₦airaland Forum

5 albums to go

Hey iice

Merci . . .

^{*sorry I took an early exit from that other thread - just had to return to ma fave section*}

Good List. Contains some underground stuff

alisigwe:
pac aint the only one,but i think he was a great rapper,the real difference between nas and pac is that nas had all the attributes to be the best, some rappers are singing ONLY for money and i can recognize that because i don't feel the energy in their songs, nas had a true lovin heart, tryin to understand all things and people that sourround him and he wrote that,helpin to a lot of people, that is real shit for me,and i call it ART!! that's not the only thing why I admire nas,he was a fighter, aint scared of the society,he recently said that he hates the radio,nas dissed pac with ''the message,''and u shouldn't forget that nas was too young then,before the against all odds track,pac directed the track to mobb deep,p.diddy and nas because he thought nas was stealing his style when he claimed he was shot,he had a line that said''took 5 and left the hospital''same shit pac said,but pac suddenly squashed the beef with,he was about to make it public before he was sprayed.
''illmatic'' ain't one of the best hiphop albums ever to be maid,it;s simply the best album to ever come out of the hiphop community,coming ou at the 18,he gave the hiphop scene sth that was to last forever,''forevermatic''many at times the hiphop community had wanted to confer the crown to nas,but he's alwayz bitched out,i even watched him say pac is greater than him,but when u look at the achievements,i found it hard to place any one ahead,he's sth i regard as a complete artist,no weakness,he keps seeing things clearer as he's getting older,pac had a kind of syndrome that was analyzed after his death,it had to do with fame sth like he let the fame get to his,and i fault u when u said he was watching his back 24\7,there was a story back in the dayz that pac didn't care about his life that much, times at night clubs he would sneak out leaving his bodyguards searching for him for hours,he failed to understand that hiphop ain;t a do or die thing,he gave his life because of his insecurity,nas understands that it's all about skillz,that what counts nth how many u slay or how many times u gat shot,i would ever do shits because this cat did,music ain't supposed to be greater than what it is,pac took every thing going in the studio serious,and to me that ain;t keping it real,he was too blind to look into the future and see what it would look like,lyricwise nas is greater,i would give it to pac with it comes to characterwise but that same shit killed him.
concerning biggie,i think he should be compared to jay-z because he ain't on the same level with pac and nas,the only rapper alive that i can compare to nas currently iz AZ,lyrically he's somehow near nas.
nuff said

Hey, first off - quit using past tense for Nas (e.g. Nas had a true loving heart!). Don't scare me man, the dude ain't dead yet

Sorry but you've got too much stuff mumbled up there. Well, all I can quickly sift from your post are:

Nas has a lovin' heart. Pac also had

Pac never allowed fame to get to his head. He was a down-to-earth homie like you and me. He only felt misunderstood by a lot of peops plus he was somewhat paranoid. And yes, he could do some weird thangs like you said. He was a free wind. A restless spirit.

On "The Message" thingy, Nas recently stated in an interview that the line "'One life, one love, there can only be one king" in that song was a subliminal message/diss to Biggie. Pac thought it was directed at him. Do your research.

Also, a lot of peops have argued that the opening line of the song - "The Fake thug, no love" was a diss to Pac but it's been a subject of debate. Only Nas can answer that. In "Against All Odds", Pac makes it clear he's dissing Nas. He spat "This lil' nigga named Nas think he live like me, talking bout he left da hospital took five like me". Nas was NY, and obviously Pac had probs with that. To Pac, all NY rappers are a bunch of phoney/unreal cats.

For me anyway, both rappers are/were great. But Pac is notches greater. . .

Now you're gettin' me confused. Your earlier analysis implied Nas is a better character than Pac. Then you turn around and say "i would give it to pac with it comes to characterwise" What you on dawg?

And OMG, what did you just say about Biggie?

That must have been you vomitting. Lap it up immediately. . .

You just spoke like an oracle

@Javalove
Long time coming Aiight man, thanks

@DBR
It's easy to do a "club banger". Get a commercial producer (the likes of Don Jazzie). And as Nas said, get a nice hook to be performed by a nice female voice (you don't even need a female voice, what are the likes of 9ice, Durella, D'banj for?). Presto, a club banger is out. A good rapper can ride on any beat. Even apala or fuji. But my point is: certain styles are only suited for certain beats. Suitability is the word here.

@All
Kudos to y'all for the thangs you've said. However, I encourage y'all to read my review with a neutral mind as I also tried to keep thangs neutral. I don't belong to any divide. Keep the reviews coming!

@Olayokun
Now I've listened to the album more times than I can count. "My Skin Is Black" is still ma fave joint.

@Tosin
Got the album yet?

@DBR/Abdurrazaq
Good reviews. However, when I said Mode can't do dance tracks, I meant it as a statement of fact that I have come to believe. I don't see it as a flaw.

That said, it's not compulsory to do dance tracks to be rated as a good rapper. Nas is in my Top 5 Rappers List. Nas is not the club banger type of artiste. In fact, IMO he sounds better when he keeps ish simple and lyrical. You may be surprised to hear that as great as "Hate Me Now" was/is, I won't list it in Nas' Top 50 Hits. I really don't dig it.

My point: Some rappers are designed to be really lyrics-inclined. Their style on a dance beat would sound off-the-mark ^{*for want of a better word*}. Eminem is also a rapper I admire. But you rarely find his songs being played in a club. In fact, I'll prefer to listen to rappers like Nas and Biggie on slow and undanceable beats to havin' em on fast and danceable beats. But compare these rappers to Jay-Z. We all know Jay-Z's style suits dance beats any day.

In the final analysis, what really counts is - dance or not, how skilled is the rapper?

@Kay-pumping
Word. Well spoken.

You better leave [i]Aja[/i]yi to his idleness. I saw the shittery in the guy long time ago. Pay him no mind.

The hip hop scene in Nigeria's still growing. Time would tell. . .

Let me reply as quickly as possible cos I'm in a hurry.

'Illmatic' is one of the greatest hip hop/rap albums ever. But mind you, we're talkin' bout the greatest rapper here, not the greatest album. . .

Please explain how 'It Was Written' was directed to Pac? Some peops have argued that 'If I Rule The World' took an indirect shot at Pac, but it's not clear how this is the case. Remember Pac even rapped on the same beat and dissed Nas on it.

FYI, Pac whupped Nas up big time in 'Against All Odds'. I'm not aware that Nas replied or dissed Pac ever.

One thing I can quickly tell you is that Nas has always held Pac in high esteem. Do your research, he respects Pac a lot. Even after he dissed him. You would agree that Pac was a restless guy. And somewhat paranoid. Watched his back at all times. Felt misunderstood by a lot of cats. So he dissed 'em. Nas was one of 'em.

But then in case you do not understand me, Nas is a very great rapper. He's awesome. Got a great deal of content. And he has worked hard to get where he is. But I just think Pac's got more legacy, more influence, more presence, more dexterity.

I'll be back later. . .

A couple of weeks ago, Modenine did what he's best known for - he dropped another rap album.

Naturally as a rap fan, I got me a copy.

Now let's forget all the hassles you and I went through to get a copy (considering the scarcity at the early stages of its release), the jabs flying here and there between Mode's fans and the cat on the other divide and vice versa, the controversy allegedly caused by track 22. And all-what-not. . .

I've taken time to listen to the whole album. Not once. Not twice.

Thrice.

Back to Back.

Now it's time for a critical review.

First and foremost, it took me three times of thorough listenership before I could decide to post my review. Reason - when I bought 9's previous album (E Pluribus Unum), I listened to all the tracks, albeit skipping through them.

And I concluded the best track was 'Fellow Nigerians'.

Until I listened to 'Contradiction'.

And I was like - damn! how on earth did I miss such a track?!

Now the paradigm has shifted and it's time to look in the direction it has turned.

And comment.

Going through the album, Mode as usual sounds arrogant. The familiar haughty proud feel is felt all through the album.

As usual, Mode still brags. As usual, he still drops punchlines. As usual, he still disses. As usual, he still keeps it hardcore.
As usual, there are no dance tracks. As usual, the tracks ain't commercial.

Expectedly, some peops are disappointed.

And some are not.

Mode again followed his heart.

Not mine or yours.

Generally, I've always maintained that Mode could be better. He doesn't have to do dance tracks. Doesn't have to go commercial. But he could hone his skills. He could perfect his craft.

He could move peops without necessarily moving 'em to their feet.

Hmm. . .

Production was better for Mode on some tracks - 'Bush Girl Behind Girl' and 'Fiyah Burn' are examples.

'Talking To You' took a shot at the commercial side of things. It got really close. But it missed da Bull's eye.

Nice beat. Could move you to your feet. But whilst on your feet, you'll suddenly realise that you're better off on your seat, boppin' yo' head to the rhythm. Banky W also gave it a semblance of radio-friendliness.

But in the last 6 years or thereabouts, the commercial standard of Nigerian songs has been turned up 6 notches.

Nay, 12.

If your beats ain't the 'take-me-straight-to-the-dancefloor' type - the likes seen in D'banj/Don Jazzy; Olu Maintain/Puffy T, then your song ain't commercial enough for 'em DJs.

My point - I'm not sure DJs can spin 'Talking To You' next to 'Gongo Aso' or 'Mo Gbona Feli Feli' whilst behind the turntables - in a club.

The track is not . . . erm . . . what's that word again?

It's not a 'club-banger'.

But I don't think it was a mistake. If at this stage, anyone still expects a 'club banger' from Mode, I got 3 words for them:

Perish the thought.

Mode ain't no commercial artiste. This 'commercial thingy' does not run in his blood.

Hear me well.

I did not say Mode does not want to or will not do club bangers.

I mean he can not.

It's not his making - he was built to rap only the hardcore/danceless way. Just the same way a car is built to traverse roads. He's good but old-fashioned. He's like the hands of the clock at 6.30 - all turned inward.

At the end of one of his old songs 'Spazmodic', he actually told us to expect a commercial album. But his definition of a commercial track falls below the expectation of an average Nigerian club goer.

Listen to the track 'Hip Hop' and you'll confirm this.

Mode sees hip hop as "one DJ one MC".

He may not be right. But he's also not wrong.

Don't get me wrong. Tomorrow we might awake to the sound of Mode's voice on a heavily-dance-inducing beat with a dance hook to complement it.

We may like it. We may dance. The track might even be entitled 'Let's Dance'.

But personally I can foretell what it would be. A mismatch.

When buying a Modey album, be mindful of this rule - never expect a club banger.

Again I remember 'E Pluribus Unum'. 'Contradiction' is my all-time fave Modo track. I do not know what it is about that track. But it should stand the test of time.

While listening to 'Paradigm Shift', I kept watching out for another 'Contradiction'.

But I found none.

Can Modo ever again do a rap joint as deep an' hip as that?

I wonder . . .

Not to wander away from the present subject, 'My Skin is Black' is my fave joint on 'Paradigm Shift'. Nice verses. Great delivery. Good concept. Good beat. Nice hook. And Sage again lived up to his name. . .

And . . . erm . . . the now notorious track 22 . . . hmm. . . interesting. Still he did not name the name. But he named names. And since 'Talking To You' was, as he terms it, a decoy, he decided to make it clearer who he's talking to. . .

Too early to comment on that anyway. . .

But surely the battle line has been drawn. . .

I know some other threads have offered something sort of discussions on this album. But hitherto, more emphasis has been on the Mode V. Rugged angle.

Now it's time for reviews. Critical and indepth ones.

That's why I created this thread.

Enough said.

Any deep thinkers in the house?

Nah I didn't breathe down your neck homie.

You said "in an ideal world Nas should be the best lyrically but that is not the case here".

Lyrically? Maybe I didn't really understand what you meant. I thought you meant to say "financially". But if really you mean 'lyrically', then i still disagree.

I'm a Nas fan too. But IMO, Nas ain't as lyrically dope as Pac. Nas is deep no doubt but not as deep as Pac. A lot of peops have argued that Pac is overrated. I don't agree. Pac in his days said thangs that'll outlive him for many years to come. His words are way too heavy to be downplayed. Nas atimes can employ very complex themes. Like he rapped a song from end to the beginning - not vice versa as should normally be. I mean, which rapper does that?

But then Pac raps verses that can move not only units but people. He raps his heart out. He moves you to love peops, to love love, to think, to think again, to think again, to swing into action - whatever. He convinces you. No bragging, no boasting. Simply heart-felt verses. Very down-to-earth.

Some folks - when they be sayin' Pac's the greatest, they say it like "Well, everyone says he is so who am I to disagree"?

They say it like he doesn't deserve it.

He does.

He did not become the G.O.A.T by luck. Or accident.

That title wasn't thrusted on him.

He worked hard for it.

Two rappers are the world's first 2 IMO. Pac - the greatest cos of what he said says. Biggie - the best cos of how he said says what he said says. Pac for the legacy, the impact, the content. Biggie for the skill, the artistry, the delivery.

And Nas comes after those 2.

Agreed Tosin but whilst these DJs do their ish with the 'yahoo boys', they ought to give special consideration to those impoverished but promising acts too. I do not support 'yahoo' activities but if at all you must rob, why not rob with conscience?

When some earlier rejected artistes overcome their initial disappointment/discouragement and finally blow, these same DJs are the ones that would first announce to all who care to hear that they made 'em. And if these rejected artistes shun them, these DJs would complain and accuse them of pride.

How won't they get shunned?

Ask him o

Demo, well said but let me tell you how ish works in music promotion. Your first challenge as a budding artiste is to create, in yo' words, an overwhelming hit. But let me tell you, an overwhelming hit might soon find itself overwhelmed, infact, subdued when these hungry DJs and presenters refuse to play it. The tactic most artistes have now adopted is to 'settle' with one major DJ - pay him, call him regularly, send him recharge cards. Then, if he's got a conscience, he'll give the song some heavy rotation on his radio. Subsequently, other DJs would demand for it and presto, the song's a hit, if it's good.

But then, my question is - why pay any DJ at all?

Why not play music on the merits alone?

What if the artiste is so poor he can hardly feed well let alone pay a DJ?

Mind you, most of these artistes are indigent, so impoverished something had to give before they could record their songs. They struggle to pay for studio sessions only for 'em to be forced to pay again for airplay. Agreed that DJs have to eat but must you eat every food that comes your way? Is this sheer robbery the way out for these DJs? Don't they get shows? Don't they get paid their salaries (even if meagre)?

And it's not even all the time these artistes pay that their songs get paid. Atimes, these hungry DJs/presenters collect money, knowing fully well that some of these songs ain't good enough. They won't play these sub-standard songs and the artistes are left to cry blue murder. Also, some DJs have a price range for the kind of music rotation you want on air. So, atimes even 50k may not fetch you more than 2 rotations a day for one week. Some would even play your song at midnight, when the so-called listeners are fast asleep.

We all know a song has to enjoy heavy rotation on air before it becomes a hit. Your song may remain a potential hit for life unless it gets massive public awareness.

I first heard 9ice's Gongo Aso on air in Oct 2007 or thereabouts. As good as the song is, it didn't become a hit until Jan or even Feb 2008. And by the time, it had been played so much ears were going deaf. These DJs/presenters are the bridge to ferry the songs to the listeners cos they create the awareness else your song's unknown. But they abuse their office. So what are we on?

Tosin why na? You dey always find Javalove trouble. Him go soon unleash the dragon on you now

He's off da hook. Save Room is a blazin' joint any day.

Buzz off. Local guy

Tosin, again I'm not spoiling names but if you see some of these guys, they look, talk and act like touts or miscreants (also known as Area Boys). Dr. Flavour is a perfect example. At Eko FM, we have DJ Charlie Shee, DJ XL, DJ Scott. They are also examples of what an area boy looks like. Only Turbo D looks/behaves decently. At Star FM, you have another area boy called DJ Walex. Also in that group is DJ Tommy of Rhythm FM. There's also one DJ Larry at Metro FM. Atimes I wonder what biz these guys have in music. Sometimes I wish I'm a journalist, I wouldn't hesitate to scold these peops and decry their shameful activities for the world to see. You see much as I love Nigerian music, these are the guys who, although supposed to be the torch-bearers, are killing the game.

I've taken a swipe at 'em cos they're the ones whose nefarious activities I've been able to confirm by myself. I got wind of their activities from some artistes (known and unknown) and personally confirmed 'em. I won't base my conclusions on hearsay. I simply used a decoy for all of 'em and they fell for it, exposing their asses. I'm yet to confirm several others.

These hungry DJs/presenters are the cankerworm of the Nigerian Music Industry Scene ^{*not sure we have an industry yet*}

Hehe, which discussion? Can't recall having a discussion with you

Poster is speaking the truth. Note that he said upcoming, not established or quasi-established artistes. I've obtained a lot of info on this and confirmed 'em. The list includes all 'em DJs at Eko FM like someone said. Even highly reverred DJs like Humility are not left out. Only thang is DJs like Humility do it on a coded level so you won't really know. This ain't name-spoiling - it's just tellin' it as it is. Majority of DJs at Rhythm FM, Star FM, Metro FM and Radio Continental (formerly Unity FM 102.3) ain't left out. Eko FM and Continental are the most shameless - they are so desperate they can go on the streets to beg for money if possible. Yes Dr. Flavour is also a bad egg - like Tosin noted. At Cool FM and Wazobia FM, they got no DJs, only presenters - those ones also beg for money to play songs. Yo (a presenter at Wazobia) is an example.

See, I don't believe in spoiling peops' names but I'm a firm believer in addressing issues so change can occur. These guys are the ones killing the music game in Nigeria. 90% of what they play on radio is paid for. They don't play because the artistes are good. Just pay and you're played - that's how it works. Of course some artistes are good. And some enjoy goodwill largely cos of the name they've built over time. So their songs get played even if they do not pay. But if you're a budding talent and you think your music'll be played without paying, forget it - even if you have more talent than Michael Jackson.

The times have changed. Cos of the attitude of these DJs, a lot of talented acts would die uncelebrated. DJs nowadays shun real talent and embrace mediocrity - all cos of money. Only a handful of DJs like Jimmy Jatt can boast of promoting unknown talents back in 'em days.

Nowadays, to use KRS-One's words, "MCs DJs are just hopeless"

Nor mind the guy. Him just dey rap off-beat.

Hehe, culled from a Nollywood home video.

Star Actor - Bob Manuel Udokwu. . .

princesa:
no problem
its not like you are the best thing to happen to me

Hehe. Did I ever happen to you?

This gurl, stop stalking me. I will discredit you o

@princesca
You need an explanation as to why I typed in small font? Hold on. I'll explain to you yesterday. . .

@ajayi
Read the topic again. Did you see anything relating to money in it?

One of NL's rules - Always read topics before posting. . .

alisigwe:
guy,u can't say pac and biggie are miles ahead of nas just because they died during their prime,most times i found it hard to place nas above pac,i first started listening to pac,baby don't cry and all all eyez really caught ma eyez abck in d dayz,but i swear to ya nas gat more things to say than pac,nas definitely brings out the beat ouuta the game,thats why he's mad hiphop is been comercialized this way,the untitiled album didi great wonders for him,i owe ma passion for hiphop to nas,he's probabaly the saviour of the rap game,go check slave and the master,u'll understand wht he feels about the ghetto,before the track started he encouraged peeps still in the ghetto,talked about hope and all that,before sampling a scene from ''the roots'' where the white masters flooged kuntu and gave him another degrading name just to make him feel inferior,nas silences whites and he's shuting their mouth year by year,he puts himself in sacrificial position where he could be slayed aor mayed,peeps thought he'll be assasinated after tihs lp.but suddenly he trooples little wayne at billboard top album sales last week,if pac was still alive i guess he'll still be livivng in d past because he's already a legend,and wouldn't want to be bugged,nas accepts criticism and doesn't front when he gats bugged,when 50 dissed him with window shopper,nas simply replied by saying that before 50 started dreaming of rocking jewels and fly foot wears,he's been doing it,so who's the window shopper?humility is he's greatest point and ma eyez will never be shut out the stairz as far as nas still lives on,
nuff said

Hombre read my post again.

Word for word.

Where did I claim Pac and BIG are ahead of Nas because they died in their prime?

I've said it time and time again - I DO NOT rate artistes based on anything else but their artistry, talent, skill. Whether they're tall or short, white or black, indigo or yellow , dead or alive, etc. is none of my biz. All I care about is their abilities.

That said, I think we can now join issues.

To start with, I dislike unfounded speculations. Pac's dead agreed. But that doesn't give you any reason to speculate. What do you mean by "if Pac's alive he'll be living in the past and wouldn't want to be bugged"? How did you arrive at that conclusion? With that restless soul? The aggressive spirit? The in-yo'-face attitude? The strong will? Hombre you know nada about Pac. Well, gratefully you used the word "guess". You guessed wrong.

Nas hasn't got more thangs to say than Pac. Musically, both cats are street/ghetto- inclined. They are both poets. Both deep. Both prolific. Both intelligent. They're comparable to each other. Pac spoke about life in the projects, black on black violence, white on black violence, love and companionship, courage, hope, politics, etc. Nas reps the same issues. I see no difference. Maybe Pac sounds more aggressive. That's all. Listening to both cats, it's not difficult to know where they're coming from and where they're going. They may have one overriding message in all their songs. But each song has that extra edge to it. Something fresh. They both addressed family, communal and world issues. They both rep the black community. So what are you on? I won't even say either had more to say than the other.

"Baby Don't Cry" and "All Eyez On Me" are not the only joints Pac reeled out in his days. You said Nas silences whites. What about Pac? What happened to tracks like "White Man's World"? What happened to "Trapped"? "Changes"?

Humility? So Pac was. . . erm. . . proud? When cats in his days were busy bragging about gucci, fendi, rolex, house-on-a-hill and what-nots, this cat was always speaking straight from his heart. Listen to any Pac album. You hardly find him bragging. He was always talkin' bout real-life issues. Which cat had the ability to kill cats in "Against All Odds" and "Bomb First" and come back to tell us "Keep Ya Head Up" and "Baby Don't Cry"? Pac had the spirit of a lion and the heart of a lamb. Don't be fooled by all that 'thug life' and stuff. He was like you and me. Very down-to-earth. Wasn't carried away by the legendary status and accolades conferred on him.

Nas is great.

But Pac and Biggie?

Don't go there.

@Muki,
Bam
unseal those lips



^{*Lips unsealed. Nor be me o, the thing wey my eye see nor allow me talk for 2 days!*}

_{Wey my sallah meat?}