Benz and a Backpack

The Huffington Post threw up an interesting slideshow recently, comparing rappers to colleges.  Jay-Z as Harvard, Kanye as U Chicago….check out the article to see where Tupac, Biggie, and Lupe ended up.

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Every now and then, trying circumstances arise that would put a strain on any relationship. When that strain becomes sustained, or when it shows some semblance of permanence, it’s time to put the foundation of that relationship under the microscope and evaluate whether or not it is fundamentally sound. If it is, then you break out your tool belt and work with the other person to rebuild the interior of that relationship, and move forward. If it isn’t fundamentally sound then you tear that house down and look for a different plot of land to build on.

There’s no time to waste on people who don’t reciprocate equal love and respect. Surround yourself with the people who do, because they’ll always hold you down. Keep the others at arm’s length. Dame and Jay parted ways in 2004, most likely because Dame was not a supporter of the direction HOV was headed. Now Dame is doing much cooler shit than Jay, and he’s doing it with a group of people dedicated to a singular artistic cause. Ski Beatz, Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T., and Smoke DZA are DD172 teammates featured in this week’s Mixtape Monday. Other tracks include: brand new Raekwon, Andre 3000, Styles P, Cee-Lo, KanYe, Lupe & Pharrell, as well as cuts from Detroit’s Doss The Artist & Hir-O, and Providence’s own CR The Beast and Chachi. DL link under the cut!

Benz And A Backpack Presents…Mixtape Monday – Vol. 21 by BenzAndABackpack

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Many artists, including Diddy and Young Jeezy (and even Britney Spears) have claimed to be the embodiment of the American Dream. Indeed, the ashy-to-classy narrative that has been woven so thoroughly into hip hop’s fabric suggests that hip hop as an entire genre embodies this idea. Kanye West’s relentless pursuit of recognition and his resilience after his famed car accident would seem to lend itself to a similar American Dream status, but this is not quite the case. Kanye West in his current form is, culturally, the least American musician in the country, and this fact has done wonders for the establishment of his ever-growing importance. Through his duality, complexity and unwavering sense of self, Kanye West has reshaped what an artist in the public eye can hope to be, what is expected of him, and what we can learn from his choices.

Read the rest of this piece over at TheInterludes.com. Shouts to the homies Thiz and Surprise!

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Straight out of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kanye West unleashes the video for his lead single “Power”.  The video is a trip, but in my opinion, mostly a glorification of his supposed fine taste in the arts and such.  His new Twitter account is sure to keep us entertained.

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Back in March, our dude Jonno foretold that XXL’s omission of  XV from their  2010 freshman class would come back to bite them in the ass. Well, his fortune telling skills remain unblemished as the Wichita, KS rapper has signed under the Warner Bros. banner to a multi-album deal. Read the rest of this entry →

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The trailer for “The Social Network”, a big screen drama about the young life of Facebook founder and college dropout Mark Zuckerberg, features Kanye’s latest smash “Power”.

The premiere of the trailer comes at an ironic time, with Kanye’s Twitter only a few days old.  Here is a list of Kanye’s best tweets thus far:

“I ordered the salmon medium instead of medium well I didn’t want to ruin the magic” – @kanyewest

Kanye is never one to ruin a magic moment.  Oh wait…

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This is Drake’s follow up to ‘Over’. As I’m sure most or all of you can tell, ‘Find Your Lovin’ was produced by Kanye West. The video was filmed in Jamaica not too long ago, and features cameos from artists like Maliah Michael and Mavado.

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No matter how big, bad, or tough, every man has a weakness for his mom.  A quick and poignant scolding from mommy might bring the biggest badass to his knees, begging for mercy from the most intimidating person in the world.  But this fear comes from a good place, a mixture of intense love and an unwavering respect.  9 months before we are even born, our mothers take on the responsibility of steering a child through a complicated world of virtue and vice.  Although seemingly all powerful, sometimes moms are utterly powerless when it comes guiding their kids.  Add the double responsibility of a single-parent home and things get really tricky.

One of the most iconic hip-hop moms of our times is Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late-great Christopher Wallace.  Ms. Wallace was so dedicated to the memory of her son that she was on the set of Notoroious, the official Biggy biopic, every day except for one.  Amid interrogating childhood friends to research for the movie, Ms. Wallace was troubled to find out her son was skipping school, using offensive profanity, and dabbling in the drug world;

As a mother, you’re trying to make a life for your son. To find out that during the time when he was supposed to be in school, he was not in school; knowing that he was selling drugs — that pissed me off. I thought that was disrespectful. He jeopardized me, he manipulated me, he disrespected my home. I could’ve been in jail. Was I angry about that? Of course I was angry. That character I didn’t like very much. My love for my son has not changed, but the fact is, I’m angry at him. And if he were here, it would be a different story.

Damn, even after death Biggy can’t avoid his mom’s wrath.

Hip-hop mom songs have come in all shapes and sizes.  If your looking for the ultimate grab bag of songs for that street ready mixtape you are making for your mom this Sunday, voila.

Official Benz and a Backpack Mother’s Day Playlist

December 4th – Jay-Z

Putting your mom’s voice over the hook is the ultimate mom-homage.

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All That I Got Is You – Ghostface Killah

The stark reality of a single mom guiding her kids through poverty. “Shared the same spoon while watching Saturday cartoons.”

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My Mom – Eminem

A not so sober reminder to be thankful your mom didn’t make you addicted to Valium at a young age.

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Momma Said Knock You Out – LL Cool J

For those moms who aren’t scared to throw it down.

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Mama Africa – Akon

A homage to the mother-land.

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If your NCAA men’s bracket didn’t quite turn out how you expected, here is you chance to redeem yourself with Vibe’s “Greatest Producer of All-Time” bracket.  The picks are seeded and broken up into 4 different sections; homegrown sound (Dr. Dre, Mannie Fresh), soul sample (Kanye West, Just Blaze) , mass appeal (Neptunes, Timbaland), and boom-bap (DJ Premier, RZA).

Like Vibe’s “Best Rapper Alive” bracket, this one has already started some controversy.  Producer Bangladesh, the man behind “A Milli”, has already stated he is the best.  Don’t be surprised when some Joe Budden vs Method Man type drama arises as a result of this.

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1. Kanye West – The College Dropout

Kanye was cool when his ego and self-consciousness were at odds (See All Falls Down.) Then this album became the hottest thing since sliced bread and his ego effectively won. Now we’re stuck with lifeless imitations of the internal conflict that made this album great (See all of 808s and Heartbreaks.)

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