[***EDIT (451pm EST): For anybody that cares, I've taken to blogging on my MySpace page quite frequently as well. Over there though, it's usually very short (no...for real) ideas or thoughts. I've posted 3 times today over there. I just felt like sharing that information because sharing is caring. Panama Over At MySpace. ***]

I’m not sure how many people are aware of this, but in the United States of America, June is Black Music Month. A few years ago, President Bush signed some proclamation, proclaiming that June would be a month to recognize and celebrate the achievements and inspiration that black music and musicians have brought to society, as that’s what proclamations do, they proclaim.

Still no word on whether or not that proclamation to recognize the back-breaking free Black labor that built the very America we live, work, and play in has reached his desk or not. You know the one that says, “Damn, they sure did a whole lot of shit. Maybe somebody should say ‘thanks.’”

But Black music. Yeah, it’s in there.

Now, whether or not anybody is actually taking the time to appreciate the contributions of black people to the American musical landscape is beyond me. I was in Best Buy, and they had a stand with about 6 CD’s in it saying, “Black Music Month. Listen, learn, and remember…brothaman word up!”

Okay, I made that last part up, but still. That’s about the extent to which I’ve seen it mentioned. So I will do my part to commemorate by listening to solely black artists all month. Now, you may be saying in hushed tones, “Panama, you dolt, you’re a young strapping black male who’s sexxiness is always questioned but never overturned, that isn’t exactly doing anything special, now is it?”

And you’d be wrong. Hell, do you know what I have on repeat right now at my job on iTunes? A group called Psapp from England (I think). My play count for yesterday for this one song? No lie…49 times. It’s a 5 minute song and I had it on repeat all day. The song? It’s called “Cosy In The Rocket”. Methinks you’ve heard it as it’s the theme song for the hit tv show that I can’t get enough of, Grey’s Anatomy.

Between that group, The Doobie Brothers, and the fact that I just can’t quite listening to Led Zeppelin right now, I haven’t really listened to Black artists doing Black music. Though the argument can still be made that I’m listening to Black music.

Anyway.

There is one Black artist I have been listening to lately because I decided to revisit his album. And upon revisistation of said album for which I revisited, a bunch of questions came up as is prone to happen once you decide to revisit.

The album? Jay-Z’s The Blueprint.

Let me quickly say this: I’m a Reasonable Doubt kind of guy. I like the Blueprint alright, but I don’t love it like other folks do. Never have. Everybody calls it a classic album, so I go with the crowd on that one, but I’ll take Reasonable Doubt over The Blueprint any day of the week.

But I decided to pop it in anyway and listen to it. I had just watched Fade to Black on HBO so I was in a Jay mood. And for the first time, I listened intently, but also with a comedic lense because there’s just gobs of humor floating through this album. At least to me anyway. Allow me to share in question form. I’ll put the song names up front so you know what songs inspired said questions.

1. The Ruler’s Back

So I was listening to this song, then I heard this line that I used to love, but now it got me to thinking:

“…fuckin’ with me, you gotta drop A-Mil/cuz if you gonna cop something you gotta cop for real…”

Well that just makes me laugh, but it also makes me wonder.

If you’re Amil, just how much does that hurt your feelings? Clearly, you were a weak link, which is difficult to do when Memphis Bleek is in the picture, but yet you managed to do the unthinkable…be less marketable than Bleek. Or the Young Gunz. Or State Property. Well you get the point…she no sell.

So I just have to wonder from Amil’s standpoint, when she heard that line, and her family heard that line, and her friends heard that line…for how long did she just not talk to anybody? I’m sure to some degree she was just like, “fuck that nigga, fuck all them niggas” and I’m sure she’s doing fine as a spokeswoman for zoo’s everywhere, but I’m sure it hurt.

Fuck it, I just have to do this. Is it me, or was Amil not one of the most unattractive women, like ever. On her album cover…hhh…hold on…

*going to get album cover for Amil’s quintuple wood album, All Money Is Legal*

Now really, which one is the lion? She looks like the ghost of Christmas never. She makes me shudder.

*shudder*

2. Takeover

Ahh, one of my favorite tracks on the album. I have a confession to make.

Forgive me Father for I have hip-hop sinned.

I never thought “Ether” was THAT damn great a diss track. In fact, I think Jay’s verse on “Takeover” was way better than the whole damn “Ether” song. Hell, Jay got him in one verse. One fuckin’ verse. Niggs remember what Jay said in that shit. I can’t recall but a few superficial jabs from “Ether”. And it was true. I mean it was good to see Nas back in championship form and shit, but it just didn’t do it for me.

Anyway, my question isn’t about Nas, because we all know how that one played out. Now the babymommafucker and the babydaddy are working together. My question is more for the Mobb Deep disses. So, without question, niggas in Queensbridge listen to Jay. The same niggas that kick it with Hav and specifically Twinkle-Toes Prodigy currently AKA 50’s Fuck Buddy.

So do you think that the niggas in QB ever told the Mobb that Jay kind of fucked them up on that song? If Prodigy is your boy, do you just pretend that you never heard it? Is there some kind of unspoken QB rule where nobody talks about “Takeover”? And Prodigy tried to come back with the hot beat but wacktastic verse on the song “Crawlin’”. And no, you probably haven’t heard it. I just have to wonder about that. Jay fucked them niggas ROYALLY on that verse. No kiss. No vaseline. No money on the night stand.

I just wonder what everybody else was saying to them around that time.

6. U Don’t Know

This song has caused numerous Kanye vs. Just Blaze arguments amongst my friends. Anytime somebody says, who’s better, it always comes back to…well Blaze produced “U Don’t Know”. Usually ends the debate. Except that was in like 2002. Now Kanye is clearly the king, but back then. Blaze was on his monkey.

My question? Isn’t that damn song ridiculously fuckin’ hot…still?

That is all.

10. Song Cry

Umm…I’ve never liked this. It reeks of “depth”. However women loved it so fuck it.

Umm, I have no question. I just think it’s quite ungood. And I wanted to share.

Now…

11. All I Need

…on the other hand. Is fuckin’ amazing. This beat alone is bananas.

I just wanted to share again.

I’m entitled.

I’m me and you’re not.

12. Renegade

Now this song here…this spawned a huge question for me. Eminem produced this and raps alongside Jay. But it’s for Jay’s album. Which means that Jay had as much time as he wanted to record his verses and make sure they were top notch.

My question? Do you think that Jay just kind of conceded the fact that there was no chance in Hell of him crafting verses as hot as Eminem’s verses on this song? Eminem’s verses on this shit rival his verse on the “Dead Wrong (Remix)” which is about jack shit but is so fuckin’ good it’s scary.

I’ll bet Jay heard Em’s verses and made the gas face like, “fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck…how the fuck can I compete with that??”

And it isn’t like Jay’s verses aren’t good, they are. But Em’s verses are just…Eminemish. He brought his A+ game on that shit, probably cuz it was for Jay. In the back of my mind, I kind of wonder if that’s why Nas didn’t let Em do a verse on “The Cross”, which Eminem produced on God’s Son.

And by the way, “The Cross”…garbage. But after saying to Jay on “Ether”: “…and Eminem murdered you on your own shit…” I suppose you can’t really run the risk of having the same thing happen to you on your own album, now can you?

Well, those are the big three questions I had. This is my contribution to celebrating Black Music Month. I’d like some answers to those questions please, if you have any. They are kind of rhetorical, but you know, those are real questions that have real answers.

Good night and good luck.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 14th, 2006 at 9:40 am and is filed under Musicology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.