A rift in the Philadelphia Brotherhood occurred when tensions arose

Meek
By Khaliq Muhammed, Staff Reporter
A rift in the Philadelphia Brotherhood occurred
when tensions arose between Maybach Music Group
and the Larceny Family. Meek Mill released a diss
track against Cassidy called “Repo” after heated twitter exchanges between the two in late December. Cass
returned with R.A.I.D in early January, a 10 minute
long denunciation of Meek as a pawn.
Though not as relevant as he once was, Cassidy has done much for the culture as far as his music
and his influence. He also gained notoriety for his
lyrical prowess in his past battle with fellow Philadelphia artist, Freeway. Songs such as “I’m A Hustler,”
where he illuminated the familiar hometown hero
- the street entrepreneur - and “Innocent Man,” where
he unapologetically talks of defending his family in
exchange for jail time, and others such as “Hotel Feat.
R. Kelly,” where they invite the women for some excitement displays this.
In Meek Mill’s “Repo,” he pokes fun at a more
recent song of Cassidy’s called “Condom Style,”
which draws on the material of a South Korean pop
artist to promote sexual awareness. Meek Mill is in the
limelight with his boss and former correctional officer, Rick Ross, as well as his label mates, Stalley and
Wale.
In “Repo,” Meek Mill boasts as an elitist
whose battle strategy is concerned with reducing his
fellow artist into a “broke rapper”. “All this ice around
my neck, I got a fridge on / body Cass, put ‘em in a
body bag / broke n****, we should put you in a body
Cass
cast / real n****, all I know I get a lot of cash.”
In the land of the free, being broke is equated
with being a gap in the space time continuum. Was
this a “big bank take little bank” battle? Pragmatically, Meek Mill may have used the right strategy in
the current era of hip-hop. You have may have liked
the aggressive delivery combined with his arrogant,
sharp biting lyrics.
Cassidy took a more taunting approach, treating Meek Mill as though he was his protégé in Philly.
True to the bars, Cassidy’s delivery intensifies as
the beat alternates. Likewise, the selection of instrumentals was equally impressive. Cassidy strikes an
MMG affiliate with this: “Yup, this is what I’m gon’
do to you / kill you in the battle, then Wale can say
a poem at your funeral.” Continuing his rave for 10
minutes, criticizing Meek’s bourgeoisie admissions,
and insulting his street credibility, Cassidy rhymes:
“B**** you really hyped, but you ain’t even repping
Philly right / you dug your own grave boy, that’s
what I made the song R.A.I.D. for / and Meek, how
you gon’ wage war, when the G.D.s made M.M.G.
shut down their paid tour?”
We should all know how intense rap battles
can become and especially how often local rivalries
become street conflicts. You may be swayed by the
characteristically hard-hitting bars of Meek Mill. I
you value lyrical content; you may swayed by Cassidy’s crafty metaphors and punch-lines. Whatever
your role in the now global, hip-hop culture, you
remain the judge. JT’s Return
By Shaunda Brooks, Editor in Chief
“To whom it may concern… I think I’M
READY!” This infamous tweet appeared on over
16 million fans timelines on the night of January
10. With a promo video and countdown attached,
Justin Timberlake made sure he got the fans
hyped about his return to the music world.
So where has Justin been in his time during his hiatus from wooing the ladies with his
sensual vocals? Do The Social Network, Bad
Teacher, Friends with Benefits, and Shrek the
Third ring a bell? The 32 year old Renaissance
man has been busy acting, producing, and coowning MySpace so he’s had plenty to do.
He released his first single, in what seems
like an eternity, shortly after the Twitter post.
“Suit & Tie” is a sexy, mid-tempo record
featuring no one but the great Jay-Z. He performed
this new hit at the 2013 Grammy Awards. It’s one
of those songs that you had to listen to a few times
before you decided that you actually liked it. I can
admit that I was expecting more from him with this
single but it’s pretty catchy. Besides, who knows
more about suits and ties than the clean JT?
The 20/20 Experience is the name of his
next highly anticipated album. He’s only released
2 solo albums in a decade: Justified in 2002 and
FutureSex/LoveSounds in 2006, so a new album is
long overdue. It will be released on March 19 and
as a huge fan, I am more than ecstatic for it.
up being just a corny rendition of the Bone ThugsN-Harmony ode ‘1st of the Month’. And ‘Freedom’,
although not a bad song, sounds too similar to other
album closers The Game has used in previous albums thus lacking originality.
After listening to “Jesus Piece”, it is safe to
say that The Game can still deliver when you least
expect it.Upon listening, expect to hear the typical The Game fashion: constant name dropping, a
catchy single, and a quick jab or two at a celebrity.
But also be prepared to listen to one of his best releases since “The Documentary”.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Beliebers Gone Wild
By Brenee Colman, Staff Reporter
On January 8, it was reported that Justin Bieber
fans took it upon their selves to organize what they
call “Operation Cut for Bieber”. According to fans,
the purpose of this is to stop Bieber from smoking
weed.
It started off as a senseless joke, but soon turned
into a Twitter phenomenon. Fans were
seen uploading pictures of knives to their skin and
cutting themselves due to his new found habit.
Do you think that Justin’s fans are taking it overboard? Do you think Justin should just
continue to live his life? Or do you think he should
stop smoking weed and set a good example
to his fans? Many young people who have watched
Bieber grow and mature over the years feel as
though he’s only 18-years-old and he’s living his life,
while others object and think he’s
setting a bad example to his younger audience.
All in all, Bieber fans or preferably known as “The
Beliebers”, are truly dedicated to seeing their
pop star Bieber rise to the top and some continue to
pray that he stops this habit.
#CUTFORBEIBER
AR
By Jelani Darling
The Game
LBUM
EVIEW
Jesus Piece
Within the past year or so, the west
coast has been making resurgence back into the
hip hop game. Acts like Odd Future and Dom
Kennedy have been gathering quite a following while underground-veteran-turned-mainstream-rookie Kendrick Lamar has arguably
positioned himself as the new
King of the West.
As a result of this,
West Coast veteran The
Game has found himself a bit
further back from the spotlight than he has been a few
years ago. However, through
releasing a dope track every Sunday (Sunday Service
series) for a month or two, he
has ultimately garnered a lot
of anticipation for his newest
album “Jesus Piece”. And he
doesn’t disappoint.
The Game fires on all
cylinders right on the intro
“Scared Now”. Lines like
those below show that his
wordplay is still there:
“What if I told y’all I know who killed Biggie
dog? / I ain’t no snitch but if I did it ain’t no
biggie dog / Cause that’s Biggie dog / All that’s
coming out the mouth of the n***a you used to
know as being 50’s dog / But I got tired of being
50’s dog / Had to break my chain and cut that
n***a 50 off”
This intensity
is maintained through the rest of “Jesus Piece”
hinting that The Game made this album
feature-heavy for a reason. Unlike “R.E.D. Album” – where it seemed like he was using other
artists as crutches to remain relevant which led
to him being outshined (i.e. The City) – The
Game enlists some of hip hop’s hottest MCs for
Jesus Piece to prove he can compete with them.
Tracks like the 2 Chainz tag-teamed ‘Ali Bomaye’
and Common-assisted title song among a few
songs that The Game really stands out on.
On top of the wordplay, The Game keeps
“Jesus Piece” interesting by making several
references to the Christian religion. Songs like
‘Pray’, which features a
flawless performance by
J. Cole, uses the reference to touch on social
issues with women.
While the Trey Songz
and King Chip-assisted
‘Church’ will have you
wondering if comparing
a stripper’s thickness to
the Bible is even appropriate to listen to. The
Game later goes on to
question that himself
in ‘Can’t Get it Right’,
a track that shows the
battle between his addiction of living in the fast lane and his urge to
repent for his sinful ways.
As great as this album is, however, it is not
without its flaws. Songs like ‘Heaven’s Arms’ and
‘See No Evil’ are interchangeable while ‘Hallelujah’ falls short as the Jamie Foxx-assisted chorus
tries too hard to fit the general theme of the album. ‘Celebration’, the album’s lead single, ends
DEGREES OF SEPARATION SERIES. Each song on this playlist is
related to the one before it (i.e. same
artist, same producer, samples, etc.). Tune in and enjoy this
smooth midday mix!
CHECK OUT CLOUD XM FOR MORE!
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DEGREES OF SEPARATION SERIES. Each song on this playlist is
related to the one before it (i.e. same
artist, same producer, samples, etc.). Tune in and enjoy this Too
Turnt up(TTU) mix!
by Courtney Larry, Fashion Editor
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards show aired,
February 10th, and the show definitely did not disappoint. The Grammy Award is the one of the biggest awards that a
musician could take home; after a year of touring, releasing albums, and other attempts for the public to notice their
artistry. The Grammy Awards was full of highlights.
The night kicked off with a performance from
Taylor Swift, singing “We Are Never Ever Getting Back
Together”, complete with a circus theme, featuring flamethrowers, men on stilts, clowns, and Swift as the ringmaster. One of the most anticipated performances of the
night were from Frank Ocean, Justin Timberlake, a Bob
Marley tribute and fan favorite, Miguel. Ellen DeGeneres
and Beyonce both introduced Justin Timberlake to the
stage and his long awaited arrival back to the music scene.
Timberlake sang his new single “Suit and Tie” featuring
Jay-Z, with a classic big band feel. Viewers watched, as
their televisions suddenly became black and white, Timberlake sing and dance like he never left the music scene. He
then performed his next single “Little Pusher Love Girl”
and our televisions were in color again. The performance
was flawless as Justin’s backup singers and band stayed on
point. This was one of the best moments of the evening,
and the Grammy Awards wouldn’t be complete without a
few disappointments.
One of the biggest awards of the night was for
“Best Urban Contemporary Album” and two of the nominees were fan favorites, Miguel and Frank Ocean. Miguel’s
album Kaleidoscope Dream has had the music industry
abuzz for months now but it couldn’t stand tall to the
winner of the evening, Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange.
However, Miguel did win a Grammy that night for his song
Adorn, “Best R&B Song”. One of the biggest songs of
2012, during the summer, was Fun’s “We Are Young”. This
song earned them a well-deserved Grammy for “Song of
the Year”. The Bob Marley tribute featured Bruno Mars,
Sting, Rihanna, and Marley’s sons, Damian and Ziggy. The
Marley tribute was so anticipated that it did not meet expectations. Only two Bob Marley’s songs were performed,
which is terrible when you think about how extensive his
catalog is. The tribute was shorter than expected and this
caused major disappointment, especially with Marley fans.
There were more tributes that evening. One tribute was
dedicated to deceased musicians or record label execs that
once made contributions to the music industry in a big
way. The other was dedicated to the victims of the Sandy
Hook tragedy. That tribute featured a performance from
legends Elton John, Mavis Staples, and newcomer Brittany Howard, of the Alabama Shakes.
Prince made a grand appearance on the Grammy
awards; not to perform, but to present the award for
“Record of the Year”. Before announcing the winner,
Prince complimented the winners by stating that he liked
the song. The winners of that award were Gotye for the
song “Somebody That I Used To Know”. While accepting
their award, Gotye complimented Prince and he nodded to
acknowledge them. The performance of the night that had
mixed reviews was by Frank Ocean. Ocean performed on
stage behind a screen which showed him running, while
he sang “Forrest Gump” from his award winning album.
“Forrest Gump” is one of Ocean’s, if not the most, controversial songs. Some fans thought that he showed great
bravery performing the song, live, on national televisions.
Other fans were disappointed and found that his performance was lacking. Some complained about his pitch and
flat notes, and others just didn’t know what to expect from
him.
These were some of the most memorable moments of the
evening. More winners of the evening included Adele
“Best Pop Solo Performance”, The Black Keys “Best
Rock Performance”, Beyonce “Best Traditional R&B
Performance”, Jay-Z and Kanye West “Best Rap Performance” and Drake “Best Rap Album”. Over 80 Grammy
awards were given out that night, even though every winner wasn’t shown. If the Grammy Awards had to be rated
out of 10, the final result would be a 7/10. The disappointments outweighed the good this time around. The Grammy Awards have one year to get it right before viewers
tune in again. Let’s just hope they score better next time.