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[Agent_J]

.

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

So many good hip-hop albums came out this and last year. Blu's Below The Heavens came out 4 years ago man, come on.

 

[LOZLINK]

People saying Hip Hop is dead are fucking idiots

 

[nib95]

Posted already I'm sure, but still, wow.

 

[Throavium]

nope, you didn't get it right.
i came into this thread to share my opinion about the album, like everyone else. hate it or not, i'm allowed to express myself. i don't expect them to change their style, i'm just commenting on it. regardless of whether y'all see it or not, they ARE pushing a certain agenda to the masses. enough about that.

i can enjoy music if it's good. watch the throne is just a bunch of "look at me" and "look at how much money i have" rap. that's not enjoyable to me. i'm not trying to be all holier than thou, i'm really not. just stating my opinion about a dude who used to be humble and religious, and now he's the opposite. i know gaf as a collective is composed of all beliefs, so enough about that topic.

if i dug myself in a hole, then fuck it. i'ma stay in this hole and defend this hole. i'm not being ignorant, i've listened to indie rappers like blu and illz and all the other rappers gaf jerks off to. i've been lurking for a year before i got approved. i know this board's tastes in music. i don't agree with it, that's all. nothing wrong with that, we can't ALL have the same tastes. i'm not generalizing shit. for example, lil wayne himself used to be GREAT on carter/carter ii. ever since singing about lollipops that nigga started making r&b rap. fuck that shit. rick ross was a COP and now he's making #1 records. that alone should tell you hip hop is DEAD. (doesn't anyone remember fuck tha police??)

i repeat: hip hop is dead. rapping as a style is more popular than ever, but the real hip hop died years ago. my opinion, i'm sticking to it.

peace!

It bothers me when people say that Hip Hop is dead, mainly because it doesn't matter and it's overall very subjective. If people are still listening to Hip Hop to this day, how is it dead? It's only dead to the people who've stopped listening to it or that don't listen to it.

 

[Tony Rocky Horror]

Posted already I'm sure, but still, wow.

A similar image was posted within hours of the digital sales opening up. Still true for all those countries?

 

[nib95]

When people say Hip Hop is dead today, to me it's basically another way of saying "none of this mainstream Hip Hop suits my tastes".

 

[Throavium]

When people say Hip Hop is dead today, to me it's basically another way of saying "none of this mainstream Hip Hop suits my tastes".

Basically this.

 

[TheOddOne]

When people say Hip Hop is dead today, to me it's basically another way of saying "none of this mainstream Hip Hop suits my tastes".

Thats a very defensive way to look at it. Hiphop has changed a lot, but you can't deny its been dumbed down considerably.

 

[nib95]

Thats a very defensive way to look at it. Hiphop has changed a lot, but you can't deny its been dumbed down considerably.

I listen to a lot of different genre's of music, and have for years. My objective opinion is that it hasn't been dumbed down at all, it's just different. In-fact, if anything I'd say in many ways Hip Hop is a lot more complex and innovative that it ever used to be, at least with respect to treating it as an art form, and in terms of production.

Lyrically, sure, subject matter in the mainstream may have changed somewhat but I honestly don't see what differentiates the quality of a track like "Fuck Tha Police" with "Murder to Excellence". What in your opinion exactly makes Hip Hop of past so much better than what exists today that you'd consider current Hip Hop dead?

Tbh, I think Jay Z's verse from On to the Next One sums this problem of clinging on to the old well...

Hov on that new shit, N-g*as like how come
N-*gas want my old sh-t, buy my old album
N-*gas stuck on stupid, I gotta keep it moving
N-*gas make the same shit, me I make the blueprint

I move forward, the only direction
cant be scared to fail, Search and perfection
Gotta keep it fresh, even when we sexing
but don’t be mad at him when he’s on to the next one

 

[toastyToast]

Murder To Excellence is a bit of an outlier on this album.

 

[TheOddOne]

I listen to a lot of different genre's of music, and have for years. My objective opinion is that it hasn't been dumbed down at all, it's just different. In-fact, if anything I'd say in many ways Hip Hop is a lot more complex and innovative that it ever used to be, at least with respect to treating it as an art form, and in terms of production.

Lyrically, sure, subject matter in the mainstream may have changed somewhat but I honestly don't see what differentiates the quality of a track like "Fuck Tha Police" with "Murder to Excellence". What in your opinion exactly makes Hip Hop of past so much better than what exists today that you'd consider current Hip Hop dead?

What use to make (mainstream)music rap so great is the old days was that everything on the song was top notch. The production, the lyrics and concepts where really great. Lyrics these days have taken such a backseat, that its really starting to bother me. I mean, there should be a fair balance of that kind of music instead of "showing off" type music. Its not like there was no braggin' music back in the day, but atleast there was other types of rap. There was so much balance, it was great listening to all kinds of rap. These days its feels like its dominated by the more party music, while the more lyrical rap stays in the backround. Which is kind of sad and really gives Hiphop a bad name to some extent. People think thats Hiphop, while its just a slice of what Hiphop is about.

 

[nib95]

What use to make (mainstream)music rap so great is the old days was that everything on the song was top notch. The production, the lyrics and concepts where really great. Lyrics these days have taken such a backseat, that its really starting to bother me. I mean, there should be a fair balance of that kind of music instead of "showing off" type music. Its not like there was no braggin' music back in the day, but atleast there was other types of rap. There was so much balance, it was great listening to all kinds of rap. These days its feels like its dominated by the more party music, while the more lyrical rap stays in the backround. Which is kind of sad and really gives Hiphop a bad name to some extent. People think thats Hiphop, while its just a slice of what Hiphop is about.

I disagree. You get the odd lyrically focused tracks, but then artists like Kanye and Jay-Z do shine in production so it's not surprising to me that production plays such a prominent role. Other artists such as (picking commercially successful one's here) Eminem for example, with his new album, I'd say the majority of the lyrics were quite personal and deep (sort of like a personal diary of his problems and issues), and instead it was the production that was lacking. So it's not all the same, and I fear putting it all in one basket is unfair to the genre.

 

[TheOddOne]

I disagree. You get the odd lyrically focused tracks, but then artists like Kanye and Jay-Z do often shine in production. Other artists such as (picking commercially successful one's here) Eminem for example, with his new album, I'd say the majority of the lyrics were quite personal and deep (sort of like a personal diary of his problems and issues), and instead it was the production that was lacking.

Sure on albums there are nuggets of great music, but I'm speaking more about mainsteam rap singles being released on TV and radio.

I would love it if the mainstream accepted Thurz's "Colors", KRIT's "The Vent" "Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism" or Killer Mike's "That's Life Pt. 2", but it will never happen because of subject matter. If it there was more this music on TV and Radio, next to what we get now then I would not mind it.

 

[DominoKid]

its weird to go back to Last Call now.

to hear Jay-Z clowning Kanye for having him intro Last Call.

to hear "mayonnaise colored benz i push miracle whips" in all its brilliance.

to hear all of his arrogance when he really had no reason to be arrogant.

who could've ever imagined that he'd become a worldwide phenomenon. a true pop icon.

i wonder what a Last Call would sound like now, if he told a story about a pivotal event that's happened since his first album.

 

[TheOddOne]

i wonder what a Last Call would sound like now, if he told a story about a pivotal event that's happened since his first album.

"Big Brother".

 

[overcast]

Lol @ the dude coming in here saying Hip-Hop is dead, and talking about how this album is anti religious. I figured that it was only a matter of time before that came up with this album.

 

[louis89]

Murder to Excellence, holy shit. I like the 'Murder' half, but 'Excellence'... God damn. DAT BEAT.

 

[Stat Flow]

My opinion of the album has lessened over time. I only can listen to about 5 songs consistently. Oh well, I figured that would happen.

 

[mckmas8808]

Your crazy if you think Swizz is anything more than a joke.

No you're crazy if you can't at least not respect his work over the last 10+ years. Nobody made you kid of music opinions.

 

[mckmas8808]

I've listened to Gotta Have It so much lately. That may be my favorite track.

Swizzy needs to shut his mouth when he is on a track.

Swizzy on a track automatically makes me hype. So +1 to Swizz talking on a track. CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL.. IT'S OVER!

 

[Oozer3993]

Got my hard copy in the mail today. It's so nice and shiny.

 

[Recon]

nope, you didn't get it right.
i came into this thread to share my opinion about the album, like everyone else. hate it or not, i'm allowed to express myself. i don't expect them to change their style, i'm just commenting on it. regardless of whether y'all see it or not, they ARE pushing a certain agenda to the masses. enough about that.

i can enjoy music if it's good. watch the throne is just a bunch of "look at me" and "look at how much money i have" rap. that's not enjoyable to me. i'm not trying to be all holier than thou, i'm really not. just stating my opinion about a dude who used to be humble and religious, and now he's the opposite. i know gaf as a collective is composed of all beliefs, so enough about that topic.

if i dug myself in a hole, then fuck it. i'ma stay in this hole and defend this hole. i'm not being ignorant, i've listened to indie rappers like blu and illz and all the other rappers gaf jerks off to. i've been lurking for a year before i got approved. i know this board's tastes in music. i don't agree with it, that's all. nothing wrong with that, we can't ALL have the same tastes. i'm not generalizing shit. for example, lil wayne himself used to be GREAT on carter/carter ii. ever since singing about lollipops that nigga started making r&b rap. fuck that shit. rick ross was a COP and now he's making #1 records. that alone should tell you hip hop is DEAD. (doesn't anyone remember fuck tha police??)

i repeat: hip hop is dead. rapping as a style is more popular than ever, but the real hip hop died years ago. my opinion, i'm sticking to it.

peace!

No, your taste for Hip-Hop died a long time ago. There is more good music being released for free than ever before. Shit is there, you just choose not to listen to it.

 

[Recon]

No you're crazy if you can't at least not respect his work over the last 10+ years. Nobody made you kid of music opinions.

I think you meant "king of music opinions". What is really funny, is you come back at me with the same type of opinion. At least mine was original, and true.

 

[Stat Flow]

Swizzy on a track automatically makes me hype. So +1 to Swizz talking on a track. CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL.. IT'S OVER!

 

[Red_Man]

Correct response, Swizz is pretty fucking annoying and ruins the power remix with that shit, I have to turn off the song before it gets that far or I'll have a sudden urge to smash my head against the wall.

 

[mckmas8808]

I think you meant "king of music opinions". What is really funny, is you come back at me with the same type of opinion. At least mine was original, and true.

I said you should at least respect the work he has put in over a 10+ year period. You saying Swizz sucks goes against his actual record as a producer. You should have to explain why he still has plenty of hits in rap and R&B. And you have to explain why top guys like Kanye, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z still seek him out for beats.

You have to explain why Swizz sucks but makes beats like Dear Anne 2 and Murder in Murder to Excellence. You don't have to like him or his music, but to outright says he sucks seems to go against his actual record as a producer.

Do you have it when DJs do it or at least used to do it years ago?

 

[Recon]

I said you should at least respect the work he has put in over a 10+ year period. You saying Swizz sucks goes against his actual record as a producer. You should have to explain why he still has plenty of hits in rap and R&B. And you have to explain why top guys like Kanye, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z still seek him out for beats.

You have to explain why Swizz sucks but makes beats like Dear Anne 2 and Murder in Murder to Excellence. You don't have to like him or his music, but to outright says he sucks seems to go against his actual record as a producer.






Do you have it when DJs do it or at least used to do it years ago?

Saying he sucks is my own opinion. Saying he sucks means i dont enjoy his production. Just because he is popular, does not make him good. Dear Anne is a mediocre beat. Listen to it, not much is there. I cant give credit or discredit regarding Murder, because Kanye tweaks the shit so much, it might as well not be the original producer anymore. Also, yes, i hate it when there are DJ tags on a track. But Swizz's voice is the most annoying thing in hip hop.

 

[Bishman]

"It’s just protecting the music and the culture. It’s people that’s in the forefront of the music. Watch the Throne, you protect it. You just watch how popular music shift, and just how Hip Hop basically replaced rock and roll as the youth music. The same thing can happen to Hip Hop. It can be replaced by other forms of music. So we making sure that we put the effort into making the best product so we can contend with all this other music, with all the dance music that’s dominating the charts right now and indie Music that’s dominating the festivals."

"No super over-the-top, big singing chorus or anything. That’s how we launched our album. And it’s good that it’s been embraced the way it has. That means everyone’s ready for that. The return of the boom-bap."

It will be interesting to see if they start the trend to boom-bap music.

 

[mckmas8808]

It will be interesting to see if they start the trend to boom-bap music.

If they keep pushing it it could happen.

 

[Oozer3993]

Watch the Throne set a new record for most sales on iTunes in the first week of availability: 290k.

 

[The M.O.B]

Watch the Throne set a new record for most sales on iTunes in the first week of availability: 290k.

Oh my, when do the total sales come in for the week?

 

[ShdwDrake]

Watch the Throne set a new record for most sales on iTunes in the first week of availability: 290k.

When the Watch the Throne drop... n****s kill themselves.

 

[Oozer3993]

Oh my, when do the total sales come in for the week?

Wednesday we should have final numbers. I'm guessing somewhere north of 600k and easily in first for the week.

 

[kamspy]

i know athiest-GAF doesn't care, but jay-z and kanye are REALLY pushing an anti-religion agenda on this album. all kinds of blasphemy like mary magdeline on a stipper pole. not believing in god, because the beat is the religion. jay comparing himself to god and kanye to jesus. illuminati, etc.

to a god-fearing man like me, it disturbs me but at the same time, i know this is how many people act. they don't care about god anymore. tyler, the creator and odd gang future whatever are so satanic (omg they're just rapping right? lol) and people are following and listening to them so frequently it just saddens me.

Hip hop has always had a big education element. Stay tuned!

 

[Wellington]

Can't stop playing That's My Bitch. Fuckin awesome track.

 

[Recon]

Wednesday we should have final numbers. I'm guessing somewhere north of 600k and easily in first for the week.

Wasnt the projected number closer to 400k-500k?

 

[bud]

Swizzy on a track automatically makes me hype. So +1 to Swizz talking on a track. CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL.. IT'S OVER!

one hand in the air

if you don't really care

two hands in the air

if you don't really care

 

[ShdwDrake]

I also like Swizzy.

 

[kamspy]

So, I stopped at Best Buy on the way home to grab my physical copy. Love the packaging. Love the art. Love the black back disc.

HATE the 3 minutes of silence at the begging of Illest Motherfucker. Dumbest shit ever. I hoped they trimmed it from the iTunes release. No such luck. Guess I'll archive this one and stick with my burnt rip (with a trimmed Illest MoFo).

Pisses me off because I really wanted to rock the black back in my ride. Fuck whoever had that idea. Fire that motherfucker. Send his kids to the fucking orphanage.

 

[Tucah]

Wasnt the projected number closer to 400k-500k?

http://www.billboard.com/#/news/jay-z-and-kanye-west-s-watch-the-throne-1005316862.story

Currently projected for 410k - 450k. Makes sense, with the earlier release on iTunes I'd definitely be willing to bet that most of the sales are there.

 

[ShdwDrake]

Hip hop has always had a big education element. Stay tuned!

I got Jesus = Carpenter aka creator that made Yeezy like him by creating beats and Jay Z brings the word to the people aka the holy ghost.

 

[enzo_gt]

one hand in the air

if you don't really care

two hands in the air

if you don't really care

I liked that bit a lot actually. One time where Swizzy actually fit.

Also, WTT selling less than MBDTF? Can't see it happening.

 

[kamspy]

I got Jesus = Carpenter aka creator that made Yeezy like him by creating beats and Jay Z brings the word to the people aka the holy ghost.

The cover has all kinds of symbolism on it. Who knows why they do it. I'd like to think it's a combination of cool looking artwork plus raising awareness about stuff like the Bilderberg Group, ills of modern Christianity etc. Real evils. Mocking them by using their symbols as their own. ...building fences...we gettin money up under you.

But maybe they're just wanna be's. Maybe the world is fucking crazy and the are puppets of the illuminati. Dunno. Can't help you there.

 

[MThanded]

Swizzy on a track automatically makes me hype. So +1 to Swizz talking on a track. CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL..CHILL.. IT'S OVER!

you have lost your got damn mind

 

[Tom Penny]

It will be interesting to see if they start the trend to boom-bap music.

On what fucking planet is this album a boom bap album? KRS would be amused by that joke.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

look at the bright side, guys. Swizzy on a track is infinitely more tolerable than starting up a song and hearing "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN!". Instant skip.

 

[kamspy]

On what fucking planet is this album a boom bap album? KRS would be amused by that joke.

I think overall it fits the criteria that Kanye set prior to recording Dark Fantasy (about that being a boom bap album) more so than Dark Fantasy does. It only has one AOTL-size trainwreck. Dark Fantasy had 5.

 

[VisionaryQuest0]

look at the bright side, guys. Swizzy on a track is infinitely more tolerable than starting up a song and hearing "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN!". Instant skip.

Lol Jazze Pha burn.

 

[Esch]

if this album is boom bap i'm george jefferson