In one of the most bizarre stories that has surfaced in recent memory a woman named Valerie Joyce Wilson is suing Sean "P. Diddy" Combs for some of the outlandish reasons known to man. Some of them include; Diddy being responsible for 9/11, lacking to pay child support worth $900 billion dollars, and my personal favorite Diddy stealing a Casino chip from her worth "well over 100 zillions of dollars." Peep the story below:
Hip Hop mogul P Diddy has been sued for a trillion USD by a New York woman who has accused him of date rape and 9/11. Valerie Joyce Wilson Turks, is seeking a restraining order against the star, real name Sean Combs, accusing him of a whole plethora of wrong doings, reported a website.
According to Turks, the 41-year-old, along with his ex-girlfriend Kim Porter and LAPD brutality victim Rodney King, is responsible for the collapse of the World Trade Center.
In the court documents, Turks claims that she dated Diddy, and that the two have a son together, Cornelius Wilson who is 23 years old. She alleges that she has been subjected to abuse from 2001, claiming, "Diddy went through Kim Porter and Rodney King and knocked down the WTC and then they all came and knocked my children down. Set me up to be on disability and disabled my baby (sic)."Valerie then goes on to say in her statement, which is riddled with spelling and punctuation errors,
"He date raped me 24 years ago and knocked me down (sic)." "Plus I won a lot of money at the casino in Mississippi and Sean P. Diddy Combs has my chip to my money. I heard he gave it to Gwen Allen to hold but she cannot cash it in. I want my chip please help me. it's well worth over 100 zillions of dollars, and my hospital keys (sic),"
Turk claimed in the court documents. Valerie is requesting USD 900 billion dollars in child support, and USD 100 billion dollars for "loss of income". The judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order, and set a date for a hearing for January 31.
This chick is clearly on her Fonzworth Bentley swag:
Unless you've been under a rock for the past 5-6 months there's no way you haven't heard of the bay area artist Lil B aka the self-proclaimed "Based God." Outside of coming up with multiple reasons for why women are on his genitalia, Lil B has taken the Internet by storm. Over 100,000 followers on Twitter, YouTube videos that average at least 1/2 a million hits, and an infamous claim that he would give Kanye West the Kobe treatment if he didn't "give him his respect"
So how has Lil B come such an overnight sensation? How did he get invited to the coveted Coachella Music Festival? And an even better question how he is the SECOND most anticipated hip-hop act behind Kanye West. (No..I didn't just make that up, take a look for yourself)
The answer is simple...The Based God is a genius, and he has fooled you all.
Around 2006, a little-known bay-area group known as The Pack rode the momentum of E-40's "Tell me When To Go" & landed a huge hit with their ode to skateboard footwear called Vans. Remember this?
If you notice Lil B spits his verse right at the beginning of the song. He's actually rapping on beat, no references to "ho** on his d***", all summing up to a relatively forgettable verse. As a fan of The Pack for years, Lil B actually never stood out as the star of the group. I always felt that if anyone from the group would ever get the chance to blow it would be Lil Uno (pictured below)
Uno had the swag, charisma, and looks that it took to be a star. He also appeared to be label boss Too $hort's favorite, allowing Lil Uno more solo songs than his group counterparts. Naturally, the bay area music wave died down and those who weren't from the "Yay" dismissed The Pack as a one-hit wonder.
So how did the least talented member of a dying group come back four years later and become one of the most talked about figures in hip-hop? He did it the American way...he captured our attention by acting as ignorant and crazy as humanly possible.
I can personally admit I was a victim. After watching the poorly shot video for "Su** My D*** Hoe" I fell off my couch in laughter. It was one of the most ridiculous things I'd ever seen. Within 30 seconds he had named off multiple reasons for why all the women wanted him including my favorite claim "Because he looks like Matlock." So then I sat in my house on a Saturday afternoon and saw that he had a new mixtape that dropped called "Evil Red Flame" The cover looked like a bootleg attempt at re-creating Juve's 400 Degreez album art (peep), so I knew I was in for a hilarious treat. I downloaded the mixtape and the first thing I heard was him spittin over John Legend's "Let Get Lifted Again"
I was shocked. I was expecting straight foolishness, and was welcomed with a smooth intro featuring one of my favorite songs off "Get Lifted." So I listened and listened some more, and the beats on the tape were actually bangin. He had captured me, I was a victim to the Based God.
Now let's be clear, Lil B doesn't offer much lyrically. Half the time he even struggles to rap on beat. But when focusing on serious topics such as the death of his close friends, being broke on the street, and feeling alone in the world, there's a pain behind his voice that can't be denied.
So to answer the question is Lil B actually good, for now the answer is No, he has a long way to go. But he is a master of branding, who has found a way to hold rap in the palm of his based hands by mastering ways to market himself on the Internet. With Lil B's ear for beats he actually has the potential to be a pretty good artist. And now that he's got our attention, let's see what he has to offer. His music makes us laugh, it makes us cry, and it has us all in each of our respective homes hittin the "Cookin dance". We love you Lil B, #thankyoubasedgod
Note: Peep "LD's Jam of the Week" to see when Lil B gets it right. Take a look below to see when Lil B gets it wrong.
"I'm the realest n**** in it, you already know, got trapper of the year 4 times in a row. (What they give ya?) A lifetime supply of baking soda clientele, a rolly watch, two pots, and three scales" In 2005 these lyrics blasted through speakers from Atlanta all the way to the suburbs of California. Jeezy was on top of the world. He had just left Diddy's Bad Boy Empire departing from rap-group Boyz N Da Hood and joined forces with hip-hop juggernaut Jay-Z over at Def Jam. Jeezy followed his "classic" debut, with two strong solo efforts including "The Inspiration" and "The Recession" which yielded the hood's Barack Obama anthem "My President"
Fast forward to 2011. It's been three years since Jeezy's last album and outside of last years follow-up to the Trap or Die series we haven't heard much from the hoarse voiced trap hero. Even to focus on Trap or Die 2 for a moment, this was actually a very good mixtape. Hard beats, Cannon screaming his witty banter over several tracks, and Jeezy spittin his tales about the "trap or die" lifestyle that helped him rise as an overnight sensation.
So there remains the question. Why is Young Jeezy no longer relevant? Why did Trap or Die 2 not create enough buzz to launch Thug Motivation 103? Why has Thug Motivation 103 been pushed back more times than Ne-Yo's hairline?
It comes down to this. The face of hip-hop is changing. The industry of hip-hop is slowly moving away from rhymes about shoot outs, drug smuggling, and cocaine battlefields and moving to a more authentic place. The power of music has always been it's ability for the listener to identify with the experiences being presented in rhyme, and/or live a fantasy through the music that blares through their headphones. So does the American listener no longer want to be a drug kingpin? Do they actually want to listen to music more closely affiliated with their ACTUAL lifestyle? No way!!!!
Here's three observations I want to point out as to why Jeezy struggles to remain relevant in today's hip-hop scene. And more importantly the direction that I feel hip-hop is going in the future.
Observation 1: That Fat Mutha****
In 2005, the only people that would have said that Rick Ross would be on top of the music game in 2011 probably resided from a city with a (305) area code. But wait how did this happen? Ross was seemingly less skilled than Jeezy, their lines were both laced with cocaine metaphors, and Ross was EXPOSED as a cop. Well here's the difference. As Jeezy continued down his path of being a cocaine cowboy, Ross completely changed his brand. Dumping his nickname as the "bawse" (remember the drug kingpin reference I made earlier in this article) and changing his nickname to "Rozay" a play on words for the wine that has the same pronunciation. When Ross released Teflon Don and affiliated himself with Diddy, he had successfully steered away from the image of being a fake Scarface, and strongly associated himself with the fun-loving Champagne lifestyle.
Observation 2: The Rise of Swag Rap
The three gentleman pictured above (Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, & Soulja Boy) encompass swag rap to it's fullest. Topics include and are limited to lighting up illegal substances, wearing the flyest gear, and sleepin with everyone's girlfriend. In my opinion this is the second coming of the party music that was rampant in the hip-hop scene in the mid 80's before N.W.A & Public Enemy angrily took over. Although these artists are stronger lyrically than most of the music that popped throughout that time period, they both accomplish the exact same goal...their music makes people feel good.
Writers Note: Wiz Khalifa & Big Sean are two of my favorite artists. In no way was this paragraph a shot at them. Truth be told "swag rap" is my favorite type of music to listen to.
Obervation 3: Autotune and "Emo Hop
Leave it to Kanye to start another trend in music. Back in 2008 after the lost of his mother, and probable fiancee 'Ye hopped on the autotune machine to croon out his pain. This gave birth to artists who may have never seen the light of day if it weren't for "808's and Heartbreaks"...Kid Cudi and Drake. Drake and especially Cudi have brought the Emo feeling to rap music. Authentic and honest hip-hop songs that expose the vulnerability of the artist, steering away from the macho bravado talk that has reigned supreme for so many years.
In conclusion, hip-hop is coming to a more authentic place than it has since it's creation, and that can be simply because the recession that spread rampant around 2009, has made us become a lot more honest with ourselves. Many people have had to come to grips with the fact that they aren't ballin, pushin a Maybach, cookin work on the stove, and in turn started steering to music that they could relate to. This is why Jeezy has struggled. He has refused to cater his rhymes to emotions and carefree swag jams. Which is fine, that's not his brand. But one day in order for TM 103 to ever be released he is going to have to come to the grips with the fact that the average listener no longer aspires to "Get their Benihana's on & work two pots"...frankly the average listener can barely even afford Benihanas.
It's 2011 and after years of people telling me I needed to do this, I finally decided to create my own blog. So I guess you're wondering...who is Larry Draper? For those of you who know me this has nothing to do with my government name or identity. In all actuality I have combined two of my most admired figures in television who I feel encompass multiple facets of my personality, Larry David and Don Draper:
The images speak for themselves. Two polar opposites, but then there is me...the middle ground. From Larry David I take a multitude of different personality traits, but I mainly connect with his inability to truly connect with and understand the "rules of society." Yes I know that certain rules in life cannot be avoided and there will always be major importance held in such things as personal etiquette, shaking hands, kissing babies, wearing hard bottom shoes to the club, etc. etc. but as I've grown up I've always found it difficult to follow them. I've always been a person who's thought outside of the box (to my benefit and sometimes to my downfall.) Larry doesn't understand the purpose of the political moves that need to be made to create...he just wants the final product to be completed and executed with the brilliance in which he imagined it.
Then there's Don Draper. Smooth, suave, the ultimate ladies man (all traits I obviously do not encompass,) but behind all his success there's a deeper story. Don is truly a product of his upbringing and continues to attempt to move forward from mistakes he's made in the past. I connect with Don, because I have spent my entire life learning from my mistakes, and using those lessons to become a better person. Don is extremely driven, and always attempts to put himself in a position where his work speaks for itself. I one day hope to achieve that.
And now to step back from a philosophical, emotional rant about my personal life. I'm like Larry David because I'm funny, and I'm like Don Draper because I work in advertising.
So without further adieu I hope ya'll enjoy. The main topics I'll be exploring will revolve around music, and sports, and I'll dabble in a little bit of philosophical stuff every now and again. I'm a pretty fun loving guy so those type of posts will be few & far between. I'm gonna try and post at least once a week so stay tuned. In the meantime check out my "LD Jam of the Week"
And don't forget this is MY blog. And as the great Sean Carter said "What you are about to witness is my thoughts. Right or wrong...this is what I was feelin at the time"
