The Pretty Goon

The Trials and Tribulations of Gunplay

2012-10-16T01:28:00.001-04:00

Sigh. Gunplay, Gunplay, Gunplay. This guy is one of my favorite up and coming rappers out of my hometown. Because he's fucking crazy. He clearly has one foot in the streets and one foot in the music business, which is always entertaining. But it can prove to be trying.

I watched the video posted on TMZ showing a light-skinned, dreadlocked, tattooed man "assault" a dude with a pistol. I'm pretty sure its Gunplay. But I have to call BULLSHIT when its possible that he could get life for that. LIFE, SON????

When I heard that Gunplay was wanted for assault and armed robbery, and that it was captured on tape, I thought I was gonna see a video of this nigga robbing a bank and beating the shit out of the teller. Wrong. He smacked a dude with a pistol and took something that wasn't his.

I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to be punished if he was careless enough to be caught on camera. But life??? He does not deserve life in prison for that. If T.I. can buy all them damn guns, get 8 months, get out and then go back again on a drug charge, for 1 year, AS A REPEAT FELON, Gunplay can get out in a reasonable amount of time. No one is dead. The guy wasn't even bleeding.

I'm sure the "life in prison" report is what they have to say when considering how these charges sound, and how they look on paper. But we see what he did on worldstar everyday. Give me a break. I'm also pretty sure this isn't his first charge, so that would also explain why he might get a little more time. But LIFE, SON? I hope he's got a good lawyer.

Even though what he did was completely reckless and stupid, I hope he pulls through this one. He's had a ROUGH month. First he gets jumped, maced, and robbed, all in one night. Then he gets detained for armed robbery and assault. Sigh. I was so looking forward to his music. Oh well.

Fredro Starr Disses DMX In a Live Freestyle

2012-09-18T21:23:00.001-04:00

Drake might not respond to DMX's incessant verbal threats, but Fredro Starr ain't scurred. The Onyx rapper dissed X in a off the top freestyle, mostly likely stemming from X's comments on the Breakfast Club. During an interview with Power 105, DMX claimed that Fredro Starr was jealous of X for sleeping with one his jumpoffs. Check the interview below. The comments about Fredro Starr begin at the 24:54 mark.

Missy Elliott Feat. Timbaland-Triple Threat

2012-09-18T21:03:00.000-04:00

This is what I'm talking about! This is my favorite of the two tracks recently released by Missy Elliott. The production on this is bananas. I can't wait for the video. She's back.

Missy Elliott Feat. Timbaland-9th Inning (Full Version)

2012-09-18T16:39:00.001-04:00

The full version finally arrives! To be honest, I did hope that the beat would drop with a snare and kick eventually. But then again, I understand why it didn't. The whole song is about innovation and daring to be different. So I get it. I'm still satisfied with the single. I can't take another Lex Luger riff.

Timbaland And Missy Sit Down With The Breakfast Club

2012-09-18T16:35:00.000-04:00

Missy Elliot and Timbaland stopped through the Breakfast Club for a much needed interview. Among the topics discussed are the redundancy of today's music, whether or not the Drake-commissioned Aaliyah album is a sensationalized rumor, and Missy's struggle with Graves disease.

Another topic worth mentioning are the glaciers on Missy's ears. Brr!!! Check the interview below.

Game Feat. Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, and Wiz Khalifa-Celebration (VIDEO)

2012-09-18T15:54:00.000-04:00

This is a really fun, well shot visual. Shoot me, but I think this does great justice to the Bone Thugs original. Its a completely different vibe with identical cadences. I dig it.

J. Cole-I'm a Fool

2012-09-17T13:16:00.002-04:00

Listen as J. Cole, who's all over the news recently for this Diggy Simmons madness, spits fire over a Cee-Lo sample.

Diggy Simmons-Fall Down (J. Cole Diss)

2012-09-17T13:09:00.000-04:00

So one admirable characteristic of mine is that I can admit when I'm wrong. In my last post regarding the J.Cole-Diggy saga, I thought Diggy was done. I thought he'd shut up and take that L. And now it's my face on the floor.

Anybody saying that this isn't a great diss and stellar comeback is securely strapped on J. Cole's jock. I stand so corrected. I knew Diggy could spit, but I didn't anticipate that he'd come so correct. Lets extrapolate.

This is a well thought out song, from the chorus to the hook. The bars are also proper. Some notable lines are:

Either you a copy or a clone/ you ratchet or you trappin or you tryna watch the throne

I'll run circles around ya triangles (Get it? Think about it. )

I guess I rattled you, snaggletooth/ You know better/thought J stood for Jermaine, not Jet Setter/

Maybe you should sign with me/Instead of Mr. Carter/ How you mad at me I got a relationship with my father (Ouch. I mean, damn. That line was cold.)

All I'm saying is, don't front. J. Cole is obviously the bigger, more successful rapper here. But I'd dead this beef if I were him, because he's giving Diggy shine, and revealing that the young boy is actually kinda sick wit it. Go 'head, Diggy.

Frank Ocean Feat. John Mayer-Pyramids

2012-09-16T16:13:00.000-04:00

I'm not gonna pretend like I understand anything in this video beyond the obvious strip club scene. I don't really get it, but it is entertaining. That's the funny thing about Frank Ocean. You don't really have to get him to love his music. I sure as hell don't get the guy most of the time. But he's jammin'.

DMX Calls Drake Disrespectful, Says He Sounds Like A Washing Machine

2012-09-14T22:02:00.001-04:00

Get More:

DMX, RapFix Live, Full Episodes

DMX may not like Drake, but he's surely on one in this interview. YOLO.

Tasha Smith Interview With The Breakfast Club

2012-09-14T21:29:00.004-04:00

She's the lady from every black movie, talking relationships, Black progress, and her past as a stripper. Peep it below.

Fabolous-I'm So New York (Lil Wayne, Diddy, and 50 Cent Diss?)

2012-09-14T21:23:00.001-04:00

This is pretty dope. I don't think it's a diss to Wayne, but I do think he's slighting both Diddy and 50 Cent about being from the city and not in the city. Either way, its an official a NY anthem.

Kreayshawn-Left Ey3

2012-09-14T21:15:00.002-04:00

I'm officially sold on Kreayshawn. She's not a middle ground artist, either you like her or you don't. I'm coming out as a Kreayshawn fan. She gets slammed in a lot of blogs for lack of lyricism and insensitivity to "black culture." Fuck it, though. I'm rocking with her. I've liked most of what I've heard, and everything that I didn't like was still produced well. I'm on board. Get wit it or get lost.

J. Cole Disses Diggy Simmons In A Live Freestyle

2012-09-14T20:56:00.001-04:00

I wish I was there to pick up Diggy's Face while he watches this. Or there to pat his shoulder and tell him not to cry. If I were Diggy, this would hurt my feelings. I want to be there when he drops his response too, just so I can stare at him blankly and shake my head. Cole world.

T.I.-Trap Back Jumpin

2012-09-14T20:46:00.001-04:00

So I don't think this is as infectious as some of T.I.'s earlier trap anthems, like "What You Know," but it's definitely going in the right direction. T.I. and DJ Toomp are always solid together. He should probably work with some younger producers, like Young Chop or Sonny Digital, to take advantage of thus newer wave of "trap music." This is still a pretty good southern banger, though.

Pusha-T Feat. Raekwon and Joell Ortiz-Tick Tock

2012-09-13T01:21:00.000-04:00

This is what I'm talkin' about. BARS. Over a nasty ass wild wild west Clint Eastwood instrumental. These three guys, and a whole bunch more, like Joey BadA$$, the rest of Slaughterhouse, and Nas, just to name a few, are spearheading this movement to keep lyrical rap alive.

Not that I don't like the turnt up swag rap. I do. But there has to be a balance. Back in the day I remember the radio playing Nelly's "Hot In Here" one minute and Nas' "One Mic" the next. Now you here MMG, Young Money, a little R and B here and there, and EDM-dubsteppy dance music. The next phase is to get these DJ's on board. Balance the radio, dammit!

Missy Elliot Feat. Timbaland-9th Inning (SNIPPET)

2012-09-13T00:57:00.000-04:00

So I really didn't wanna post this, or listen to it, for that matter. Not because I don't idolize and worship Missy trampled grounds. Not because its not sick. Simply because I want to hear the full version...like now. But It's all over twitter, everywhere I look, so here it is. My mouth is frothing for the full CDQ version. I hope I make it.

Kanye West Feat. R. Kelly-To The World

2012-09-13T00:50:00.000-04:00

Here's yet another Cruel Summer leak. Its a little different, but its nice to hear R. Kelly on his R&B Thug. Its been a while. And of course, Yeezy is spitting pure gold. Cruel Summer is the album of the year. Don't dispute it.

Kanye West Feat 2 Chainz, Big Sean, and Marsha Ambrosious-The One

2012-09-13T00:45:00.000-04:00

I'm dying for this album to drop already. This track is nice. What I love about Kanye is that his music never sounds like anything else, and none of his tracks sound similar. Sure, this is a group effort. But we all know who's pulling the creative strings behind the Cruel Summer album.

This is my favorite leak so far. Keep em comin, Yeezy.

Ariane From Love and Hip Hop ATL Dishes on Memphitz, Stevie J and Mimi, and Whether She's Into Women Or Not

2012-09-12T12:23:00.001-04:00

Out of all the interviews with the Love and Hip Hop Atlanta cast, this was by far the most entertaining. We've got one of the more silent members of the cast dishing on her own personal Drama, which includes rumors of her dating Memphitz, K. Michelle's alleged abuser.

She also discuses her rumored bisexuality, and even gives Charlamagne, the self proclaimed sexual deviant, a little kiss. Lets hope that we see more of this radiant personality on season 2 of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta.

Kreayshawn-BFF

2012-09-12T11:37:00.000-04:00

One thing I can say about Something 'Bout Kreay is that the production will be....cray. Every song she's leaked has had a sick instrumental. Like I said before, her lyrics aren't always the best, but that's not exactly why people buy into Kreay. They buy into her because she's fun. So stop being so serious.

Pink Feat. Eminem-Here Comes The Weekend

2012-09-12T11:29:00.000-04:00

Its finally here!! I've been waiting to here this song forever. It was well worth the wait.

This is one of the many singles off of Pink's upcoming album, The Truth About Love. Everything about this song is dope to me. The fact that she's not obsessing over the EDM phase, and is sticking to her own creative guns, deserves an applaud. The fact that she's finally collaborated with Eminem deserves a standing ovation.

I always kinda felt like Pink was a female Eminem anyway. She says whatever she wants, and does whatever she wants. She incorporates so much of her personal life into her music, as we've seen with songs like "So What," "Family Portrait," and "Just Like A Pill." Bravo, Pink. I can't wait for the album.

Kreayshawn Feat. Diplo and Sissy Nobody-Twerkin

2012-09-11T21:42:00.002-04:00

All of the leaks have began for Kreayshawn's debut studio album, Somethin' Bout Kreay, which drops September 18. What better song to kick it off than the ever-appropriate "Twerkin?"

Diplo can do no wrong. I'm not fuckin' with all of Kreay's bars on this, but this beat and chorus are addictive. And she has enough charisma to pull anything off, really. This will drive the clubs and all the white girls in America crazy.

Tinashe-Boss (VIDEO)

2012-09-09T22:32:00.000-04:00

Where did she come from? And where have I been???

I discovered Tinashe on datpiff recently. I downloaded her music, then decided to look her up on Youtube. And here we are.

She's cute. Sexy. Spunky. All those great adjectives, plus her music is dope. Thank God for the internet.

NEW MUSIC-Ciara, Sophomore

2012-09-09T22:02:00.000-04:00

First of all, it's nice to hear Ciara again. I felt for her when her last album under-performed, and when she was dropped from her label. At one point in time, she was that chick. I've always likened her to a female Chris Brown. She keeps the vocals sexy, and she's a freakishly talented dancer. But she's not even in Brown's stratosphere.

That being said, I hope this isn't a single. It's okay, and it might be a mild hit on urban radio. But this isn't a hit. Ciara needs to suck it up and put out a mixtape. If this were on a mixtape, it would be fine. Not that mixtapes are supposed to have sub-par music, but this doesn't have mainstream appeal. That's what mixtapes are for. She could experiment and see what works.

I think artists that have already experienced a certain level of success find mixtapes demeaning, particularly singers. But K. Michelle's mixtape. 0 Fucks Given, has over 100,000 downloads on datpiff. Chris Brown's mixtapes were instrumental in his comeback. Artists that are relatively unknown, like Jhene Aiko and Teyana Taylor, have dropped critically acclaimed free projects. Its the thing to do now. Plus, this gives artists the opportunity to perform and make money.

If she were to go ahead and drop a lil' mixtape, she'd be selling out shows all over the country. The internet would go nuts if she put out free music. I would think that would be the next logical step if you can't get people to pay for your music, and its not like fans are checking for a Ciara show right now. The song is cool. My rant is done. Ciara, drop a mixtape.