Ahh yes! The long awaited final video from KA’s epic album Grief Pedigree. Interestingly enough, the last video of the Grief Pedigree series happens to be a well calculated starting point for his project with fellow dart specialist Roc Marciano, the only feature on Grief Pedigree – as was Ka on Roc’s classic offering Marcberg.
In this video KA and Roc Marci spread their wings to what appears to be LA or at least the west coast judging by the scenery and graffiti styles. Bred in Brooklyn and Long Island respectively, the video is a testament to their commitment of releasing quality music and visuals wherever their Tims touch down.
Ahh Yes. We last spoke of KA here and here. Now after dropping the video for Collage, he’s back with more sharp Brooklyn visuals and superior wordplay. Respect his pen game.
We last spoke of Mr. Young Guru here. As usual, he’s back with some real talk about the complexities of trying to survive and thrive in the current music industry.
Also kind of unrelated but still involving music, I got a kick out of seeing these N’awlins icons bring it back to basics. Mainly Mystikal and Mannie Fresh. It’s almost like they’re having their 90′s in the 000′s, if you get what I mean.
I might be showing my age here, but when I was a kid I wanted to grow up and be tough like Just-Ice. Imagine how tough you had to be to have street cred in ’87.
This song had some of the scariest ad libs in rap history.
Nas’ Lost Tapes 1 was one of my favorite albums. With all the trash being released these days, why would his label even try to hold back another potential classic? But don’t take my word for it, peep what Nas Escobar has to say about it in his letter to Def Jam.
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From: Nas
To: LA Reid, Steve Bartels, Steve Gawley, Michael Seltzer, Joseph Borrino, Chris Hicks
Subject: PUT MY SH*T OUT!
Peace to all,
With all do respect to you all, Nas is NOBODY’s slave. This is not the 1800′s, respect me and I will respect you.
I won’t even tap dance around in an email, I will get right into it. People connect to the Artist @ the end of the day, they don’t connect with the executives. Honestly, nobody even cares what label puts out a great record, they care about who recorded it. Yet time and time again its the executives who always stand in the way of a creative artist’s dream and aspirations. You don’t help draw the truth from my deepest and most inner soul, you don’t even do a great job @ selling it. The #1 problem with DEF JAM is pretty simple and obvious, the executives think they are the stars. You aren’t…. not even close. As a matter of fact, you wish you were, but it didn’t work out so you took a desk job. To the consumer, I COME FIRST. Stop trying to deprive them! I have a fan base that dies for my music and a RAP label that doesn’t understand RAP. Pretty fucked up situation
This isn’t the 90′s though. Beefing with record labels is so 15 years ago. @ this point I just need you all to be very clear where I stand and how I feel about “my label.” I could go on twitter or hot 97 tomorrow and get 100,000 protesters @ your building but I choose to walk my own path my own way because since day one I have been my own man. I did business with Tommy Mottola and Donnie Einer, two of the most psycho dudes this business ever created. I worked well with them for one major reason……. they believed in me. The didn’t give a f**k about what any radio station or magazine said….those dudes had me.
Lost Tapes is a movement and a very important set up piece for my career as it stands. I started this over 5 years ago @ Columbia and nobody knew what it was or what it did but the label put it out as an LP and the fans went crazy for it and I single handlely built a new brand of rap albums. It’s smart and after 5 years it’s still a head of the game. This feels great and you not feeling what I’m feeling is disturbing. Don’t get in the way of my creativity. We are aligned with the stars here, this is a movement. There is a thing called KARMA that comes to haunt you when you tamper with the aligning stars. WE ARE GIVING THE PEOPLE EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT. Stop throwing dog s**ton a MAGICAL moment.
You don’t get another Nas recording that doesn’t count against my deal….PERIOD! Keep your bulls**t $200,000.00 fund. Open the REAL budget. This is a New York pioneers ALBUM, there ain’t many of us. I am ready to drop in the 4th quarter. You don’t even have s**tcoming out! Stop being your own worst enemy. Let’s get money!
