A Tale of 3 Kingz: Fathers, Sons, Holy Grails & Hip-Hop - Chris "Preach" Smith

A Tale of 3 Kingz:

Fathers, Sons, Holy Grails & Hip-Hop - by Chris “Preach” Smith

This might seem like blasphemy to write about on a Sunday for some,
but we’re here. So.

The past three weeks have basically been an adrenaline shot into the veins
of hip-hop. We’ve seen three albums dominate the landscape of the culture
in ways we haven’t seen before. J.Cole’s sophomore release, Born Sinner,
Kanye West’s highly anticipated Yeezus and the latest of the trio, Jay-Z’s
Magna Carta Holy Grail. Each album has their respective differences, but
they all also have some common ties that may take a minute to fully grasp
and appreciate. The most obvious one is the theme of religion as a driving
concept. Interestingly enough, outside of a few people commenting how
they’re tired of religion being used as a thematic tool for rappers, there’s
not much buzz about how these three MC’s use religion throughout these
albums. Or at least, their perspective on it.

And their perspectives are unique. Kanye pretty much caused an uproar
as it got closer to his release, proving how he can capitalize on gossip and
speculation to build momentum. It’s nothing new to ‘Ye; Yeezus sits with
throwbacks to the days when he had to defend himself about his infamous
Jesus piece designed by Jacob The Jeweler. Anyone who could wriggle out
of that shouldn’t surprise you when they say as he does on ‘I Am A God’,
‘I just talked to Jesus/He said ‘What up Yeezus?’I said shiiit I’m chillin’/
tryin’ to stack these millions’. It is finely blended arrogance and awareness
that Kanye has made the core of this track and this album. In some ways,
this is the evolution of ‘Jesus Walks’, but now he’s found a path that he’s
clinging to with Louis Vuitton driving gloves on, criticism be damned. ‘Ye
has gone from being a pious, populist rapper with soul and a backpack to
being a pious, preening artist with high-end fashion and an anger born
from being under-appreciated. It’s a conceptual sleight-of-hand that goes
from Christianity to Five Percenter teachings, and adds depth to a seemingly
minimalist aura that dictated Yeezus’ creation, from album covers fans
could create to the production.

With J.Cole, Born Sinner stands out because the MC made it a point to
utilize the church as a central theme for reflection. Cole then makes the
album a kind of a time capsule, baring his soul about fame, success and
his own demons along the way. With comical skits involving television
preachers and a disappearance from choir practice, there’s an appreciation
for poking fun at the more outlandish aspects of the church. With the 
track ‘Chaining Day’, you have Cole rhyming about the love of chains and
Jesus pieces in a way that advances the conversation Kanye began with
‘Jesus Walks’ ten years ago. It also shows his growing artistic dexterity
with the way the track flips halfway through from happy-go-lucky to
sobering. With ‘Forbidden Fruit’, he gets Compton’s own Kendrick Lamar
to assist on his contemporary take on male-female relationships using
the Adam and Eve story from the Old Testament, flipped over an interpolation
of ATCQ’s ‘Electric Relaxation’ beat. Born Sinner speaks to the duality of
a man with his faith in a world that tells you that it isn’t worth much
in comparison to the worldly things that can be gotten with a label deal
and a platinum card. It’s no accident that this flows into ‘Chaining Day’
on the album.

With Magna Carta Holy Grail, Jay-Z uses religion as a foil in an adept way,
although it’s not in heavy usage. For a veteran MC of this caliber, it’s 
the wise move. ‘Heaven’ is probably one of the strongest tracks, with
Hov delivering blistering rhymes like ‘I arrived at the pearly gates, I had
luggage/meaning I had baggage’. The beat is as alluring as a hymnal
offering. Jay also shows a keen awareness of the criticisms hurled at
him for being ‘an Illuminati member’ and a ‘devil worshipper’ and uses
that to stoke the fires of interest. Remember, this is the same cat that
had YouTube and other sites ablaze once he put out ‘Lucifer’ produced
by who? Kanye West. The same song that used a key sample from the
Jamaican singer Max Romeo. You don’t get to be at the top of the game
without utilizing all of the tools in varied, intricate ways. Look at ‘Holy
Grail’, the track with Justin Timberlake on the hook. It’s a mix of his
usual bragadoccio along with cited examples of Hammer and Mike Tyson
on how fame and money debilitates as much as it uplifts. And this is
with a trap-styled beat as a backdrop, much the norm these days. With
MCHG, you get these moments here and there, much like truffle garnish
on a salad accompanied by filet mignon and whiskey.

It’s funny. These albums also reflect a new territory in terms of marketing
and appeal. Think about how leaks factor in. J.Cole and his label hold a
series of intimate listening sessions to hear his album. The next day,
the album is leaked out over the Internet to the surprise of many. But
the reaction is positive. With Yeezus, the album leaks the Friday before
its release. Kanye, when asked about it, says ‘I gives no fucks’ in the new
spirit of giving to his fans with this album as he expressed before. This
leak has mixed reactions that range from absurd to calculated. Then you
have Jay-Z, on Father’s Day, during Game 5 of the NBA Finals, announce
he’s dropping an album on July 4th. But one million Samsung users will
get it first, courtesy of a new collaboration with the company giving birth
to an app that delivers the album. That winds up being a near-disaster,
with 20 million trying to access the app and crashing Samsung’s servers
at a few minutes past midnight on July 4th. We have to appreciate that
this may create a bigger divide in terms of how artists can market their
albums. Jay-Z’s done collaborations with mobile phone companies before;
he had a deal with Nokia in 2003. But constructing an effort that not only
got supreme buzz by releasing lyric sheets and studio photos via Instagram
and even convincing RIAA to count those million downloads as SALES? It
is genius. And fitting when you also consider how Kanye debuted ‘New
Slaves’ on the sides of buildings all over the world. But you can’t do that
without having the capital to back you. That is the disadvantage to those
deserving MCs with a smaller budget. But these new initiatives by these
three are pushing others to approach outreach in an entirely new way,
a needed thought process in a rapidly shifting industry. Fans are getting
their critical appreciation skills back; ‘Ye’s album sales dropped in his second
week, surpassed by J.Cole in a surprise to some. Jay-Z’s already established
that MCHG will be a success sales-wise thanks to his deal. He even recouped
his losses with the app crash in a way by having Funkmaster Flex play the
album in full on NYC’s Hot97. And as a flourish, the album artwork is now 
currently on display at Salisbury Cathedral in England. The same cathedral
where the four remaining Magna Carta documents signed in 1215 reside.

One last thing that stands out is, each of these albums reflects the respective
quests of each MC. Cole sought to rise above criticisms of being lackluster
as an MC. He was viewed as promise unfulfilled after breaking on the scene,
fodder for jokes and nonsensical beefs. Kanye? Hell, the man has had a CAREER
painted with the brush of swagger and tabloid-like spectacle. He also has been
dealing with being somewhat shunted to the side by Jay-Z in recent months,
especially as Jay began working with Justin Timberlake. As for Hov, this was
another way to assert that he was still the dominant lion on the savannah in
a calculated way. You can’t tell me anything different when you get your
album announcement during one of the most-watched NBA Finals series in
history. All while you’re establishing yourself as an NBA agent AFTER being a
part owner of a franchise that you brought to your home borough. It speaks
to the constant power struggle in hip-hop. Who’s the best? What can he do
next? What has he got left? Cole is trying to move from being one of the young
cats to veteran status. Kanye is entering a new, bolder artistic realm with his
music that may not be grasped fully at first. And Jay is essentially looking to
say, ‘I can be a businessman and still out rhyme these upstarts.’ With these
questions and the drive behind each of these MC’s, you see each man’s Holy
Grail. Their latest albums being released in such a short span of time have
introduced a brand new shift in hip-hop. Maybe the new-found artistry will
bring people who lost faith in the culture back. 

When Eras Collide: The 2013 NBA Finals - Chris "Preach" Smith

The one word you can use for this year’s NBA Finals matchup between
the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs?

Electric.

This series lived up to the extreme amount of hype and then some. 
Even with a couple of games being blowouts. It’s the first Finals to have
gone seven games in three years, and only the third Finals to go the
distance dating back twenty years. You had records set, like Tim Duncan
being the only one to have played in an NBA Finals in three separate
decades. The Miami Heat got their second championship in three years
with Lebron James in back-to-back fashion. That hasn’t been done
since the Los Angeles Lakers did it three years ago. You can spend a
few minutes rattling off stats about this series. But the biggest point
to be made about these NBA Finals is, this is the series where the eras
of the NBA have met with supreme force once again. And it’s one where
you have to ask certain questions about just what lies on the horizon
for the champs and the league.

This kind of sea change is normal in sports. Legends rise, establish their
greatness, and fade away. Last night reaffirmed that to a degree. The
changing of the guard was set in place. The San Antonio Spurs have
molded themselves into a model franchise to rival the Lakers, Celtics
and Bulls as true dynasties. Consider Duncan’s emotion after losing
last night as he pounded on the hardwood. This is a player who had
NEVER lost in every trip he’s made to the Finals. Lebron on the other
hand, has had his share of Finals heartbreak to the point where if he
hadn’t gotten his chip last year, we would’ve been referring to teams 
he led to the Finals as the Buffalo Biills of the NBA. The Spurs are a
team of finesse and fundamentals. The kind of ball you see played by
the older heads on the court with pocket passes and bank shots. The
Heat have grown into a hyper-athletic style of basketball, one that
demands elevated court vision, and a lot of running. It’s as if their GM,
Pat Riley, decided to take his old ‘Showtime’ Lakers formula and laced
it with premium octane. Those two styles met, and Miami won out in
a hard-nosed contest of attrition.


With that, we’re now in a new era where front-loaded teams like the 
Heat are the standard. And other teams have followed suit, like the 
New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Lakers and the 
Boston Celtics initiated this trend, but Miami went big. And set a tone
that will only last due to two factors. One of them being their team 
going forward. There’s already buzz that one of the ‘Big Three’, Chris
Bosh may be in another uniform. Dwayne Wade’s knees are a question.
And then there’s the rest of their roster. Which leads to the other 
factor, player salaries and contracts. As far as the San Antonio Spurs,
this may be the sunset of their storied run. Four titles since 1999 is
not a bad result at all, greater when you consider they had to fight
the Kobe & Shaq led Lakers in their own conference for a number of
years. Manu Ginobli, whose play had bordered on atrocious, may hang
them up. Tony Parker gave it all he had, and it showed last night. The
same goes for Tim Duncan, who defied all expectations this season.
(marinate on this - the dude came into the league with David Robinson
in 1996. And he still put up All-Star numbers.) The Spurs have a rising
star in Kawhi Leonard, but their rebuilding process began at midnight
last night. A process that includes those same factors the Heat face
now. 


Everyone’s trying to get to where the Heat are now. Like it or not, 
they are the NBA standard bearers. Look at all the hoops the Clippers
are jumping through just to pry Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett AND Paul
Pierce away from the Celtics. Just so they have a shot at keeping
high-priced free agent point guard Chris Paul. Who was blocked from
joining the Lakers in a mega trade by David Stern. Teams are going
to do their damnedest to follow that formula. People speak of leagues
wanting parity among all of their franchises. The commissioner does
want parity, or at least the appearance of it. Because that way, the
dollars keep coming in. Stern wants the New Orleans Pelicans to feel
like they can be the Heat in a year or so. Even if they’re struggling
with arena funding. It’s good business, even if it may be bad business
for some cities(ahem, Atlanta). And when you break it down, only a
handful of franchises have won multiple championships. 


The Heat have done somthing respectable in establishing consistency
through adversity. Of course, plenty will point to bad officiating, as
they should. And the incessant fawning. But they PAID with pain in
these Finals. The bandwagon fans even got exposed during a thrilling
Game 6. Stern got razzed for the officiating, tainting his pristine image
even more. But NBA champs these days get that.  Lebron James isn’t 
Jordan as outlets like ESPN would have you believe with their constant
barrage, but he’s on the way in terms of his elevation of play. He’s got
the ‘not clutch’ argument struck down. The true test will be long term.
It will be about trying to create their own dynasty in a shifting league.
The Indiana Pacers gave them hell in the conference finals. The Knicks
were an irritant. Then you have the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets
and their teams. Factor in the changing of the guard in the West with
Oklahoma City, Memphis, Houston and Denver and we could see an era
not unlike the late 80’s through mid 1990’s. Miami passed a big test 
last night and had a torch passed to them. Will they be able to hold onto
it and deliver on that boast in 2009 of multiple championships? Anyone
that can give you a definitive asnwer now is lying to you. With eras, you
are able to spot when one ends more than when one begins in earnest.
The 2013 NBA Finals are a bonafied example of that. 2014 is going to be
highly interesting. 

A Tale of 2Chainz - Chris "Preach" Smith

By now, you’ve all heard about the rapper 2Chainz (formerly Tity Boi)
getting robbed at gunpoint out in San Francisco earlier this week. And
you’ve probably watched the survelliance video infamous ‘news’ site
TMZ put out on the web a few times. Now that we’ve gotten the jokes
mostly out of the way, there’s one or two things that need to be addressed
here.

First off, I noted from a couple of my people and other reactions on the
web one dominant thought: why are we making fun of him running?
It’s a valid point. If you’re rolling with a crew, purporetedly unarmed,
and cats run up on you with .357 Magnums(as claimed by his security
guard on a call to a radio station soon after), I don’t think it’s smart to
stand there and get lit up like you were in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Chainz broke out, and got away. Yeah he looked funny as hell doing it,
but he got away. There’s a few of you out there who have gotten guns
pulled on them in crazy situations. So have I. Your choice at the time
may be different than his. Perhaps this situation is just another reminder
that anyone can get got. Someone asked me on Twitter why he didn’t
have security. I assumed he didn’t, but it was apparent he has. But 
that doesn’t even protect you at times. Ask ‘Pac and Biggie. 

The second thing to consider is, this was probably an elaborate setup.
There is no possible way that these gunmen just popped up on the set
seeing 2Chainz and crew and decided to make a move, weapons ready.
In broad daylight. To me, that means some disgruntled weed carrier in
your crew has been telegraphing your movements. The security guard
who spoke out affrims that suspicion. And that should be a warning to
2Chainz and other rappers out there about their entourages. Just because
you call someone part of your team doesn’t mean they don’t want to
take your starting position. That’s why some of these cats with the 
large entourages strike some in the public as funny. They aren’t really
a buffer from harm when you get down to it. And it sets you up for
situations like these time and time again, from Jim Jones to Gunplay.

Ultimately, for 2Chainz, this was a bad week. Getting robbed and then
getting busted two days later at LAX with weed and medicine used to
make sizzurp? That qualifies. But this says a lot about his judgement.
You can’t allow yourself to think that your celebrity is going to be a
buffer against you doing stupid things. Or a buffer against people looking
to get you. Because not only are the streets watching, they are salivating.
Even more now because of the genre of ‘bling and baller’ rap that is
out there. What needs to happen for this man is, get your security team
tighter. Cut down on the hangers-on. Get your mind right. Otherwise there
may be another incident where he’ll be ‘Few Chainzzz’ once again. (Props
to Stress on that nickname.) 

Straight Up Menace: "Menace II Society" Twenty Years Later - Chris "Preach" Smith

It says a lot that when it came to Black people, the films of the 1990’s
were and are effective time capsules of the different stories and thoughts
back then. Filmmakers of color were breaking new ground, even if it 
meant that had to shock some people into truly recognizing certain
realities. For Allen and Albert Hughes, they hammered that point home
in their debut feature film, ‘Menace II Society’ released in theaters 20
years ago today.


Only four years after John Singleton’s ‘Boyz In The Hood’ dropped America’s
collective jaw with its gritty portrayal of life in South Central Los Angeles,
‘Menace II Society’ upped the ante. The film was and is just RAW. ‘Menace’
is a tale about the decisions you make and the consequences they carry.
It also serves as a vehicle to impart underlying messages about the rise in
Black-on-Black crime in the ‘hood and how it tears the community apart.
The casting was a great mix of young talent, veterans and relative outsiders
to acting. Let’s also not forget the nuanced cinematography and yet 
another must-have soundtrack to add to your collection.

The Hughes Brothers knocked it out of the park with casting. Tyrin Turner
plays a great conflicted man in Caine Lawson, and you would’ve never 
guessed it was only his third film. Larenz Tate as O-Dog? How much do
you want to bet that whenever you hear of a smarmy, self-serving right
wing person talk about ‘urban’ people that O-Dog isn’t the first person
they think of? Apathetic, and casually amoral, O-Dog basically was this 
movie’s version of America’s worst nightmare. From killing the Korean
storekeeper and bagging the security tape to killing a crackhead in the
alley and offering up the dead man’s cheeseburger, O-Dog represented
one big difference between ‘Menace’ and ‘Boyz’: very little soft side in
regards to the bangers. That’s not to say that there is no tender side,
no humanism here. Jada Pinkett’s portrayal of Ronnie is one of best
parts of this picture and demonstrated her range with ease. Even Pernell,
the OG played by Glenn Plummer gives you shades of grey. It’s amazing
considering that Spice 1 was supposed to be in the film along with Tupac
Shakur playing Sharif. We all know how that turned out. MC Eiht handled
his business though, along with Saafir as Cousin Harold and Too Short in
a smaller role.


‘Menace II Society’, like other films from that era, has so many quotable scenes.
Like the scene where Caine is being interrogated by Bill Duke. ‘You know you
done f***ed up, don’t you?” Or where Samuel L. Jackson, in a flashback as Caine’s
late father, curses out then murders a man in a poker game. Or that fateful
moment the Korean store owner looks at O-Dog and says, ‘I feel sorry for your
mother.’ And even Charles S. Dutton’s riveting speech as Mr.Butler is magnetic.
And some of you to this day probably still have that soundtrack CD in your house
somewhere; I know I still play MC Eiht’s ‘Straight Up Menace’ every so often.
The film and its impact still hold court up to today. Could it be seen as reinforcing
certain stereotypes about the ‘hood? By some who are uninformed and unwilling,
yes. But its appeal lies in the fact that it is honest, sometimes brutally so. And
that there is no happy ending to Caine’s life is a prime argument against what
some would see as glorification of violence in the film. Let’s also consider that
Allen and Albert Hughes did this film without a lot of formal training, but were
skilled enough to direct and co-write it with a resume of directing music videos.
Without even finishing high school. That’s a testament to their hustle. (They
also were the first duo since Jerry and David Zucker to get a co-directors waiver
from the Directors Guild of America as brothers) ‘Menace II Society’ is as much
a part of American cinema as it belongs to the hip-hop world and pop culture in
general. And it just might make itself a part of this holiday weekend. 

What Will Yeezy Do Next? - Chris "Preach" Smith

“Sensationalism? Why, the sons of guns love it!!” - “Doctor X” (1932)

Kanye West is on the brink. Again.

It should be real apparent to us all by now that anything ‘Ye does
will bear a flair for the dramatic. It’ll have an aura of street-fueled
opulence. Still, he has a knack for beating people in the head when
you least expect it. Like this entire week, for example.

On the eve of last weekend, Kanye debuted his new single, ‘New 
Slaves’ on 66 buildings across the world simultaneously. The track
caused an immediate ruckus because of the lyrics that decried 
anti-consumerism and label politics along with prison profiteering
off incarcerated Black people. There was a bit of a backlash amid
the praise. ‘This aint 2004, who does ‘Ye think he is?!’ Stuff like
that. The backlash grew with West performing the track on ‘SNL’
along with a new song, ‘Black Skinheads’. More buzz. Even with
‘Ye getting the line from the hook historically wrong (300 Romans),
it still ramped up anticipaion for his new album, modestly entitled
‘Yeezus’ due out on June 18th. So yeah, Mr.West is grabbing all
the headlines once again. But there’s an edge to all of it.

It’s easy to dismiss Kanye. In some ways, it’s almost become a
sport to do so. I’ve done it. When I heard about the ‘Yeezus’ 
album title, I rolled my eyes. A couple of cats I know proclaimed
it as being ‘genius’. But that is the nature of who Kanye West
has become in his 15 year rap career. Highly superficial, but 
having a surprisingly introspective side. A contradiciton draped
in Yves Saint Laurent and Cartier. With these new songs though,
you get a sense of a man who’s looking to once again throw 
off the floss and be real. Both ‘New Slaves’ and ‘Black Skinheads’
represent that dualism that ‘Ye flaunts. While slightly conscious
(calling his besieged hometown ‘Chiraq’ and speaking to the 
Skinhead movement that ruled Britain), ‘Ye still can’t leave 
the elitist rap alone. That has left him to be ravaged by many.
Sometimes deservedly so, when you consider the perpetual 
saga of his life with Kim Kardashian and their child on the way
along with other dubious decisions like taking Chief Keef to Paris
after he got out on parole from jail and moves with his own 
G.O.O.D. Music Label. 

What sticks out the most here is, the frustration and simmering
anger. We’ve all known Kanye to throw fits, act out. That has
in some respects dominated his musical output. But this time,
there seems to be something more. Throughout his discography,
you find tracks that stick with you. Even as he got more into
electronic dance music. ‘Ye’s music matters to you more when
he can put aside the overt materialism and keep it simple and
honest. He’s not going to be highly conscious. He’s not going 
to be Killer Mike, and that is fine. And shouldn’t surprise anyone.
But as much as some would like to dismiss him outright, note
his lyrics in ‘New Slaves’ again: “They throwin’ hate at me/want
me to stay at ease/f*** you and your corporation/y’all n*****
can’t control me..’ It’s been nothing new for MCs to throw shots
at labels, but here Kanye is cursing at the system he bought 
into. Others have done it too, Lauryn Hill and DMX to name a
couple. But where their careers stalled, ‘Ye’s kept rising. Perhaps
the genius here is that ‘Ye is once again turning this contradiction
into another gain for him. (Look at the Jay-Z/Justin Timberlake
pairing brouhaha as an example.) But just because he can do it,
doesn’t mean the average cat on the block could or should do it.
And maybe that’s the lesson to take away from all of this. Even
those Yeezy stans can understand that this is a prime example
of how sensationalism moves units and mountains.

The real questions that need to be asked here is, what will Yeezy
do next to feed that genius? And at what cost?