Memphis vs. Kansas

If my boys from UNC had beat Kansas on Saturday, I would have little trouble finding a reason for them to beat Memphis. However, the Tar Heels decided to sleep-walk for 15 minutes, and instead we got the Jayhawks battling the Tigers. Here are a few thoughts I have on this game...

1) What's the big deal about Derrick Rose? Yes, he's a great player...easily one of the top freshmen in the country. But all of a sudden, ESPN is making it seem as if it's Derrick Rose vs. Kansas. All of a sudden, he is the greatest freshmen ever. All of a sudden, he is the #1 pick. All of a sudden, Mike Beasley never existed. Don't get me wrong, I think Rose is a hell of a talent. He's HUGE for a PG (even though I don't really think he's a natural PG), quick, fast, strong....just a beast athletically. This video should prove how explosive the kid is. And yes, he can score, pass, and defend. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. He's not the best player on his team - that honor goes to the VERY VERY VERY overlooked Chris-Douglas Roberts. Everyone who saw the game against UCLA knows that CDR is the main reason the Tigers won, not Rose. All I'm trying to say is that we should chill with the Rose hype - yes, he's good, but there's other players (on his own team!) that deserve equal praise. And although he's have an exceptional tourney, let's not pretend we missed Beasley's INCREDIBLE regular season...

2) Will Darrell Arthur show up? To me, he is the X-factor in this game. When he is focused, motivated, and on, he is the most unstoppable player on Kansas' roster. Yes, Rush is their go-to. However, Rush does not create the nightmares that Arthur can. If he is on, there is nobody on Memphis' roster who can stop the kid. Let's see how ready he is too play...

3) Which Joey Dorsey will show up? The beast? Or the bitch? Not much to say about this other than a focused Dorsey is the only way Memphis can stop Kansas' inside game...

Enough chop...time for my prediction. As much as I hate to say it, I see Memphis winning this game. I thought they were overrated all season, but I can't deny the run they've had this tourney (although I think Pitt could have beat them!). Kansas will put up a fight, but at the end of the day, Memphis has too much firepower and is too athletic to be stopped! Honestly, I'll be rooting for Kansas though...

Random Thoughts...

Hell of a start to the Tourney eh? Lots of upsets, solid amount of buzzer-beaters...and, of course, plenty of bracket busting! I dunno about ya'll, but my bracket is lookin pretty bad right now. I'ma need Louisville to beat Tennessee and Texas to beat Memphis to have any shot at winning my pool! Regardless of what happens, as long as UNC stays winnin I don't give a shit about my bracket...

On another note - music! I haven't really peeped anything new...anybody got any ideas? I been wanting to peep the new Erykah Badu and Pete Rock, but haven't gotten around to either yet...ya'll got any other shit to peep out when I hit up Amoeba this week?

Anyways, I also wanted to share some terrible news...I missed a Blu and Elzhi concert at my school. A free one. Apparently nobody really heard about it, and there was only a tiny lil ad in the back of the school newspaper that nobody reads. When I found out I missed Blu, I was SOOOOOOOOOO mad!

But, like they say, there's always a silver lining in the clouds. In this case, it was the introduction to Elzhi. Before the concert, I had heard A LOT about dude, especially on those OKayPlayer forums. I had also heard a few verses from feature, but to be honest, I knew nothing about him. After missing the concert, my boy was telling me how pissed he was cuz he missed Elzhi more than Blu, so that made me HAVE to peep the dude. Boy am I happy I did. Elzhi is a fuckin beast. If ya'll dunno about him, google him or something. He's a monster. One of the purchases I AM making at Amoeba is some Slum Village joints that I don't got. For ya'll who ain't down w/ Blu and Elzhi, two of the nicest MC's in the game right now, all I could say is stop sleeping....and to the one's who are familiar, lets hope they come out with more material to feed us some of that real raw hip hop!

Enjoy your Easter ya'll!

Peace!

The Tourney vs. the Playoffs

On my ride back home from school for spring break today, a few of my buddies and I had an interesting conversation...that coincidentally was the same topic of the Scoop Jackson article I opened on ESPN.com about an hour later. Scoop argues that, because of the competitiveness of the West, the NBA Playoffs will be much, much better this year than the NCAA Tournament. Although I agree that the West will be fun to watch, there are a number of reasons why the Playoffs can NEVER match the drama and excitement of the Big Dance!

1) Time:
Scoop claims the Playoffs will be great because they last 2 months. Being forced to watch Pacers-Celtics games every other day for 2 weeks is not a good thing. Two months of bad matchups is not my cup of tea (btw, Scoop didn't even bother to mention that he completely ignores HALF the Playoffs...something you can't do with the Tourney b/c the first weekend is just as entertaining as the Final Four). On the ohter hand, the one-and-done reality in the college game creates a much more intense game. Although the Tourney does not last half the year, the unparalleled intensity of each game due to the time-constraints (no series) makes it much better than the monotony of countless 7 game series' that the NBA offers.

2) Legacy:
Like Scoop said, there is nothing like Duke-UNC. Ya, there used to be Boston-LA, but that rivalry has been dormant for 20 years. It MAY return, but don't expect it to last. Because of this lack of legacy, the NBA lacks CONSISTENT match-ups that viewers want to look out for. Nobody wants to check out the Pistons-Spurs...it's boring and there is no bad blood. Everybody wants to watch UNC-Duke, Kansas-Kentucky, USC-UCLA...etc etc etc. The hatred between the schools in the tournament makes it that much better than the indifferent matchups we see every day in the League.

3) Atmosphere:
As a result of the one-and-done format and rivalries, the atmosphere in college is much more intense. Fans hate each other, creating a frantic arena setting. For the most part, other than in Golden State, NBA fans are apathetic and create a boring atmosphere.

4) Integrity:
This, to me, is the most significant difference between the NBA and college. The NBA is, from the top down, a business. Stern looks for ways to expand his markets, TNT finds ways to take $$ from him, GM's try to create revenue in their city, players try to get the highest possible contract. The focal point of the NBA is not basketball - it is money. And it shows. The game has been diluted. Stern ruined it with his countless rules and shit. The players don't play hard - in fact, its not even worth bringing effort up when talking about the League. The only time they show much of an effort is to boost their stats. Thus, we see a coaching style that relies on iso's (and no defense!). The game is no longer team-oriented, intense, or interesting.
On the other hand, the college game continues to thrive, despite the threat of 1-and-gone players. Because of the atmosphere, because of the rivalries, and because college players simply have a love for the game - the game is better. Players NEVER take a play off, on either side of the court. They play not for the name on the back of the jersey, but for the institution on the front. They play for the die-hard fans, the hate of their opponents, the glory of victory. I dunno about you, but I'd rather watch decent players play their hearts out and play selflessly than watch superstars take plays off and then decide to turn it up just to carve out a heftier contract for next season.

At the end of the day, it's clear that the NBA game cannot compare to college. The Tournament puts all the factors above into an even higher, more ultra competitive level.
The intense rivalries, the win-or-go-home mentality, the atmosphere both in the stands and on the floor, creates a tourney that delivers (every year!) at a level the Playoffs could only dream of. To another epic tournament.....

Peace!

Lowkey back...

Aight...so I haven't been around for a really really long time. I had a tough quarter at school that has been beating my ass, so to be honest I haven't even thought about this blog. As I was reading a Scoop Jackson article on ESPN.com today, however, it occurred to me that I should find a way to get my thoughts out about basketball. I've always lowkey wanted to be a journalist, but to keep to 100, I never had the balls to write for a school newspaper. Then the lightbulb popped up - why not continue my blog!?
So...simple as that...I'm back! Just so ya'll know...and I'm sure that as of now "ya'll" is nobody but w/e hopefully SOMEBODY is watching...I've decided to switch up my flow a lil bit and not write strictly about hip-hop. I think that's one of the reasons I stopped writing...I felt as if everything I had to say has been said a lot. So from now on, this blog is just a blog about my thoughts on a lot of things...mostly sports and music though. I'll prolly never really stray away from that, actually...but as of now, this will just be my lil hip-hop/b-ball blog! I'll be writing much more the next few weeks and hopefully ya'll will stoppin by more frequently!

Peace!

More Blu....

For those very very few of you who have kept up with this blog (sorry I don't write that much, school is killing me lately), you know my appreciation for Blu & Exile's incredible album "Below The Heavens." One of the main reasons I loved this CD was b/c of the emergence of a nobody, a rapper who was on Dilla's "Jay Love Japan" but nobody knew who he was....suddenly one of the freshest young rappers - BLU. Well guess what kids, Blu is back, with the leak of the album "Powders & Oils," a collabo between Blu and producer Mainframe. The duo go by the name "Johnson & Jonson." After first listen, this is not the same Blu we grew to love on his collabo with Exile. This album provides a much different listen. It is more under the vein of alternative rap, with wierd beats that Blu experiments with a lot. Although this is not really my type of thing, Blu is good enough to captivate the listener regardless, and there are a few tracks where Blu goes back to the usual and just rips it. He is truly an incredible rapper, and this album is worth the listen just based on his abilities. Check it out....despite it sounding kinda wierd at first, its actually a good album that may grow on you....

West Coast Underground

Nowadays, it seems like the West is dead. Mainstream hip-hop is dominated by the South, Kanye, and 50 Cent. The only bit of Leftern influence comes occasionally from The Game...so it feels as if the last time anybody has heard some Cali shit was when Pac was riding with Death Row. Because of this saddening absence of West Coast music on the airwaves, I decided to shout the incredible underground scene that is blossoming out here. Ever since way way back, Cali has been the home to many incredible underground rappers...King Tee, The Liks, E-40, Mac Dre, Spice 1, Too $hort, Hieroglyphics...the list goes on. Nowadays, nothing has changed. Los Angeles is pumpin out great MC's and groups left and right...Blu & Exile, People Under The Stairs, Murs, Ras Kass (yes he's old, but hes still out there making music for us). It's time people awaken to the fact that, although it has been dormant, the West Coast is still the home to some GREAT, GREAT music.....so here's a short list of albums that I been bumpin lately that I think some of ya'll should check out (sorry, no links, but you can find most of these pretty easily out there if you tried) ---

Blu & Exile - Below The Heaves (please cop this ASAP, album of the year STILL!!)
King Tee - The Triflin Album
Defari - Focused Daily
People Under The Stairs - Stepfather
DJ Muggs - Presents the Soul Assassins
Crooked I - Hip Hop Weekly Mixtape (more commercial, but the man is a MONSTER)
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Future Development
Ras Kass - Soul on Ice (West Coast Illmatic, give it a listen!)
WC - Curb Servin
Murs - Murray's Revenge

These are all great albums that show the incredible versatility and talent coming out of the west....you just gotta make a bit of an effort!

Chamillionaire - Ultimate Victory

Wow. I definitely did not expect this from Chamillionaire. I never checked out Sound of Revenge (maybe I should), and I had only heard Cham on a few random tracks. Based on those tracks however, especially the ILL chorus he delivers on Ras Kass' "U Ain't Me," I decided to check out his just-leaked LP, Ultimate Victory. After bumping it all of the last two days, I have to say this is easily one of the top releases of the year so far. Although I wouldn't put in up there with Below the Heavens of EarDrum, it's still a solid album that I would definitely choose over the likes of Graduation and Curtis (although that's not saying much).

So what's so good about the album? A lot, actually. First of all, Chamillionaire is a very focused MC. He doesn't just spit to spit, he doesn't throwaway too many tracks. He raps with a purpose, with hunger, with passion. And that makes a huge difference. Compare 50 from Curtis and Get Rich or Die Tryin, for example. The lyrics on GRODT are not classic lyrics, but you can hear the hunger, anger, & passion in his voice and delivery. Now, although the lyrics are not THAT much worse, his material suffers because he now lacks those key ingredients that made him listenable in the first place. Chamillionaire is never lacking in that department.

Along with his evident focus and emotion, Cham is a very diverse talent. He has excellent singing abilities that lead to great chorus' (like the Ras Kass one that made me fall in love with his voice). His diversity makes him a very unique MC, especially nowadays when everybody sounds so similar.
However, the most important thing that Chamillionaire exhibits on this album is lyricism. He can spit, and not just for a dude from the South. The man can rap, plain and simple. He is no Kool G Rap or NaS, or even Blu for that matter as of now, but compared to 99% of the rappers out there, he is a monster on the mic. He spits about all sorts of subjects, from politics ("Morning News," "Evening News") to street shit ("Come Back to the Streets") to laid-back shit ("Ultimate Vacation") to just spittin...he can do it all, and pretty well.
I'm not a Chamillionaire groupie or part of his street team. There are weak points to the album. The production, at times, is disappointing, and even ridiculous at a point ("Industry Groupie"). However, I think the casual listener will like the beats a lot, since they are crisp and definitely bang in the whip. Cham often integrates many pop references in his lyrics, which I prefer to be limited to mixtapes since you would like an album to be as timeless as possible, and referencing Britney Spears and T-Pain and DJ Unk probably won't mean much to somebody 10 years from now. Despite some pitfalls, this album is full of bangers....as well as, suprisingly for a modern-day Southern artist, full of meaning. Chamillionaire put forth a great effort, one that you should at least check out. Save your money the 11th and wait till the 18th...