I'm Coming Home!

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pinklotusflowers:

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fashionpassionates:

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justalittlepieceandquiet:

Awww!!

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iareconscious:

If this came out today… It would be deemed homophobic…

intelligentrambling:

alwaysoneself:

When Jay-Z was getting too big for his britches he started taking jabs at his fellow east coast artist, one mentioned - NAS. with Jay-Z being at a high point in his career few thought anyone would challenge his prowess. Unlike Jay-Z, Nas’ career was on a steady decline since the release of his first album, and Nas would be an afterthought as in who would answer back with comparable effort. Between the building tension of Jay-Z and Nas, no one would ever believe Nas to rise up to the occasion and answer back with such an incredible response - ETHER.

Nas’ classic Ether makes many references to Jay-Z’s credibility as an artist, street hustler, and mogul. Using a 2pac sample of “Fuck Jay-Z”, along with tight knitted rhyme schemes and aggression filled vocabulary, Nas created a lyrical masterpiece. Numerous accounts amongst the public perceived Nas’ Ether to be an automatic T.K.O. With the rise of a new Nas and a top notch win under his belt, Nas’ career was resurrected and placed back into the conversations of radios and top MC discussions everywhere.

Nas begins Either talking to the public and Jay-Z.

“Brace yourself for the main event
Y’all impatiently waiting
It’s like an AIDS test, what’s the results?”

He immediately answers his rhetorical question directly towards Jay-Z.

“Not positive, who’s the best? Pac, Nas and Big”

With Nas going under the moniker of “God’s son”, he makes biblical references, comparing his personal writings to scripture passsages, and Jay-Z to Judas.

“I am the truest; name a rapper that I ain’t influenced
Gave y’all chapters but now I keep my eyes on the Judas”

To then reference an embarrassing part of Jay-Z history,his appearance and participation in the very awkward song, “Hawaiian Sophie”.

“With Hawaiian Sophie fame, kept my name in his music”

Nas opens his second verse with how he feels towards the public, and  how other artist have been perceiving him.

“I’ve been fucked over, left for dead, dissed and forgotten
Luck ran out, they hoped that I’d be gone, stiff and rotten
Y’all just piss on me, shit on me, spit on my grave
Talk about me, laugh behind my back but in my face
Y’all some well wishers, friendly actin’, envy hidin’ snakes”

What follows is Nas taking shots at Jay-Z’s ego, which most likely his Achilles’s heel.

“When these streets keep callin’, heard it when I was sleep
That this Gay-Z and Cockafella Records wanted beef”

Nas then percedes to get deeper, weapon = brain, Ammo = words, Camel = Jay-Z, Soldiers = Rockafella affiliates.

“Started cockin’ up my weapon, slowly loadin’ up this ammo
To explode it on a camel and his soldiers”

The second verse is completed with a strong right hook to the face. Jay-Z at the time just released his new album titled “Blueprint”, even though east coast rapper KRS-One already released his album 10 years prior under that title and concept. Nas then continues to challenge Jay-Z credibility and originality as an artist be explaining how Jay-Z and Biggie were friends before Biggie passed, but now Jay-Z claims himself the best.

“When KRS already made an album called Blueprint
First Biggie’s your man
Then you got the nerve to say that you better than Big
Dick suckin’ lips
Why don’t you let the late, great veteran live?”

Nas’ third verse begins to put nails into Jay-Z’s coffin, as Nas’ begins taking the role as father figure and parent to Jay-Z. Explaining how Nas’ style greatly influenced Jay as a rapper, and how Nas is disappointed in his son, although he is still proud to see Jay blossom with what Nas has given him.

“What’s sad is I love you cause you’re my brother
You traded your soul for riches
My child, I’ve watched you grow up to be famous
And now I smile like a proud dad, watchin’ his only son that made it”

Nas continues the father role, adding insult to injury.

“You seem to be only concerned with dissing women
Were you abused as a child, scared to smile, they called you ugly?
Well life is harsh; hug me, don’t reject me
Or make records to disrespect me, blatant or indirectly”

Reverses back to challenging Jay’s credibility and originality.

“In 88 you was getting chased through your building
Calling my crib and I ain’t even give you my numbers
All I did was gave you a style for you to run with”

Continues the onslaught, taking jabs at Jay-Z’s ego, and referencing back to Hawaiian Sophie.

“Smiling in my face, glad to break bread with the god
Wearing Jaz chains, no Tecs, no cash, no cars
No jail bars Jigga, no pies, no case
Just Hawaiian shirts, hanging with little Chase
You a fan, a phony, a fake, a pussy, a Stan”

Further challenges Jay’s credibility.

“I still whip your ass, you thirty-six in a karate class?
You Tae-bo ho, tryna’ work it out, you tryna’ get brolic?”

Jay-Z then business partner was Damon Dash, and Nas alleges their relationship is not only unoriginal, it is as spoiled and unconventional as Biggie and Puffy’s.  

“Is he Dame Diddy, Dame Daddy or Dame Dummy
Oh, I get it, you Biggie and he’s Puffy”

Nas continues down the path of business, challenging Jay-Z’s enterprise, Rockafella, named after a New York hustler.

“Rocafella died of AIDS, that was the end of his chapter
And that’s the guy y’all chose to name your company after?
Put it together, I rock hoes, y’all rock fellas
And now y’all try to take my spot, fellas?”

Nas begins to wrap up with more rhetorical questions and further blows to Jay’s ego.

“What you think, you getting girls now cause of your looks?
Ne-gro please
You no mustache having, with whiskers like a rat”

With one more huge uppercut Nas delivers lines questioning who Jay-Z is, not as an artist but as a person. Explaining how he is not and has never been someone with credibility, he has always been a follower, from taking the blame for a crime, to being involved with numerous artist as their underlings. Nas then goes for the groin claiming Eminem outshined Jay-Z on his own song (renegade) and continues to finish the song with quick haymakers.

“And your man stabbed Un and made you take the blame
You ass, went from Jaz to hanging with Kane, to Irv, to Big
And Eminem murdered you on your own shit”

“You a dick-riding faggot, you love the attention
Queens niggas run you niggas, ask Russell Simmons
Ha, R-O-C get gunned up and clapped quick”

“Your whole damn record label gunned up and clapped quick
Shawn Carter to Jay-Z, damn you on Jaz dick
So little shorty’s getting gunned up and clapped quick
How much of Biggie’s rhymes is gonna come out your fat lips?
Wanted to be on every last one of my classics”

No one expected this win, let alone for Nas to speak up at all - not even Jay. Jay-Z must have known his defeat was prominent, as no professionally recorded response was ever produced.

As big of a Jay fan as I am….

Nas took his Crown on this one. S/O nas though.

zuky:

thegoddamazon:

hamdoullahcava:

Muhammad Ali on the Vietnam War Draft

The fact that this is STILL relevant should be very telling.

Immortal words…

“If I’m gonna die, I’ll die right here fighting you … You my enemy, not the Viet Cong or Chinese or Japanese … You my opposer when I want freedom, you my opposer when I want justice, you my opposer when I want equality … You want me to go somewhere and fight, but you won’t even stand up for me here at home.”

(via iareconscious)

jasfly:

I Am Not Leaving You

I saw a pic of Mo’Nique following her in studio interview with HOT 97 and did a double take. Over the last three years, the Academy Award winning actress has lost an impressive 82 lbs through diet and exercise. Having shed 103lbs of my own using the same conventional methods, I understood the smile on Mo’Nique’s face, recognized the pride in her stance and the relief in her eyes. She was saving her own life.

I Instagram’d the picture and within minutes hundreds of you shared in my joy for her, reposting, tweeting and liking the flick. The general consensus was the comedienne had done good. 

Then there were the few of you whom felt differently. The complaints ranged from, ‘she looked better fat’, ‘and now her head is too big ‘to’ now she won’t be funny anymore.’ But I think the most telling criticism – the most popular one – was ‘what happened to representing for the big girls?’

I bring this up for a reason…

Last night, episode 7 of The Gossip Game began with a scene between K Foxx and myself at ooVoo. I’d seen her interview with the beautiful Brittany Sky, the lead from Kendrick’s ‘Poetic Justice’ video and posed a question that unfortunately didn’t make it into the episode: Don’t you feel that ‘colorism’ in any form (light over dark or dark over light) is wrong?

It was that question that began the exchange that was aired. K Foxx felt passionately that the mass mistreatment of darker African-Americans (particularly women) warranted some recompense and was puzzled why I didn’t feel the same. She was sure I’d experienced some of the same color-biased disrespect that she’s encountered over the years.

But I haven’t. On my best days my skin is a glowy pecan, on the average day I’m more the color of a Popeye’s chicken breast. My skin sits between two shades of most foundations (this told to me repeatedly by accomplished make-up artists). I choose the darker so that even when I sweat, I won’t look ashy. I don’t consider myself dark skin or light skin. I’m fully aware that the color-bias does exist both ways, and it angers me but I’ve never experienced it first hand. I’ve always simply fallen in the middle. I’m brown. I’m never included in the discussion. And I’ve never really been told that I’m ‘dark skin’…Until K Foxx. 

By this afternoon hundreds of viewers had made a point to tweet/Instagram/FB message me. The comments ranged from, ‘how could you be ashamed of your dark skin?’ to ‘girl you are not lightskin’ to my personal favorite, ‘You’re darkskin, if this were slavery you’d be in the field with the rest of us.’

Finally, I put it all together. Let’s go back to Mo’Nique.

The boisterous funny gal built a career off of being larger than life. She had entire routines based on the idea that ‘skinny bitches are evil’ and boldly declared that P.H.A.T. should be embraced because it meant ‘Pretty Hot And Tempting’. But this was 82lbs ago.

At my highest weight, I’d traveled to New York from LA and was out with my friend Jai, who had just lost over 70lbs of his own. I remember struggling to keep up as we roamed the village, I can still recall the contempt I felt when he ordered a grilled chicken breast and salad for lunch while I indulged in a burger and fries. Jai scared me. He represented what I couldn’t see for myself.

I understood the hate against Mo’Nique, a great deal of which came from those who appeared to be struggling with their own weight. Where her loss should’ve inspired, for some it shown a light on how far they themselves had to go to get there. They felt abandoned. Even though Mo’Nique had done what was (rightfully) best for her, she’d carried the torch proudly for so long that her fellow P.H.A.T. Girls felt she’d left them, alone and unrepresented.

As I sat still and made myself look through the profiles of many of you that took the time to let me know your thoughts on my complexion, the pattern I noticed was unmistakable. Very few of you were of a lighter skin tone. A great majority of those who contacted me boasted things like #TeamDarkSkin and ‘Chocolate Queen’ in your bios. And now I understand.

I appreciate the love I’ve received over the last two months from those happy for my inclusion on the show and proud that I’ve kept my focus and composure. I understand how my network and others have actively mishandled our image so I came into this show resolved that I would be true to who I am and represent my culture.

I am a Black woman. It’s one of my favorite things about myself. And no one or nothing could ever make me anything but proud of that.

Many of you felt that by me saying I wasn’t dark skin, I was somehow rejecting you. You thought I was leaving a team that I actually never even played for.

I refuse to help divide us. Light skin, dark skin or in between, we’re still being hunted every single day by poverty, educational bias, poor health habits, law enforcement and so many other things that I will be damned if I continue a discussion started by slave owners so they could place a dollar amount on our heads. Miss me with all of it. If you need me to identify with a particular skin tone in order to relate to me, then you were never going to relate to me anyway. We’re all Black. I understand the pain of color-bias and will gladly champion discussions on how to stop it. What I won’t do is allow anyone to push me into a corner and saddle me with his or her own hypersensitivity. This is not a game I’m going to play and I encourage you to stop playing it as well. What we give power to, will control us.

I am not #TeamDarkSkin, just as I am not #TeamLightSkin. I’m not even #TeamBrown. I’m #TEAMBLACK. And know that I am not now – nor am I ever – leaving you. 

(via ashleesfuckingblog)

aintnojigga:

Jay-Z, photographed for the Reebok I Am What I Am campaign by Jim Fiscus in 2005.