Old Scars for New Faces

When people do the whole “Top 5 rappers of all time” talk, there is pretty much crossover agreement for 3 or 4 of the cats. Think about it, Biggie, Pac, Jigga, maybe Nas, Rakim? Perhaps there may be some other stalwarts, the random Eminem and Busta Rhymes advocation’s. But, the one name that SHOULD enter every single one of those top 5 discussions is Scarface, yes, Scarface, the man who put Southern rap on the motherfucking map. From his early tenure with the Geto Boy’s and Rap-A-Lot acclaim, the early 90′s were the beginning of a great career for the proclaimed King of The South. Many of you may know him simply by his affiliation with other major artists, his post-humus collaboration with Tupac on “Smile” certainly attained mainstream success. Scarface is one of those emcee’s respected within the one demographic that really counts for these guys, other rappers. Whether it’s his gangsta or his ability to spit a genuine 16, Scarface is your proverbial “rappers favorite rapper”. Known for his diversity in features and his longevity in the game, it’s with no surprise and great pleasure that I present to you his newest project, Dopeman Music.

Scarface – Lyrical Assault Feat. Malice & Mr. Lo Key

Scarface – The Ghetto Report Feat. B. James & Monk Kaza

Scarface –  Hustle Game

Cop this project right here. Yeah, pay for it.

Ballin’ Chain: Lil Flip

Alright, admittedly not one of my favorite rappers here (not even the best “Lil” rapper)…but one of my favorite chains for sure.  I gotta tip my New Era to this one strictly for the links.  Those shits are hot.  Not too many of the chains we come across have icy links with multi-colored diamonds in them.  I’d take one of the links off this bitch (I would immediately sell it to pay some bills, but…)  Lil Flip got creative with this one, each Lil link a crown of colored diamonds.

Apparently, appearing in over 1,000 mixtapes (Flip claims) has been ridiculously profitable.  I’m all about the fact that this chain is like 20 chains in one.  Most dudes couldn’t even rock a link from this one.  Maybe a Glengarry, Glen Ross remake with Lil Flip playing the Alec Baldwin role? (“You see this link?  This link costs more than your car”)

Whether or not Flip deserves to wear that many crowns around his neck (let alone one) is debatable.  But who says I can’t hate on “the Freestyle King” and praise his chain in the same post?  (We have currently discovered no correlation between chain fly-ness and rapping ability, but the studies are pending)

I remember a debate Jake (also with ZIF) had with a former friend of ours back when we were both living in the dirty-Dot, aka Toronto.  The other dude claimed that Lil Flip was better than T.I.  This debate occurred in the peak period of “Game Over” popularity, but it was still an inexcusable claim by our former friend.  Jake was not hearing it and neither was I.  Though the “Game Over” video was tight, perfectly timed also, to coincide with the insane popularity of Halo for Xbox, and Lil Flip has acted in The Wire and The Sopranos (WTF???), he ain’t better than the real king, T.I.

That argument was obviously outrageous, especially given that T.I. has blown the fuck up, but no arguments here about this chain.   It’s the pot o’ gold (and diamonds) at the end of “The Leprechaun’s” rainbow.

eUloGyK for Pimp C

Earlier this year, the final UGK album dropped. The songs were decent enough, definitely true to the ideologies Bun-B and Pimp C have stuck to in the past. However, the best part of the album was that it didn’t try and paint the late Pimp C as some kind of profound and poetic rapper who tried to sound deeper than he actually was; his verses were just as–if not more– foul and sex & cash hungry as they ever were.

Typically, to pay tribute to the fallen, I like to suggest you do something that the deceased enjoyed doing for recreation. However, with Pimp C…I don’t suggest you do. Or, if you do, don’t blame it on me. RIP Pimp C.

UGK-International Players Anthem(feat. Outkast)

UGK 4 Life

UGK’s tenure at hip-hop’s pinnacle has closely resembled Wiley Coyote’s tenure at an equally high altitude; each time they seem to have ubiquity in their clutches, it has essentially become inevitable that lurking nearby is a stick of dynamite or perhaps a four mile drop off of a cliff. Many mainstream audiences first heard the Port Arthur, Texas duo of Pimp C and Bun B, when they spat silky excess next to Jay-Z on “Big Pimpin.” However, Pimp-C soon caught a five year sentence and there association with rap royalty was put on hiatus. Years later, UGK got on the rebound with 2007′s Underground Kingz. This certainly seemed to be UGK’s resurgence and it gloriously slid into the Billboard’s number one slot. But, alas, it wasn’t to last and Pimp-C was found dead in his California hotel room several months after the album’s release.

With the UGK tandem obviously defunct, UGK 4 Life is where the surviving half of the duo, Bun-B, lifts the massive anvil off of the UGK name and decides to keep on rolling, even if it is with a two foot-high goose-egg on its dome.

One of the most glaring aspects of the record is that fact that it’s not really a tribute to the late Pimp-C nor does it try to string together much sentimentality regarding the late Texas rapper; The lack of a “going out with a bang” aspect may attract dissent from loyal UGK disciples, or, it may be exactly what the UGK-faithful want; UGK 4 Life is completely true to the grimy zeitgeist the pair have subscribed to since their 1992 emergence; Pimp-C’s immensely crass rhymes tear into live funk and blues instrumentation creating a remarkably confident juxtaposition. This dynamic is especially evident on tracks like “Harry A**hole” and “She Luv It” where Pimp-C proudly guts the romance out of sex and repackages it for the carnal urges of the flesh, all over whinny guitar licks. The always practical Bun-B never wastes a syllable and while he may not be as charismatic as C, his steady delivery on “Da Game Been Good To Me” is reassuring to the method behind UGK’s madness.

UGK 4 Life doesn’t reveal a “deeper” more “poetic” side of Pimp-C and therefore, the album isn’t going to draw in a new generation of UGK fans; in fact, newbies may be all together disgusted by UGK metaphorically comparing their genitals to chicken wings and corn on the cob as well as ideal vaginas to precious metals. However, to those who like their rap rode dirty, UGK 4 Life will be a testament to the fact that Pimp C left the rap game the same way he came in.

It’s not a crackhead, it’s Lil Flip, oh…wait.. yeah, it’s a crackhead

 

Just your average black irish man

Some time ago Lil Flip who likes to claim his neighborhood of Cloverland projects as both gully and all about the Flipperace, tried to make it cool to dress up as a tiny somewhat gay little leprechaun. Lil Flip was apparently unaware of the plethora of fodder this would provide Flip haters across America, and of course none were more relevant than T.I.

Now as most of you should know or at least should have assumed, T.I. won this bovine clash. In fact many have argued that Lil Flip is done, pretty much as a result of T.I.’s beef, that and parading around in a leprechaun suit. Lil Flip would retort (with an irie Irish accent) that he is far from done, in fact this year he is dropping his 5th studio album “Ahead of my Time.” Check “Flip Gate’s” tell us what’s good wit him right now on Clover G TV. 

Whether it’s “Flip Gates”, “Lil Flip”, “Flipperace”, or the “Freestyle King”, it is always entertaining to follow the activity of our favorite leprechaun. Apparently, folks down in Alabama are all about leprechaun sightings, it’s caused quite a stir down there.

I’m with the crackhead theory, but could it be……

Flippy Flip?

 

 

MPFREEE: Mixtape: Lil Flip & DJ J-Rudd Presents: Dreamteam & Flip Gates : Fly As We Wanna Be Vol. 1

http://www.myspace.com/lilflip

http://www.youtube.com/clovergtv