of course, most people conveniently forget to remember that “In My Lifetime” and “Politics As Usual” were promo singles before “Dead Presidents.”  But that’s ok.  I was pissed as hell when i bought Reasonable Doubt the first day it came out only to find that they had a new lyrics version of “Dead Presidents.”  But luckily, I had bought the maxi single.  On the song, he paints this picture of this coke dealer that all the rappers envy.  “Rappers goin’ broke, tryin to keep up with me,” he’d say.  The track itself relies heavily on the Remix to Nas’ “The World Is Yours” for the chorus.  At the time Jay was this underground champion.  But no one could’ve foreseen just what he’d grow to be in the next few years.

2. “I Seen A Man Die”-Scarface:

In the mid-90’s, Houston wasn’t exactly the hip hop hot-bed it is now.  So what changed?  Well, the Geto Boys.  And more specifically, their leader, Scarface.  A fucking legend.  In recent years I’ve taken him out of my top 5 MC’s of all-time list, but that’s more because of his recent work.  His classic is still The Diary.  And the lead single, “I Seen A Man Die,” is my second favorite song of all-time.  The song was recently covered by Z-Ro, but it’s the OG that still knocks.  The Mike Dean-produced track narrates a young man that gets out of jail only to find himself in more shit.  ‘Face chronicles the guilt the man feels after his first murder, then kicks into the second verse about how a killer feels watching his victim die.  The third verse chronicles the man’s own death.  It’s a chilling, dark song by a chilling, dark rapper.  Yet it was one of his biggest (only?) radio hits.  It’s a classic song by a classic rapper that put Houston on the map originally.  The Chamillionaires and such that came later couldn’t quite touch ‘Face.  Though I have to say that Cham is probably the next best (unless you count nearby Port Arthur’s UGK).  But everyone from Houston is deeply influenced by ‘Face.  Cham even got him on his debut’s best cut, “Rain.”  ‘Face is sort of the Father of the South, whereas Andre and Bun B are the uncles.  And this current crop of Wayne, Tip, and Jeezy are the children.

1. “One Mic”-Nas:

Not only is “One Mic” Nas’ best song ever recorded, it’s also my favorite song ever recorded.  Stillmatic, in reflection, is almost as much of a classic as Illmatic was.  It had his best song, the most highly influential diss record ever recorded (“Ether”), and was among his biggest sellers.  Not a bad comeback record, eh?  “One Mic” also had his best video to go along with it.  The vivid depictions of Nas standing in the streets of NY, then leading an unknown African country to revolution, before inspiring prison inmates to continue are images that will be forever ingrained in hip hop.  He now closes his shows with the record as well.  The record was produced by Nas and Chucky Thompson, who has quite a lot of classic material under his belt.  The record marked a point in which Thompson came to Nas’ camp of producers after being a Bad Boy guy for most of his career.  He also produced all of Mary J Blige’s My Life, as well as various other Bad Boy releases like the first two singles from Total’s debut album (“Can’t You See” and “No One Else”), Biggie’s “Big Poppa,” and the “Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)” for Craig Mack.  But this record was his career defining moment as well.  It’s an inspiring ode to hip hop and the power one has while wielding a microphone.  Having a voice that influences the world.  It’s a powerful song, and one that defies the personal problems Nas was experiencing in his own life.  All of this is what makes it my favorite song ever recorded.

 

“Now half of these n!ggas is falsified….

“…the rest is full of mess so they tend to hide/
a lotta them is cowards who be actin hard/
some is tired ass tricks who will never get far/
some is straight dope fiends trynna grind the yay/
but they still pushin pebbles to this muthafuckin day/
some start funk over hoes and blame it on somethin else/
them niggas need to check they-self/
but the sucka that I hate the most/
is the busta full of envy man cuz he broke/
every night he be stressin, thinkin that his ho wanna get me/
i wouldn’t fuck her wit yo dick, she aint got nuttin to gimme/
cuz yo nigga is broke, so ho i know your starvin/
so you won’t have to worry about Mac Mall harmin/
Your boyfriend and girlfriend relationship/
i got my money and my cutties, who needs a bitch?/
Mac Mall will never get played, Im gon’ stay Ses-way/
And ya know I’m all about that mon-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!”

Someone put Mac Mall on a milk carton. He was supposed to be the next great Bay MC. A rapper who took the style and slang of the locals and matched it with the wit and lyricism of the NY-style MC’s from the mid-90’s. Co-signed from the 3 of the 4 biggest legends the Bay has ever seen in E-40, Mac Mall, and 2Pac, it seemed Mac Mall was destined for stardom.

It all started in the early 90’s, makin tapes with Mac Dre, Khayree and Ray Luv. Khayree had produced Vanilla Ice’s breakthrough, and was now looking for local, hardcore acts to team with his franchise (Dre) to put on to bigger things. Ray Luv was originally a hype-man for 2Pac, but was now branching into his own. And Mac Mall was a Mac Dre discovery, who also happened to be E-40’s cousin. Unfortunately Dre had just gotten a 5 year prison bid for some local Vallejo robberies. It should also be noted that Mac Dre and E-40, for the entire decade, were hated rivals. Dre repped the Crestside of Vallejo, while 40 repped the Hillside. Mac Mall was caught in the middle of a cross-town rivalry between his mentor and his cousin.

In 1994, 40 Water brokethrough nationwide with his single “Captain Save A Hoe.” He got a full label deal through Jive and eventually released his Platinum debut, In A Major Way in 1995. Mall had a regional hit of his own in 1993, with “Sick Wit It,” one of his trademark tales of infidelity. The fact that his hit single happened to be the same title as his cousin’s record label seemed to mean he was willing to bridge with his estranged cousin. But Mall had an older friend through his old ties with Ray Luv, that would eventually kick things off even further for Mall.

Tupac Shakur was the real reason talent scouts were devouring Bay Area rappers in the first place. No matter how big he got, he continued to reach out to local Bay Area rappers to give them exposure. He lended a hand to Mac Mall by directing and starring in the video for his next single, “Ghetto Theme.” Jive picked up distribution of Mall’s album, and signed him to a deal of his own. Mall was now doing shows with 40 and bringing Ray Luv, and Young Lay, Khayree’s newest discovery, with him. To capitalize off of the hype around Mac, Khayree gathered Mall and Luv and threw them on Lay’s first single, “All About My Fetti.” The song did quite well locally, and even got a good amount of play nationwide. Mac dropped another album in 1996, his official Jive debut, the heavily Sick Wid It-influenced, Untouchable. His first single, “Get Right,” was another socially-conscious song (ala “Ghetto Theme”), that featured Sick Wid It’s in-house crooner Levitti on the hook.

Mac Dre was released from jail while Mall was on promo tour for the album. The album’s gold plaque success, and its’ Sick Wid It-affiliations, infuriated Mac Dre. Dre began dissing Mall at every chance he got. Dre’s already-considerable local influence continued to grow, and Mall grew silent. Dre’s first radio single in almost a decade, “It’s Rainin Game,” was released close enough to the time of Mall’s next album, Illegal Business 2000, to try and take some of Mall’s shine away. Mall was dropped from Jive despite a hit single from the set, “Wide Open.”

From there, Mall all but disappeared. Eventually Mall and Dre made peace and finished an album together that was released immediately after Dre’s unfortunate passing. Dre eventually found another rapper with the Bay swagger and NYC-lyricism that he began to hype instead of Mall. That same rapper, Mistah Fab, hooked up with E-40’s son to gain exposure on a local classic (“Supa Sick Wid It”) using both camp’s influence to attempt to breakthrough. Mall had done the same thing 10 years ago, but was bastardized for it. Today, with 40 and Dre making a peace (or at least a mutual agreement to ignore each other), Mistah Fab had become the toast of the bay at one point. Somewhere Mall is watching Mistah Fab, hoping he doesn’t fall victim to the same industry politics that ruined his career.

 

This Ain’t Livin…

“takes a life to make a life/livin in a world of crime tonight/can’t find a better way to break through/this ain’t livin’, i gotta do what i gotta do” – “This Ain’t Livin” (c) 2001 2Pac

You Might not want to believe this, but OJ Mayo is the norm, not the exception

I was going to write something silly today, like a tribute to athlete-rappers or something. But instead, Stephen A. Smith had a riveting article on ESPN.com about OJ Mayo and the star system in college basketball. I have to say, it’s a system that’s as set in its’ ways as the United States government, and like Obama says, “It’s Time For A Change.” Many people would like to believe that this is the way that pro ball players make it to the pros:

Scenario 1:

Erick Smith played with great players in High School. He saw them get all the attention and the entourages. He someday dreamed he would be good enough to be noticed. While some of his teammates were heavily recruited, he went to LSU as a walk-on. He was the type of pure point guard that doesn’t need the attention. He was happy to pass it off to his teammates, just as he did on the court. In fact, he loved the game so much, he would play for free. The team red-shirts him as a freshman, so he can soak up as much of their system as possible. He isn’t making any money, but he gets a full scholarship starting the following season. Coach Trent Johnson emphasizes to him that while the school is remembered for big men like Shaq and Tyrus Thomas, the school has also sent guards like Chris Jackson, Randy Livingston, and Ronald Dupree to the pros. And if Smith worked really hard, he could make it too. Smith likes the idea because it eliminates agents at such a young age. Smith doesn’t make what some of the bigger names from his High School Teammates make, but he’s happy to get by with his full-scholarship. Without any outside influences, Erick can focus on school and hoops. Eventually becoming one of the school’s most recognized players by his Senior year. He doesn’t have the upside that some of the top players in his draft have, but he’s a “winner.” On draft night, Coach Johnson cries when Smith becomes the 13th player overall, chosen by the Milwuakee Bucks. Coach Skiles loves college-hardened winners. The media had fallen in love with such a smart, well-rounded player. He’s finally ready for the NBA lifestyle, and becomes successful at his own rate.

…..

But it’s not. Anyone who believes in these theories is living in another world, and need to read the title of this blog. The more likely scenario is this:

Scenario 2:

A young baller comes out of Coney Island, NYC, lets call him Jim Johnson. Everyone that’s seen him swears that he’s a better scorer than Sebastian Telfair or Stephon Marbury, that he can handle the rock and dish better than Mark Jackson or Kenny Anderson. He even goes to Lincoln High, the school Marbury went to. The kid is finishing his senior year and high school and is deciding what school he wants to attend for a year, before he makes the break for the pros. He’s a big point at 6-4, and scouts say he has both the handles and the court vision to play the point in the pros.

Tonight is the finals game for the City Championship against Archbishop. Johnson drops 36 points and 13 dimes and completely dominates the 86-78 victory. Before he’s done wiping the sweat off his face in the locker room, he is approached by a man named Ryan Smith. Ryan’s a local kid from his Jim’s neighborhood that did the “right thing” and went to NYU on a full academic scholarship. With all the killings and gang activity in the neighborhood, Jim’s glad to meet someone who “made it out.” After some catching up, Ryan asks Jim how his family is doing and offers some help. Jim has never met his father and his mom works at a factory barely scraping by at minimum wage. Ryan claims he can set up a charity where he can donate money and Jim can take it out. He says he’s just tryin to help a local kid capitalize on his talents by giving Mom some much-needed extra income. Jim and his family are appreciative, and the fund is all set up by the time Jim goes off to play for his AAU team.

Jim is recruited by many colleges, most of whom send coaches who know Ryan fairly well. Ryan helps Jim decide to stay local and attend Syracuse, with its’ rich basketball tradition. Jim knows very well; Carmelo Anthony went there, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglass. Jim can rattle off big name NBA players who went to Syracuse like they were his ‘boys from his neighborhood. The final deciding factor was getting to meet ‘Melo. He got to talk to him about his one-year stay at Syracuse and how Coach Boeheim helped develop him into an NBA star.

A year passes, and Jim is leading Syracuse into the NCAA Tournament. His numbers for his freshman year weren’t quite as good as he expected, but he was a first team All-Big East player. While he wasn’t able to dominate in college like he did in High School, he definitely was the best player on his team. But as a sixth seed, Syracuse is upset in the first round of the tournament by a determined LSU squad. Jim is torn about whether to jump to the pros. He’s actually enjoyed college and doesn’t know if he’s quite ready for the NBA-lifestyle. Being the big man on campus was stressful enough. Everyone wanted to talk to him. Jim’s spent his whole life as an introverted guy who never talked to anyone. In fact, all he really knew was basketball. He was smart enough, and worked hard enough to pass the classes they’d set up for him at the ‘Cuse, but he didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up. Plus basketball was his life, not Communication. But his mom wanted him to stay in school, she thought he had some life-lessons to learn, and he wasn’t going to do well jumping straight into the NBA. Coach Boeheim thinks it’s a smart business move to make the jump, because he doesn’t think his stock can get much higher. But he also said the smart move for him as a person would be to stay in school. Boeheim also senses Johnson’s immaturity and how generally shy he is, and wonders how he will deal with the pressures of being an NBA superstar.

But Ryan’s been the backbone for Jim since that day after the NYC City Final. He’s helped Mom stay afloat financially, and helped Jim make the decision to go to Syracuse in the first place. And Ryan’s boss wants Jim to make the jump. He’s been pressuring Ryan to keep letting Jim know that he needs to get paid.

So the loyalty to Ryan is the final factor and Jim enters the draft, signing with Ryan’s agency to represent him. He is drafted third overall by the Sacramento Kings.

After making the jump, Jim is ambushed by the press. He’s never had to deal with this many people wanting a piece of him. He runs into the stereotypical NBA groupies and the demands of representing the team in a town where the Kings are all they’ve got. Jim finds himself completely overwhelmed. He already regrets his decision and begins to resent Ryan for talking him into it. The friendship is broken and Jim finds himself not knowing who to trust. His previous solace when things were going crazy, the basketball court, is now more work than pleasure. He still has press following him on the court, off the court, asking about his personal life, and wanting to dig up dirt on him to make their stories. Finding himself out of Jim’s financial loop, Ryan goes public with the charity fund he’d set up and how much money Jim and his family took. Jim finds himself wishing he’d never met Ryan, never taken his gifts, and never gone pro early. But it’s easier to say that now that he’s a millionaire. The press starts to paint this picture of Jim as just another greedy NBA millionaire. So now Jim can’t turn on ESPN without seeing himself being bashed. Every one of their NBA analysts say he wasn’t ready to turn pro, and say he was being greedy. And to top it off, he watches highlights of his Syracuse team, and they’re struggling. Coach Boeheim sits at a post-game press conference and goes off on a reporter when they keep asking if the team missed Jim. And one of the groupies who he met after the draft now turns up saying she’s pregnant, and its’ his kid. Finally, his father, whom he’s never met, calls him asking to help him out. Apparently he’s gotten a gambling debt, and doesn’t have the means to pay it.

…

These are the types of stories that made Stephon Marbury go crazy.

….

The point:

Blue Chips was about as real as a movie could depict into this process. When it came out it was widely accepted as nearly the truth. But nearly 15 years later, people are still snubbing their noses at the Reggie Bush’s and OJ Mayo’s. Obviously, players don’t take money from schools, they take them from agents. This is why the system is completely screwed.

Who cared about Kansas State before Beasley got there?

Before OJ Mayo arrived at USC, no one cared about basketball. The school thinks of basketball as a way to kill time before Pete Carrill opens camp. With Mayo there, the school made millions off of his buzz. Same thing with Michael Beasley in Kansas State. But these players are not professional, and thus are not paid. But shouldn’t they be, when these schools are obviously capitalizing off of these big names from High School? And if they were, would it make it more likely that they would stay in school until they were comfortable? Wouldn’t it cut down on the outside influence of agencies throwing money at them? Would they learn how to develop social skills (which is what college is really for anyway)? Who even knew what division Kansas State was in before this season?

So the agents take a big chance and channel the money to the kid. And every once in a while an OJ Mayo or a Chris Webber happens, and they get caught. But 99% of the time, that doesn’t happen. And the cycle continues. It leads to young kids having to have huge outside influences that aren’t necessarily positive. They grow up not trusting anyone. Their relationships with almost everyone they know are based upon what they can do with a basketball. But the system works 99% of the time, because only very few ever get caught.  And so the system continues.

 

East Coast Killa/West Coast Killa

I don’t know if they realize it yet, but Crooked I and Saigon are very much connected. They have each been labeled “the Future” of their respective historic states. Crooked I follows a lineage of Ice Cube and 2Pac, while Saigon reminds people more of Nas and 50. They both dropped what was supposed to be the lead singles from their albums (Crooked I’s “New West Anthem” and Sai Giddy’s “Cmon Baby”) at the end of last year, and both leaked their latest singles today. Both have beefed with veterans of their respective cities. Sai’s had a very public feud with Prodigy of Mobb deep. Crooked’s lyrically taken on Ras Kass, has something brewing with Snoop & Kurupt, and on the low, has taken shots at Game. Both are backed by some heavy hitters. Crook’s got Akon on the new single, and every DJ out west hopped on his 52 “Hip Hop Weekly” freestyles. Sai-giddy’s got Just Blaze in his corner, Nas’ co-sign, and a Jay-Z appearance on the remix to “C’mon Baby.”

But both of their albums have been pushed back more times than Tyra Banks’ hairline (word to Hova!). There is a rumor that Saigon is finally going to leave Atlantic Records for his debut The Greatest Story Never Told, while Crooked has still not publicly announced a distributer for his debut, B.O.S.S. (Beginning of Something Serious). They both came originally under more prominant clicks. Sai-giddy was rumored to be a G-Unit affiliate before the group blew up, while Crook was supposed to be the future of Death Row long before he was annointed the future of the West Coast.

Their latest singles (Saigon’s “Believe It” and Crooked I’s “Dream Big” – which, i assume, is named to differentiate it from Game’s “Big Dreams”) are both hot. Crooked seems to have a bigger buzz, but one would think they both face the same problems of being “too lyrical” (“even paralyzed people gotta stand for somethin!”) in an age of dumbed down ringtone rap. But they’ve both come along quite a journey to where they are now, and hopefully they’ll continue straight to the top. It’d be nice to see MC’s with crazy skills winning again.

 

MTV’s Top 10 MC’s…..

list should really be renamed “the 10 most relevant rappers to today’s hip hop crowd.” Anyway, by my count there are only 9 truly relevant rappers right now anyway. So it’s anyone’s guess who the 10th will be. Here’s my list:

The Newbies:
9. Plies
8. Rich Boy
We give Rich Boy the edge for now because he had a superior album and multiple hit singles. Plies had one really big song and a bunch of guest spots. Plies had a super hit with “Shawty,” and is on his way to another one with “Bust It Baby Part 2.” In between, he dropped an album that was dope but didn’t have a whole lot of replay value, beefed with Trick Daddy, and guest appeared on nearly every remix imagineable, with a particular stand-out verse on DJ Khaled’s “I’m So Hood.” Rich Boy dropped two smash hit radio singles (“Throw Some D’s” and “Good Things”), hit a couple remixes, and dropped the two most intelligent songs on his albums as singles/videos paid for out of his own pocket. “Lets Get This Paper” was one of the realest songs/videos that have come out lately, and “Ghetto Rich,” especially the Weezy & Nas-featured remix, was almost as dope.

Two Superstars:
7. Game
6. Young Jeezy

Game took a vacation from rap, which explains why he’s so low now. He pretty much took a year off between the “Wouldn’t Get Far” video and the release of “Big Dreams.” But despite his personal bullshit, his buzz is picking up again. People are talking about “Big Dreams” and “Pain” instead of his strange personal behavior again, but he’s got a ways to go before his album drops. Jeezy has blown up guest spots all spring (as referenced here). But this new single “Put On,” with Kanye West on the vocoder, sounds like it could be a monster. Both of these cats were multiplatinum the first time around, before dropping to platinum on their follow-ups. If either of them can get back to the multi-level, it would be good for the industry and likely push them into the top 5.

The Next Regime:
5. Lupe Fiasco
4. Rick Ross
These two get props for holding us down this year. They had the only notable hip hop releases in the past 6 months, and both may be likely looking at platinum plaques. Lupe has been spoken of in this blog in more detail (see here. But he’s had two big singles and a seminal album. Ross has dominated the early ‘08 with “The Boss” and “Luxury Tax” in particular standing out, and he gained some headlines by outselling Janet Jackson’s first week, causing some to question Def Jam’s procedure with his album. Unfortunately, these claims seemed ill conceived as Def Jam is also Janet’s label. I briefed a little more about both of these two here.

The Top Of The Game
The King:
3. T.I.

Tip didn’t let a weapons charge, some jail time, or a wack album stop him. He’s come back, hard as ever. Fiery as ever. He dropped a super-dope introspective cut (“No Matter What”), called out Shawty Lo (TI picking on a wack Southern rapper…..again??!!), and got right back to it with the remixes and guest spots. His time away and weak last album are what contributed to his time away from the very top spot, but he is a quite a fair amount ahead of the 4s and 5 spots. T.I. was actually the easiest to place on this list.

The Very Best
“I must be the hottest if it isn’t you”-Lil Wayne on Rick Ross’ “Luxury Tax.”
2. Lil Wayne
Weezy has been named the best rapper alive by anyone with a magazine. But quietly, he’s slipped a bit. He has made more lazy mixtape tracks than classic ones of late, and hops onto more and more wack R&B songs. “Lollipop” is a monster, but he doesn’t even rap on that. The rap, “street” single, “A Millie” hasn’t fared nearly as well. But his hustle and grind have him almost interchangible with the top spot.

“You can ask big homie, man the top sure lonely, I ain’t lyin”-Kanye West on Young Jeezy’s “Put On.”
1. Kanye West
The funny thing is, a couple years ago, it wouldn’ve been blasphemous to even have him on this list. Was he even really a rapper? Or a Puff-esque character who happens to rap? Well he’s worked at it and gotten better with every chance. He does have his flaws: he raps a lot of guest spots that sound out-dated. They sound a lot like his flows from his first album throwaways. But rap has also changed to suit his rhyme patterns and flows better as well. He beat Fiddy in a silly sales war. He has dominated the past year in a way that very few have ever been able to do. He smashed us with countless huge singles: “Can’t Tell Me Nothin,” “Stronger,” “Good Life,” “Flashing Lights,” “Champion,” & “Homecoming.” He has hit us with videos that, for good (“Stronger”) or bad (“Flashing Lights”), always left us talking. He actually out-shined Weezy on his own “Barry Bonds” track. He took a lot of Jeezy’s shine on that “Put On” track. His presence on a track always seems to steal the show nowadays. And his impact on the industry has been full-proof. The success of affiliated-rappers like Lupe and Common was just the beginning. A whole new genre of rap has been formed, calling themselves the “hipsters,” inspired by Kanye and his compadres Lupe and Pharrell. And he still has that CRS supergroup project that everyone is awating with those two. That plus everyone in the industry reached out to him when his mother passed. And he’s put together the first “must see” rap tour in years, with his stageshow being completely fresh and incredible. With all that going on, it’s no wonder he dominated hip hop in a way very few have ever done before.

Honorable Mentions: First you have to mention the legends; Jay-Z and Nas are probably the best to ever do this rapping thing, but are getting older and wearing their younger fan-bases quite thin. Andre “Three Stacks” 3000 has dropped plenty of showstopping versus but has yet to capitalize on it with an album, and the majority of his guest spots were over a year ago. Ludacris and Fabolous have both been very successful in the past, but have had trouble building buzzes of late. Bun B and Scarface are legends, and tear up guest spots, but have been oftentimes forgotten with their solo projects. Snoop and 50 probably have the biggest gripes with not making the list, but both are running off of fumes at this point in their careers. “Sexual Eruption” did allright, but “Life Of Da Party” tanked. And 50 only had one successful song off his last album, and his G-Unit group album has yet to catch any sort of buzz. Fat Joe is all over the place and consistently drops hit singles, but has yet to translate any of his name-recognition into actual sales.

Hip Hop/R&B Worldwide Sales 2007 releases to date:

1. Mariah Carey-E=MC2 (Island Def Jam)……………..1,075,000
2. Janet Jackson-Discipline (Island Def Jam)……………581,000
3. Rick Ross-Thrilla (Island Def Jam)……………………..492,000
4. Danity Kane-Welcome To The Dollhouse (Bad Boy)…456,000
5. Snoop Dogg-Ego Trippin (Geffen)……………………..414,000
6. Flo Rida-Mail On Sunday (Atlantic)……………………322,000
7. Day26-Day26 (Bad Boy)………………………………..303,000
8. Gnarles Barkley-Odd Coupe (Atlantic)…………………224,000
9. Raheem DeVaughn-Love Behind The Melody………….201,000
10. John Legend-Life From Philadelphia (Sony)………….191,000

A little better than the last time we checked, but not by much.

By the way, for albums released last year….

Alicia’s 5 mil, Rihanna’s 4 and a half, Timbo’s a hair under 4, Yeezy’s a tad under 3, 50’s a bit over 2, Chris Brown’s almost 2, Mary J and Ne-Yo are over 1.5 and workin on 2, Keyshia and T.I. are almost 1.5, Hova’s 1.3 and Kellz is 1.1. Soulja Boy, Sean Kingston, and T-Pain are over 800K and on platinum watch, Common, Pretty Ricky, and Prince are almost 700k, while Lloyd, Fab, and Musiq are over 600k. Lupe and Jill Scott are right at 600k, while Bone’s a tad below. Gerald Levert, Young Buck, and Plies are all over 500k. Meanwhile Jaheim and Rich Boy are right below.

 

Not A Rivalry

This is not a rivalry yet. In order for it to be a rivalry, both sides have to have won.

If Lebron and the Cavs beat down the Wizards again this year, it is not a rivalry. It is a one-sided ass beating. The Cavs/Pistons is a rivalry. Pistons won two years ago, Cavs won last year. This is not…….yet.

This one has all the makings of a rivalry. DeShawn Stevenson said LeBron was overrated. LeBron said that was like Soulja Boy talking shit about Jay-Z. DeShawn responded by sayin LeBron’s on Hov’s dick.

Gilbert said “everyone wants Cleveland.” Joe Smith said, they’re gonna bring it. And of course it still harps back to two years ago when Gilbert missed those two free throws with some Bron-encouragement.

Lots of trash talk going on here. But not quite a rivalry.

LeBron is undoubtedly the best player in the Conference. But the Wizards might have the best trio of stars in the conference (not the Celtics). LeBron’s going to be ready, but so are Gil, Caron, and Antawn. To me, this is the most intriguing match up of the playoffs. The Wizards look like they should be better. But we’ve learned not to count LeBron out.

A couple weeks ago, people were sayin the Cavs were the team to watch out for. Now everyone’s picking them to go out in the first round. The trade-deadline deal they made looked great on paper. But it has yet to come into fruition. They are getting almost nothing out of their backcourt positions. Quick, somebody put Booby Gibson and Wally Szerbiak on a milk carton. Gilbert and Caron should have a field day on offense. The Wiz have a more productive bench now, with Antonio Daniels moving back to a sixth man role, Nick Young and Andray Blatche emerging, and Darius Songalia shooting well. Jamison will pull either Big Ben or Ilgauskas outside and clear the lane. But, as always, the x-factor is still LeBron.

We’ll see at 9:30 AM on Saturday.