Once upon a time in a universe far, far away, HipHopDX used to host blogs. Through Meka, Brillyance, Aliya Ewing and others, readers got unfiltered opinions on the most current topics in and beyond Hip Hop. After a few years, a couple redesigns and the collective vision of three different Editors-In-Chief, blogs are back. Sort of. Since our blog section went the way of two-way pagers and physical mixtapes, Twitter, Instagram and Ustream have further accelerated the pace of current events in Hip Hop. Rappers beef with each other 140 characters at a time, entire mixtapes (and their associated artwork) can be released via Instagram, and sometimes these events require a rapid reaction.
As such, we’re reserving this space for a weekly reaction to Hip Hop’s current events. Or whatever else we deem worthy. And the “we” in question is myself, Andre Grant and Ural Garrett. Collectively we serve as HipHopDX’s Features Staff. Aside from tackling stray topics, we may invite artists and other personalities in Hip Hop to join the conversation. Without further delay, here’s this week’s “Stray Shots.”
Will DMX’s Quasi-Authentic Album Tarnish His Legacy?
Andre: No this we-were-okay-with-it-at-some-point album doesn’t do anything to tarnish X’s legacy. I mean, look, both sides are looking at this from the correct angle. On the label side, if the man signed a contract then he’s legally bound to honor that contract. As much as I love DMX, if he signed on to do two albums with my company then he’s doing two albums. And although this feels terribly forced and unforgiving and not X like, we live in a world and in an industry where worse has happened to people and continues to happen despite karma’s revolving door. From the Dark Man X side, if it feels like the music is stolen then it is. Remember when Ye´said feelings were the only facts? This feels like the inevitable result of that line of feeling. If I’m DMX, there’s no way I’m letting an album through the door that I’m not ecstatic with. Not when I’ve lived an entire 12 months without getting caught up in the kind of drama that hamstrung the last decade or so of my life. Nope.
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Some of his Ruff Ryders compatriots have gone on to lead down-right privileged lives. Swizz Beatz taught at NYU and was at Harvard Business school last year after marrying his sweetheart Alicia Keys and now dabbles in high end art. Eve married a man by the name of Maximillion Cooper, which is a name so bourgeois it sounds like it belongs in the Great Gatsby, and now spends her time going to fashion weeks in Paris, Milan and New York and hunts in the countryside in real English riding boots (no Polo). DMX’s trajectory has been far more histrionic, rising rapidly and descending in almost dystopian, conspiratorial lows. Just do a cursory search on DMX and any kind of illumi situation and wait for your life to populate with wild theories and such and such. So while I’m curious as to what this album will sound like, I’m not at all worried as to what the thing will sound like. Just stay with us long enough to make the comeback classic we all know you’re capable of, X.
Ural: Lets be completely honest here. If impersonating FBI officials, multiple jail sentences, unpaid child support, various addictions and a slew of underwhelming releases haven’t tarnished Earl Simmons’ legacy, nothing will at this point. Then there’s X delivering the quintessential episode of Iyanla: Fix My Life as the icing on the cake a few years back.
Time and time again, DMX finds new ways to display life at rock bottom despite his fighting spirit. The first sure sign of X’s resurgence may have surprisingly came from his relatively silent 2014 outside of threatening to urinate on George Zimmerman. That was until Chris Rock gave him one of 2014’s best cinematic cameos around the year’s end. Considering the probability that DMX has been locked down in the studio with Swizz Beatz for majority of the year, there may be a suitable roll-out for his resurgence.
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Like anyone desperately moving closer out of darkness, pitfalls from the past may be coming back to haunt someone who serves as one of few rappers to deliver incredible albums like It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood within a one years span. And we’re not talking about ex-wives turned d-list reality show personalities either. In X’s case, this comes in the form of Seven Arts Entertainment. The company has had some issues in regards to X’s catalogue for some years now outside of a film arm battling tax fraud issues in Louisiana. As mentioned in yesterday’s DX Daily, Seven Arts Entertainment acquired 52 master recordings from X and various producers. Gaining access to those undoubtedly cost some serious dough. With that in mind, someone wants to recoup their investment and wants to capitalize wherever possible; thus the post-haste release of Redemption of The Beast. Clearly, this doesn’t fit well with anything DMX nor his team have planned for the future. The last thing this former Ruff Ryder wants is any disruption of what could potentially turn things around. However, there is a chance Redemption of The Beast becomes a quality product. Expect all to be revealed next week.
Does Game’s “Sworn Enemy” Comment Even Matter To Fifty?
Ural: Though King Leonidas fell during the mighty battle of 300 Spartans, clipping the edge of Xerxes’ mouth with his spear symbolically disproved any godlike musings Persia’s leader had. Historical accuracy aside, the similarities in the nearly ten year old feud between The Game and 50 Cent has been Hip Hop’s longest running spectacles couldn’t be more evident. Conversations regarding who won earlier battles between the two will outlive humans. Regardless, the mere fact that Jayceon Taylor survived a battle with someone considered an impenetrable force in Curtis Jackson enough to release five major label albums of reasonablereception and land a then successful VH1 reality show is telling.
Meanwhile, G-Unit’s captain has found new ways to make enormous amounts of money from headphones to men’s underwear despite a fledgling career in music. This is the reason why the reunion of Yayo, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck are important, it keeps him musically relevant. Then the question of relevance becomes: relative to who? Those wanting to see the full line-up or those content with members who never took off sans Fiddy’s assistance. As of now, the ball is in Game’s court and he knows it. Vitamin 50 however, is totally fine having Kidd Kidd serve as a suitable replacement.
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Maybe this is where the “Sworn Enemy” phrase comes into play. From the looks of things, both are totally fine ignoring each other’s creative existence outside of occasional jabs. The biggest desire for many G-Unit fans is seeing Game and 50 on stage performing “Hate It or Love It,” especially considering the hoopla over an upcoming 10th anniversary concert celebrating The Documentary. Until then, Hip Hop may have to reconcile with the two staying mature and civil.
Andre: Having a proper enemy is a gift-from-God. They are so hard to find. The world is, instead, populated with cursory “haters” and fuccboi’s flitting here and there on social media trolling or just generally making comment to things they have no idea about. And while Game and 50 Cent are certainly not Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty, it’s the closest non-violent Rap equivalent of true comic book proportion. I’m not sure why Game feels the way he does. But “sworn enemy” is a moniker that I’d like from a worthy opponent at some point before I shuffle off this mortal coil. And Fif’ has inspired so many! If Rap is a bloodsport then 50 is Bolo Yeung out here roughing up his competition.
And, really, a G-Unit reunion isn’t quite complete without Game in my mind. So this whole “sworn enemy” thing feels very much like the beginning of a windfall for both camps as they slowly end their grievances over the course of this year. With the 10th anniversary of The Documentary approaching, the time is ripe for reconciliation. Plus, after the haphazard Blood Moon: Year Of The Wolf, maybe this is the kickstart Game needs to make the kind of music we expect from the very talented emcee.
Andre Grant is an NYC native turned L.A. transplant that has contributed to a few different properties on the web and is now the Features Editor for HipHopDX. He’s also trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot. Follow him on Twitter @drejones.
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Ural Garrett is an Los Angeles-based journalist and HipHopDX’s Senior Features Writer. When not covering music, video games, films and the community at large, he’s in the kitchen baking like Anita. Follow him on Twitter @Uralg.
