There seemed to be a lot of mixed reaction on the Diddy interview. The best
comments are the ones talking about how he's not a real MC since he doesn't
write his rhymes. Since Diddy doesn't really consider himself an MC, is that
really an argument? Drew Bledsoe doesn't claim to be a fast quarterback, so
when you call him slow, do you think he's offended? Puffy doesn't act like he's
Mr. Hip-Hop. Honestly, from the rumors I've heard (and not the ones on message
boards), some of those "real" MC's that "real" fans worship
for their Levi's and to need some help every now and then.
Am I a fan of Diddy's
music? No. Do I respect what he's done in this business? Yes. Is Puffy fun to
make fun of? Yes. And it's funny how some people are saying how they can't believe
HHG would give Diddy an interview. Why would I say no to that? Interviewing
Diddy doesn't take away from any of the other interviews. Last time I checked,
if you didn't like Puffy you could have read the Tragedy, Lloyd Banks or Oddisee
interviews. Or ven Pen's journal, which is more entertaining than all the interviews.
If you don't like something, don't read it. That's like me hanging out in the
science fiction section of the library complaining to the librarian how all
the books are wack.
And just to clear
something up, there was a list of banned topics for the interview. That's what
happens when you interview people like Puffy. Think of all the things I could
have asked him, from the Biggie murder trial to his history in the game to what
Chopper is up to now. The interview could have gotten extremely off topic and
they weren't giving me all day with him. Now I could have asked him one of the
questions on the banned topics list, but that would have just ended the interview
and we wouldn't have gotten anything or anywhere.
Check out the Janet
interview in King. The interview was only a page long and there were no questions
about the Super Bowl or Michael. There's even a spot where Janet's "handler"
(sounds like a good job) stops questions about Janet getting a lap dance. Just
think about it like this, the bigger the person, the dumber the questions.
Going back to the
Diddy interview, did I want to ask certain questions? Yes. Did I? No. Part of
being a good journalist is having respect for who you're interviewing and respecting
what they want to do. And if what the subject wants in terms of an interview
doesn't coincide with what I want, then the interview doesn't happen. So read
the interview if you want, don't read it if you don't want to, but go into it
with realistic expectations.
And Puffy started
clearing up the Elite situation on MySpace. I couldn't ask him straight up about
Elite because then he would know I was actually working an investigation. You
have to be slick. Now I know it's either an assistant or him. I'm guessing it
was someone else doing the Top 24 when Elite was on there because there weren't
too many people associated with Bad Boy on the Top 24. Now it looks a little
different. Maybe Aasim knows what's up. And how did Q-Tip have Diddy's top slot
for a second and then he was off? I have no idea what's going on.
Jay-Z's got another
endorsement, this time with Budweiser. Does that move really make sense for
either business (don't forget, Jay told us he was a business, man, not to be
confused with businessman)? Jay's rhymed about drinking a lot of high-end liquor
and slipping girls X to get them back in the hotel room, but when has Jay ever
said, I got the Bud on ice? Jerome Bettis and Burt Reynolds are perfect for
beer commercials. I just can't see Jay sitting at the roundtable doing the beer-tap.
Props to ABC for
showing the Jay "Show Me What You Got" video at halftime. Jay looked
mad happy to be shooting a video. But the dude driving Jay looked even happier
than Jay. I guess it's really fun to drive Jay around.
University of Miami,
you've done it again. Thank you for giving me another reason to do absolutely
nothing on Saturday. The dude swinging the helmet needs a record deal (and probably
a tighter chinstrap) immediately. And how about the dude who ran the Miami flag
across the field during the fight? What better way to show school spirit than
by running your school's flag across the field as your classmates are literally
stomping the shit out of their opponents. Thank you, Miami, for being Miami.
And as long as
we're talking about dudes getting beat, I'm definitely sending a virtual Get
Well Soon card to Ali from the St. Lunatics for getting Tasered 46 times. I'm
not a policeman, but I will say this. I don't think it's proper protocol to
Tase somebody 46 times no matter how bad they're acting. I mean, if he was acting
that out of control where the officer thought he was in danger, wouldn't it
make more sense to pop him with a rubber bullet? How much of a threat could
Ali have been? Even if he was just rowdy and kicking doors, if he has no gun,
he shouldn't need to be Tasered 46 times. It would be interesting to see a videotape
of what went down because right now there is no way to tell who's telling the
truth. Just as I don't believe Ali was such a threat that he needed to be Tasered
46 times, I also don't believe that he was saying "Yes, Officer. No, Officer."
If you've ever
left your email address on HipHopGame when you've left a comment on something,
I'm pretty sure a few rappers/promoters have jacked your email and added it
to their email blast list. Seriously, is there anything worse in hip-hop right
now than the email blast? I really don't think there is. Just because you may
have a list ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand people who don't care
about the next "movement", it does not mean that all those people
want to be contacted every time you take a dump. Anyone who's gotten these emails
knows exactly what I'm talking about. You can usually identify these blasts
by the words "New," "Exclusive" or "New Exclusive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The press releases
artists send range from annoying to hilarious, but never good. Most are typed
up like a normal press release, except it's lacking any information, which is
what press releases usually have. Here's how the first couple of sentences usually
read: [artist name], hailing from [artist city here], known for its [insert
accomplishment of city here], has released a new single [insert any misspelled
words here that could pass for a song title]. The single [gsljhgfsdljnfgsljnfgljnsd]
is getting play on [insert internet radio station here].
Example: Dwight,
hailing from Pittsburgh, known for winning the Super Bowl last year, has released
his new single "I'm a G." The song is getting heavy rotation on IGLOO97
in Alaska. It's the biggest internet radio station in Alaska. "I'm a G"
is Dwight's street single, focusing on his G status. He captivates his listeners
with his gritty tales of growing up in the streets selling crack while he was
still in Pampers. Actually, Dwight only used his Pampers to stash the crack
when the jakes came by. Dwight is such a G he doesn't even have to go to the
bathroom. Ever. Stay tuned for Dwight's next single called "I Want to Have
Sex With You (And Your Friend)". This single is sure to have the ladies
going crazy on the dance floor and fighting to take Dwight home at night. Seriously,
what lady doesn't want a man who wants to have physical relations with her and
her friend? Dwight's single "I'm a G" is already heating up the streets
and it is sure to be the next big thing to come out of Pittsburgh since Franco
Harris.
I think you get
the idea.
Now I know a lot
of artists are trying to make it look like they're doing big things and they're
trying to get their name out there. There is nothing wrong with that. You have
to get your name out there and be seen, but you have to do it the right way.
Shoving your "news" down people's throats when they don't even want
it guarantees that not only will they not buy whatever you put out in the future,
it also guarantees that you will probably not even be taken seriously as an
"artist" anytime in the near future. Think wisely before you press
that Send button.
And please don't
send me any press releases on how your artist is going to jail for being busted
by the cops. A) Getting caught by the police is never a good look. It just proves
that you're not a smart criminal and B) If going to jail is the most newsworthy
thing you've done in the past year, maybe a trip to the hole could be a good
thing.
05/13 - 
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