“It’s been a long time…I shouldn’t have left you…” ~ Rakim [“I Know You Got Soul,” Paid in Full]

Yes, I know it’s been a MINUTE.  I have no excuses.  Life threw me some curveballs in 2018, but I’m back on deck.  I humbly apologize and hope to not fall off again.  I thank you for catching back up with your boy so we can continue talking about this beautiful thing we call HIP HOP.

I have some interesting posts I’m finishing up but until then going to hit you up with a quick story of the first time I heard Scarface’s “The Diary”—one of the 5 most influential albums of my life.

It was 1994 and was 12 years old.  My parents were still pretty strict about what type of music I could buy. Until I turned 15, they were not supportive of me buying any music with a Parental Advisory sticker. These restrictions made it pretty hard to acquire samples from my favorite hip-hop artists. Luckily for me, I had older cousins that put me on game with the standout talents of my early-mid teenage years.

I really looked up to my older cousin “Jack” back in those days. He’s that family member that you root for to “finally get it together.” He dropped out of high school, kept getting into senseless trouble, even had to go to jail a few times. Through it all, I kept rooting for him. Heck, he was the first to try to teach me how to play basketball (without making me feel like a bumbling idiot). I remember us playing Nintendo “Hoopz” and “Double Dribble” for hours. And of course, he would allow me access to “radio unfriendly” hip hop. This dude was running around with Boss’s “Born Gangtazz” before anybody knew who SHE was. I still can remember him walking around singing “I don’t really wanna feeeeeeel…” He drove Grandie CRAZY, lol.

One of my fondest moments of growing up with Jack is his love for Scarface. I remember when Scarface’s “The Diary” came out in 1994. This guy would be sitting in a room with the lights off bumping the album through his headphones. He would not want to be disturbed, just sitting there. My grandparents thought Jack had lost it. “Why would anybody wanna sit in a room by himself and listen to somebody..talking???”

One day, I finally worked up the nerve to walk in on one of his “listening sessions.” He was sitting in the dark on the edge of the bed, facing the window–headphones on, eyes closed, head bobbing. I tapped him and asked could I listen. He looked at me and said “yeah.” He unplugged the headphones from Aunt Toot’s stereo and let the music play.

“So why you trying kick some dust up
America’s been always known for blaming us n*gg*s for they fuck-ups
And we were always considered evil
Now they trying to bust our only code of communicating with our people
Lets peep the game from a different angle
Matt Dillon pulled his pistol every time him and someone tangled
So why you criticize me
For the shit that you see on your TV
That rates worse than PG?”
~ Scarface [“Hand of the Dead Body” The Diary]

It didn’t take long for me to understand why Jack required so much uninterrupted concentration. Scarface was…DEEP. And not deep like, “oh, this guy read a lot of schoolbooks” but deep like “who THINKS like this?”  Face touched on depression, schizophrenia, loneliness, self-loathing, racism, the media, lust, homicidal/suicidal thoughts…and death.

I hear you breathin’ but your heart no longer sounds strong
But you kinda scared of dying so you hold on
And you keep on blacking out and your pulse is low
Stop trying to fight the reaper, just relax and let it go
Because there’s no way you can fight it though you’ll still try
And you can try it ’til you fight it but you’ll still die
Your spirits leave your body and your mind clears
The rigor mortis starts to set, now you outta here
You start your journey into outer space
You see yourself in the light but you’re still feeling outta place
So you standing in the tunnel of eternal life
And you see the ones you never learn to love in life
Make the choice, let it go if you can back it up
If you ain’t at peace with God you need to patch it up
But if you ready, close your eyes and we can set it free
Here lies a man not scared to die, may he rest in peace
I still got to wonder why
I never seen a man cry ’til I seen that man die.
~ Scarface [“I Seen a Man Die” The Diary]

It was SO much to digest. Jack and I didn’t talk to each other, didn’t look at each other, just…listened. After a while, Mom walked in, letting me know it was time to go home. I nodded at Jack and left.

When I reached age, I obtained my own copy of The Diary. It remains an incredible introspective of an man who was struggling to handle his own aspirations, regrets, vices, fears, loves, wordly views, and faith–not aging a bit since I first witnessed it’s power through my cousin 25 years ago.

~W. Mack

“The dopeness I write, I guarantee delight. To the hip-hop mania, the Uptown brainiac; in full effect, MC Lyte is back!  ~ MC Lyte [“Cha Cha Cha” Eyes on This]

For the first time since 2013, I attended the National Society of Black Engineers’ (NSBE) National Convention.  This year’s edition was held in Pittsburgh, PA.  And I was overjoyed to go.  NSBE Conference is a combination of workshops, training seminars, competitions, volunteer opportunities, social outings, expos, and more dedicated to the technical, social, and professional empowerment of –principally, black–engineers.

One of the highlights of this year’s conference was attending an Empowerment Workshop hosted by the great MC Lyte.  Now if you do not know about MC Lyte…let me school you real quick.  For my money she is the best lady MC ever.  No disrespect to Lauryn, Latifah, Digga, or Nicki, but, I believe, Lyte still holds that crown.  She brought the storytelling.   She could ignite the party, and she could diss the living h#ll out of you.

My personal favorite track is “Poor Georgie .”  Lyte takes an old school nursery rhyme and flips it into a tale about a young man’s downward spiral of unsafe promiscuity, alcohol, and over-flexing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r5MzLsaVWc

“George was clean, no drugs and such
But once in a while, he’d drink too much
Hangin in a club where they play rockers
Him and his friend, drinkin vodka
I was lookin for him, and I found him there
With his clothes messed up and his (fucked) up hair
I told him he was messin up he wouldn’t go far
He got mad and asked his friend for the keys to the car
I said, “Don’t drive, use your head
Drive while you’re drunk and you’ll kill yourself dead”

…

“Thoughts flashed through his head, there they stuck
Till Georgie Porgie, crashed into a truck
I wished I woulda told him how I liked him so much
How he made me feel with the slightest touch
Now he’s gone and I can’t tell him nothin
Wish he was here so I could say somethin
The story is not to say that I’m in sorrow
Just to say no one is promised tomorrow”

Lyte came at an interesting time.  Pioneers like Roxanne Shante and Salt n Pepa had seemingly crashed the glass ceiling for lady MCs.  They proved the ladies could rock the mic, sell out the shows, and set trends just like their male counterparts.  Due to their (and SEVERAL others’) sacrifices, the lady MC-trifecta  of  Queen Latifah, Yo-Yo, and MC Lyte attracted deserved attention from fans and labels.  Latifah (and Monie Love) represented the conscious (yet playful) side of hip-hop.  Yo-Yo (through her association with Ice Cube and the Lench Mob) represented the streets.  Lyte, however, was the round-the-way girl that rapped in the park.  She could get deep or gutter when she wanted to, but Lyte represented the proud, nerdy black girls that never backed down from a challenge.

Peep R&B songtress Brandy’s  classic posse cut “I Wanna Be Down (remix)” that features Lyte, Latifah, and Yo-Yo.  The 4 of them KILL it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LthQLQMilvo

When given the opportunity to ask Lyte a question during her seminar, I asked her to trace her “Lyrical Tree.”  I wanted to know who she credits the most for inspiring her rhyme style and who she feels she has inspired.  I expected her to name Roxanne Shante as her number one influence, but, to my surprise, she quickly named Salt from Salt n Pepa.  She responded that her lyrical mentees are Lil Kim and Missy.  I told her I would work to analyze the correlations between all of those artists’ styles.

As happy as I was to talk to Lyte, later I found myself a bit disappointed while thinking of the current state of the lady MC.  It seems like every year we get a bit excited about a new lady MC that’s going to change the game.  A couple of years ago, it was Dej Loaf.  Then it was Tink. Then it was Young MA.  Recently, Cardi B has been dubbed the next sure thing.  However (as of this date) neither Dej, Tink, nor Young MA have released albums.  Now Cardi is scheduled to release her debut this week, so good luck to her on that.  And, though I’m not the biggest fan of her work, I hope the album is successful.

We need a lady MC to be successful for the good of hip-hop.  And, no, I have not forgotten about Nicki Minaj or Iggy Azalea.  Nicki is definitely the most popular lady MC of the last decade, but, in my opinion, she hasn’t served her queendom well.  She has done very little to support other lady MCs.  I grew up in the time of femcee unity. They wanted to see each other win.  They believed in gender empowerment and helping each other up.  Nicki, right or wrong, has been only concerned with being the only woman in the spot.  Not to attack her rise but she has repeatedly disregarded other female MCs and has willingly served as an appendage for her male label mates and counterparts.  As for Iggy, she just wasn’t that talented.  She was a gimmick MC at best.

Not too long ago, you could look forward to a seductive track from Kim, a gangsta track from Fox, an eclectic song from Missy, a party track from Trina, a poignant piece from Lauryn, and an introspective track from Eve in the same sitting  .  And if you were REALLY up on your game, you’d be bumping the latest Rah Digga and Bahamadia too.

Thanks to the pioneers like Lyte for paving the way, but it’s time to lay down some fresh asphalt for the latest crop of lady MCs out there.

Going to end this post with one of the most underrated posse cuts EVER, “Freedom (Rap Version)” from the Panther soundtrack.  Latifah, Yo-Yo, Left-Eye (RIP), Lyte, Nefertiti, Me’shell Ndegéocello, Salt-n-Pepa, and Patra all bring it on this track.

~W. Mack