Pulse Report: Lil' Wayne & Jim Jones Challenge Jay-Z To A Swag-Off, T.I. Gives Weezy A Pass, Ye's HBO Show Gets Shelved, Memphis Bleek Washes, Rinses & Repeats
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:00:00
In this week's Pulse Report the streets are buzzing about Lil' Wayne joining forces with Jim Jones for a "Swagger Like Us" showdown against Jay-Z, T-Pain's vocoder receiving a vote of confidence from T.I. on "The Parker Report," Kanye West losing his bid to become an HBO star and Memphis Bleek explaining why he appeared in a shampoo commercial.
[Editor Note: The views of this column do not necessarily reflect those of SOHH.com]
1. Behind Enemy Lines. The swagger epidemic in hip-hop has grown out of control. Since T.I. teamed up with Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, and Kanye West on the West produced "Swagger Like Us" we've seen a rash of remixes. It was all fun and games when Diddy unleashed "Swagger Like Puff", but now comes word that the craze is about to set off a challenge between some of hip-hop's biggest names.
According to, the always in the know, radio personality Miss Info, Lil' Wayne has aligned himself with Jim Jones and Juelz Santana to record "Swaggerjack From Us" a rivaling version to the original. Apparently the hook goes: "All these other rappers jack swagger from us."
This news becomes rather fascinating due to the fact that Jay-Z has already commissioned a "S.L.U 2" featuring Nas, Andre 3000, and Young Jeezy.
SMH. No one is going to be sadder than us if we hear another rendition of this song. Come on people! I'm just recovering from hearing "A Milli" a billi-ion different ways. More importantly, what's up with Wayne switching sides? Was he not satisfied with his role on the original? We all know Jimmy is probably going to take Hov to task on something, but who could Wayne bring forth issue with on the swaggerjacker version.
I don't know. Hopefully this is the last one. I certainly don't want to give any ideas to others to prolong this madness. Like say if LL Cool J, Nelly, DMX and Cam'ron got together for the "No One Used To Have Swagger Like Us" version. Oops, I just gave 'em an idea. Well since we're at it ya'll should come up with some of your own.
2. One Voice. Staying on the topic of things we can't escape, T-Pain's vocoder device was the topic of discussion on several outlets this week. First, the good folks over at "The Parker Report" put the wildly popular vocal apparatus on trial for its recent abuse by everyone from Lil' Wayne to R. Kelly. Host Erik Parker sat with T.I., Alfamega, DJ Drama and Big Kuntry King to come up with a verdict on who should be allowed the vocoder. [Watch here]
Everyone agrees unanimously that T-Pain has ownership to the re-introduction of the vocoder. However T.I. maintains that Lil' Wayne and Kanye West get a free pass for biting.
I don't have a problem when T-Pain, Wayne, and Kanye do it...because they do it best. Leave it to the professional. They don't have to do this. Wayne don't have to do this. It's just another sound.
With that said the final verdict came down as such: No biting allowed. If you want to do a vocoder record ask T-Pain.
Also, courtesy of Funnyordie.com peep what happens when T-Pain tries to go it alone without his trusty vocoder. [Watch here]
While I agree with the final decision, I'd like to had a few things to the legislation.
- If you have not sold a platinum album since 2005 you are not allowed to use the vocorder.
- If you have not been romantically linked to one or all of the following you don't qualify to use the vocoder: Kanye West, Karrine "Superhead" Steffens or Ray J's package.
- If your name is not Lil' Wayne, Kanye West, or T-Pain you can't use the vocoder.
And for anyone trying to qualify on options 1 & 2, you have to meet the criteria of all three. Sorry.
3. Not Made For TV. Staying on the topic of Kanye West, with or without any voice assistance his music care has taken off into another stratosphere. However his television career is stuck on the tarmac for now. According to comingsoon.net, writer/director Larry Charles ("Entourage," "Curb Your Enthusiasm") revealed that he shot a pilot for a Kanye show but HBO shelved the project for the moment.
"What Kanye West said to me the first time, he said, 'I'm the black Larry David.' That's the first thing he said to me. So it's like a Kanye and 'Curb' show, it's kind of improvised about the situations and stuff. It was really good, but again I think it was too hardcore for HBO. Also, HBO's management shifted, but HBO doesn't have a good track record when it comes to black shows and I felt like that may have had something to do with it also. I don't see a lot of shows about that experience at all. This was very entertaining and we showed it to a lot of people. People gave it a very good response and it seems to be on the shelf right now.
That's really unfortunate. Let me find out HBO don't care about black people. A Kanye show sounds like it would be more interesting than anything HBO has on right now other than "Entourage." How does Flavor Flav get three shows, New York gets three shows, and Chance & Real get a show on cable TV and Kanye West can't? Something ain't right. Only thing left to stay is, give a black man a chance.
4. Bleek Outlook. There used to be a time when being the right hand man to the boss meant something. Folks would lather you up just to get closer to the man in charge. Well things have changed for Memphis Bleek. These days being Jay-Z's right hand man gets you a washed up role in a shampoo commercial. We all remember the peculiar spot Bleek did for Fructis a while back. Well the Brooklyn MC explained how everything comes back to the money and the bitches.
"They [Fructis] called me," he told SOHH. They contacted somebody at the label, had a big bag of money for me, and said, 'Yo, you just gotta f*ck with the b*tches.' Because my whole thing was, like, damn, a shampoo commercial? Man, I don't got no hair. I rock a du-rag and a baldie all day. I ain't got no hair, so what they want me for? And they was like, 'Nah, you just f*cking with the b*tches' and so I'm like cool."
Bleek even went on to discuss the status of his relationship with Jay.
"I ain't seen Jay since we came off the world tour. He came off the world tour and he bought a crib in the city, did a house warming and I ain't seen him, like I've been doing my thing. I don't be talking to the god, I just got an e-mail the other day, we got two shows coming up. Detroit. Miami. Then in two weeks Australia. We doing New York, Philly, Houston, Boston. I just get e-mails when it's time to hit the streets."
True story. I went through the same exact thing as Bleek. Back when my dad told me I wasn't cutting it in the family business and I had to venture out on my own. My pops ran Fucque Furniture Delivery for 40 years out of a little shop in Brooklyn. We were the number one delivers of Seaman's Furniture. Anyway, I was Ronald McDonald the summer after I graduated high school. I had to walk around in a 100 degree heat with a f*cked up red afro just to make a buck. But I too found solace in the fact I was doing it for the "b*tches." Chicks love Ronald McDonald.
That's all from me folks. Hit me up at pulsereport@sohh.com to chime in on whatever you like. Last week's Jay-Z/Kanye debate was great. Shoutout to everyone who had a say. This week let's see who can come up with the freshest remix to "Swagger Like Us." I got tons more in the chamber. Is it time to retire the vocoder? I say its got two more years left before we bury it. What say you?
stop hatin' blogger! we want "HIP-HOP" to live let these niggaz get on records! if they dont make songs u get at'em and if they don't ya''ll get at'em...let these niggaz be..."I'm just recovering from hearing "A Milli" a billi-ion different ways." so wat??? we hearing a variety of artist, even if it's not good it's still HIP-HOP...u ain't shyt but a blogger and that's all your going 2 be... let me see you get on a beat!
I agree with Chris. I don't usually do the blog thing but I came to the conclusion that SOHH is a bunch of haters. It's a thin line between controversy and hater-ism. Stop complaining SOHH and just report the damn hip-hop news. I'm done with this site anyway, its wak, no hot music, old stories, corny subjects. I'll stick with worldstarhiphop and allhiphop. 1
Lets not forget the OG of the vocoder....Not T-Pain cuz he swagger jacked cher..
Damn i didn't know Jay was doing bleek like that. I knew he wasn't really messing withe beans, freeway and the rest of the roc but it's suprising to hear bleek not having any contact with him. He gonna do jadakiss the same way after a while.
I don't know how lil wayne can make a remix about niggas swagger jackin him. Lil wayne has made his carreer of takin other niggaz swag. (Jay-z, Gillie, Dipset, Bloods... rea; bloods.
I smacked the shit outta Little Wayne sending his red durag flailing over the La River 2 yrs ago @ Mac 10 video shoot
FIrst off Memph Bleek is that dude he dropped a dope song and it went under everybody nose. the cat is real he catches alot of hate from SOHH just cause he's hov's right hand. Let em get that cake.
that new Eat off the Land mixtape is killa!
and Swagger Like Us is over-rated. Im not looking forward to BPIII Jay lost it.
that Jockin' Jay-Z was ass!
T.I shut em down on Swagga Like Us.
>u ain't shyt but a blogger
Damn!
i'm looking forward to hearing more versions, but i'm getting a bit tired of that MIA sample.
soulja boy, dj unk, hurricane chris, and lil boosie------No one on the corner wants swagg like us
If you're a B.S. Rapper for example jim jones you have no business bieng on a swagger like us song or any remix for that matter jim jones lost his style and swagger after his first two albums but realistically after Jay do his S.L.U. 2 that should be it
T-Pain no singing azz doesn't have a patent for the Vocoder. All that does it hide his lack of vocal talent. Why act like Pain was the originator of the Vocoder when he wasn't. Before T Pain came along multiple reggae artists used the vocoder some for whole albums, and prior to that Zap and Roger, and other funk artists used it. Make that money vocoding your voice for whole albums, but know your azz ain't nothing but a fad, in this day and age of bullsh!t music getting plenty of commercial airplay.
The person who wrote this article said, and I quote: "That's really unfortunate. Let me find out HBO don't care about black people. A Kanye show sounds like it would be more interesting than anything HBO has on right now other than "Entourage." How does Flavor Flav get three shows, New York gets three shows, and Chance & Real get a show on cable TV and Kanye West can't? Something ain't right. Only thing left to stay is, give a black man a chance."
This is bullshit because if you ever heard of a little show called the Wire, or did some basic research before opening your trap, i might call this a good editorial. but unfortunately kanye is just once again playing the race card and giving the rest of us coons a bad name. i'm not sure how creative kanye is with the tv but hbo didn't like it too much apparently. i don't think they racist in the least.
get'em jim jones, don't let hov breathe!!!!
Memphis bleek really isn't that bad compared to lames in the south who get a lot of praises (not to say the south is totally ass) like Shorty Lo (Shorty Go on and get out of this business and leave it to those who know how). I think people expect him to be Jay esp. as he's been with him for so long.
Jay-z, I believe couldn't be pulling these deals he gets with the Live Nations, Apples and the such if he constantly be rolling blunts with the Roc boys sitting his ass down in BK! He be rolling corporate trying to make that cake.. expanding into High rise hotels and taking his 40/40 global.
Again, Bleek, Freeway/ freezer, beans and the rest who rolled with him all this time definitely should have made some connections in the industry and learnt his business skills. Everyone in a label has a manager who should be adressing their album issues and not always the CEO. Jay-z is a business man, do you guys really believe that if his artist has an album worthy of going 3X, will he sleep on it? hell no!! 'Cause that will make him money.
Akon put T-pain on, and see T-pain now... He is in it for business. When was the last time Bleek put out a mixtape? Kanye said it.... Jay concentrated on Beans more than Ye... and what did Ye do? he used his own money to do the video for "through the wire" - That will convince any serious CEO to put you in the spotlight.
Whatever happened to Geda K and Bleek's artists? He could have done something with them. People will fast and pray to be that close and connected with Hova. Now, people like Rick Ross, T.I., Jeezy from way down south are making use of that benefit.
Even JIM JONES is crying for Jay-z's attention!! He now got his own fake Hov ass wanna be NOE on his label and see who's talking about "swaggerjacking"? I will holla @ G_UNOT KILLA to smack him when he catches his no bathing dirty ass fake blood.
I'm pretty sure ya'll have what Bleek was trying to say twisted. I think what Bleek was trying to say is that he's busy, too, so they don't really get to see/talk to each other as much anymore unless they're doing shows together. He's getting his hustle on out in NJ with little outside businesses. That's why I respect Bleek. He got his money and flipped that isht into something unlike those other niggas on the ROC (minus Kanye of course).
fuck yall niggaz tryna hate on Jigga on some shit he aint responsible for. As u hear Bleek sayin , he is his own man doing his own thing , same as Jigga so juss cozz Jigga is richer dont mean he can be blamed for every poor nigga we was cool with b4, its cuz he always been the smartest, the most grinding, the most catering to niggaz who can even get they own, the reason Dame was rich coz he was commercializing Jigga and eating off that nigga coa errytime Jigga had to split the cheque even thought he was the reason the Roc got so big. Thats why i liked the idea of them splittin coz that nigga from Harlem thinks he is smart now where he at ? All these niggaz from the Roc like juss getting cheques like wtf , did they grow up ? Dont they know every man has his own brain and senses to do his own fuckin thing ? Bleek aint fronting right now n he better not in the future coz Hov done that suck ass nigga too much , he spoiled those fools now they juss wanna eat n get fat while Hov sweats. Fuck em Jay , i looked up to you coz your a smart dude , u made it n now people wanna hate.
When its all set and done Jigga is the greatest and the most succecful rapper ever n im out
I think Jay and Bleek are just living their personal lives, no rift to worry about. As for Jim Jones, what a clown. And in response to your blog last week Kanye may have a classic with Late Registraion but to compare his first three to Kanye's first three is ridiculous. Jay had Reasonable Doubt and then vol 1. and 2. had some classic songs on it. Stop disrespecting.
Lets be real every rapper hates Jay-z due 2 the fact They know what he can do Since Jay everybody dont write down on paper Jay was called best rapper alive wayne proclaimed his self best rapper alive jim jones just mad cause jay wont feature on his albums wayne!!! he just repeating everything Jay, 2 Pac, & B.I.G said but yea he's yall favorite biter
Testing
The tpain swagger jack yall have to give it up to Roger Troutman who made the sound his legacy then Teddy Riley. If Roger was still alive today would their be an T Pain
the vocoder is tired and lame. this rappers need to get back to makes hits without the gimmick. Kanye killed it on "put on" tho. Kanye definately gets a pass. I talk about it on my blog. www.nowork-allplay.blogspot.com. check check it out!
Every other hip hop web site in existence > Sohh.com
Ya know, I have been regularly visiting this website since about 2001-2002, and I am SOHH disappointed at the direction in which you have chosen to take this endeavor. This used to be one of THE BEST online hip-hop sites on the net: the news was always fresh, sucka-free, and valuable to true Hip-Hop fans. What you have turned SOHH.com into is nothing but a gossip rag written by media whores, or a never-ending smeer campaign with no journalistic credibility or integrity. No pride for the culture, or even how the bloggers carry themselves. The owners of this site should be ashamed of themselves for selling out in this fashion. The term best suited for ya'll is "BITCH N!GGAZ". SOHH Goodbye! *Game Over*
HBO not care about black people? The Wire maybe?
Yall catz kill me, saying yall didnt know Jay was doing Bleek like that, Bleek is a grown man, as well is Jay, Jay shouldnt have to hold bleeks hand for everything, niggas sometimes is doing there own thing point blank, that doesnt mean Jay dont luv a nigga any less. I dont give a f..k if Jay went away for 6 months straight to do some buisness, u still my dude. I dont have to sit there right next you. Yall niggas is suspect.
memphis bleek name should be memphis weak, he is str8 trash and y'all know it
IF YOU AINT FROM THE SOUTH PLEASE GET OFF THE SWAGGER LIKE US BEAT WHEN EASTCOAST NIGGAZ GET ON IT THEY TALK ABOUT GUNZ THATS NOT SWAGGER BITCHES AND PLEASE WHY DONT YALL LEAVE T-PAIN ALONE HE SOLD WAY MORE ALBUMS THAN PIGGY SMALLZ THAT EAST COAST GANGSTER SHIT IS DEAD SORRY STOP SAYIN HIP HOP IS DEAD NO JUST NEW YORK HIP HOP LOLWHY MUST ALL EAST COAST NIGGAZ BE HATERS YALL REMIND ME OF A FEMALE WHEN SHE DONT GET HER WAY