has the blog been shut down or something?

But that's not the case. Although I have used sites like Megaupload, Rapidshare, Zshare, and Mediafire to download over 100 gigs of music for free, I still long for a way to legally purchase my music. Even though I've acquired thousands of dollars worth of music for less than a penny, I would much rather pay a reasonable (and stable) amount for the music. But therein lies the problem.


This is where the music industry is to be blamed 110%. Say they had predicted the Internet might become a cornerstone for musical commerce, they could have created a giant unified database. Undoubtedly, they probably would have sold CD's for retail prices, but still it seems a little more logical to buy music from a record label, (where the music is crafted, packaged, marketed, and distributed) then from a manufacturer of MP3 players.
If they had created such a database, an annoying piece of technology called DRM could have been completely bypassed. Music you bought from the database would be compatible to the interface of Zune or IPod or Creative... or what have you. What's the point of having mp3, mp4, wma and all sorts of other file types, when you can have a single universal one?

Would this cut down on bootlegged music? Probably not. If music had not expanded to the internet, record labels could have created a technology eliminating the ripping of CD's onto a computer.
But if you get your music straight from the internet there would be no CD ripping involved anyway.


A counter-argument to a "database" is "What's wrong with getting music from Itunes, Zune Marketplace, eMusic or Rhapsody?


Me personally, I hate all these stipulations involved once you do pay for the music you download. I have a Zune, yet I would never use Zune Marketplace.
Why not? First, I would not download individual albums off Zune Marketplace because I can find them cheaper somewhere else.
Second, if you buy a monthly subscription to Zune Marketplace you can download as much as you want... for about 10 dollars or so. Sounds good right? You can take the music you downloaded and put it on your Zune, and listen to it away from your computer. Sounds really good right?
Only one problem. Say your like me and you want to download as much as you can in one months span, and then cancel your subscription.
After you cancel your subscription all the music you downloaded is "locked" until you renew your subscription. Locked meaning you can't listen to it from your computer or your Zune even though you paid for it.
So, it sounds like a good deal, but after a few years, it costs over 500 dollars, which would be an exorbitant amount to pay for music, especially with the ability to download it for free.
Rhapsody is similar to Zune, but has even better advertising. Rhapsody is advertised as the ideal download service. Cheap prices, easy downloads... but if you do download music from Rhapsody you can't transfer it onto your MP3 player unless you own a Rhapsody MP3 player. Once again, tricky advertising.
I'm not a user of ITunes or eMusic, so I can't say anything there. I would never buy an IPod strictly because I would have to use ITunes, and I have better things to do than become a pawn in Steve Jobs' quest for total world domination.
eMusic is probably the best alternative, but I don't use it, and thus can't say anything about it.


Lastly, "Whatever happened to those lawsuits against bootlegged music uploaders"?


If you remember a few years ago, there were quite a few lawsuits conducted by the RIAA against people who uploaded music on Limewire, Bearshare, Kazaa and so on. These lawsuits were also cleverly planned. If I remember correctly, the DMCA would contact the criminals who uploaded the music, and would set a fee of $3,000 or so. And about 95% of the time, these cases were cleared up outside of court.

Just as they began to scare the pirating community, they stopped the lawsuits. My guess is they see bootlegged music as a bigger problem than shared music and that's why they are targeting blogs now. It's obviously a little harder to track down the culprits, because not everyone uploads the links on their page. Numerous bloggers simply index working links from other blogs.
And it also seems as though the clear-cut strategy is to take down links of new albums, and best sellers. It is fairly difficult to find a link to the new Q-Tip album, as most of the links have been taken down already. But it's also hard to find links to Tha Carter III, Paper Trail, The Recession, and L.A.X.

Overall I think the DMCA is a bullshit organization, but there might be a little bit of good to what they're doing. Maybe.

(via)
So many questions:


1) "Thr33 Ringz"? Is that like three ringtones?

2) T-Pain: comedic genius? Or does he really think he's above the competition? Both?

3) Is the old Asian guy supposed to be Kanye?

4) Why do all the extras look like they showed up from the casting call for a David Lynch film?

5) Is DJ Khaled consciously doing a parody of himself, or is he really just that demented? I cannot tell.

6) Funnier than T-Pain vs his Vocoder?

(I know this is my first post here and everything, so before you chase me off with pitchforks and spears, just know that normally I stay away from all things T-Pain. I promise I wont make it a regular thing. Unless you want it to be. . .)

Not enough blogs show love to Southern MC's, myself included. Many people write off Southern rap as gimmicky and not authentic. This can't be more untrue.

Southern MC's have done a lot for the game and brought a whole new twist to this thing we call Hip Hop. So who is the best MC in the south?

First people that come to mind are Outkast. Both Andre and Big Boi can pretty much step up to any MC from any coast and hold their own. What about Scarface? If you're not familiar with the Geto Boys and what they did for the game you better ask somebody. How 8 Ball and MJG? Living legends in my book. And last but not least UGK. RIP to Pimp C. Bun B been holding it down.

I almost forgot Cee-Lo from Goodie Mob. He sings too! Gnarls Barkley is revolutionary music. Matter of fact my vote goes to the whole Dungeon family. They're like the Wu-Tang of the south.

I must give honarable mention to the new school. Cats like T.I. and Ludacris can really hold it down on the mic.

So what you think? Who's the bezt MC in the south? Drop some comments. And oh yeah, dont forget to check me out at 95Flavas.com. Peace

What up world? This is Lazy Pen of I left My Ipod in El Segundo, finally dropping a post on here. I figured what better way to introduce my self, than give a musical biography of sorts.

Growin up in the 90s I didnt pay particular attention to music, I was more concerned with video games and tv. I didnt have any older siblings or relatives schooling me like it seems everyone else did so I never took a particular interest in music. I heard popular songs on the radio and while some of them sounded nice my main focus at the time was my Nintendo( and SNES/Genesis later on).

1996 might have been the year when i started paying closer attention although still not getting into anything really. When the Fugees dropped the Score, I had no clue who they were but their songs were being played nonstop. I liked the vibes and lyrics of Fugee-La and Ready or Not like most of America.

Later on that year, Nas teamed up with L-Boogie for "If I Ruled the World", a song I would grow to hate(at the time) because it was played so damn much.

I was pretty so to get into hip hop and music an general because I could never stand the practice of repeated the same songs day after day on the radio and music video channels. Which made me pretty anti mainstream, in addition to all the clichéd raps beginning to dominate the airwaves around the late 90s. Despite my stance on mainstream music, I copped Jay-Z's In My Life Vol.2 around the time of my 12th birthday I think. This was the first album I had ever bought, I think I wanted to impress people at my party or something. When I played it in the loud speakers, after 2 or 3 profanity laced tracks my dad broke the cd and I didnt listen to Jay for a while after that incident. I pretty much ignored mainstream hip hop and turned to mainstream/shitty rock instead (brilliant, right?).

Then late sophomore year an album changed everything for me. A friend sold me Clipse's Lord Willin album.



This album really opened me up to how complex the wordplay and imagery of hip hop could be. The dark nihilistic laced raps really spoke to me more than the materialistic themes they also touched on. Everyone also touts Pusha T as the better Thorton but early on Malice was definitely my favorite of the pair.

These 6 bars toward the end of Virginia are something I had to rewind constantly:

I reside in VA, ride in VA
Most likely when I die, I'm gon' die in VA
Virginia's for lovers, but trust there's hate here
For out-of-towners, who think that they gon' move weight here
Ironic, the same same place I'm makin' figures at
That there's the same land they used to hang niggas at, in Virginia...

On the surface Clipse would've seemed like any mainstream act I typically avoided, but their lyrics definitely distinguished them as something "different".

Again Malice, this time I'm Not You(one of my favorite verses ever)

Rappers is talking to me as if (come on)
We in the same boat I tell them quick no I move Coke! (uh uhh)
And you and I don't share no common bond,
So forgive me if I don't recieve you with open arms (No)
It shames me to no end,
To feed poison to those who could very well be my kin (uh huh)
But where there's demand, someone will supply
So I feed them their needs at the same time cry
Yes it pains me to see them need this
All of them lost souls and I'm their Jesus
Deepest regret and sympathy to the street
I see no pity for they fix when they kids couldn't eat (so sorry)
And with this in mind, I still didn't quit
And that's how I know, that I aint shit (I aint shit)
My heart bleed but that's aside from the fact,
I live for my kids and theirs and them youngins after that

Hearing this track was probably one of my first exposures at rap being introspective, to hear Malice express some remorse, however fleeting, to his "coke dealing" felt raw and it put another perspective on things.



So the dust had settled after Nas vs Jay battle, and in my eyes Nas had won. Before Stillmatic, Nas was pretty much the dude who made "If I Ruled the World", "Nastradamus", "Oochie Wally" and "Hate Me Now" to me due to what the radio played. But when the beef with Jay started saw a whole different Nas, more passionate and definitely more lyrical. And even though I loved "Ether" and "Got Ur Self A...", I didnt bother to check out Stillmatic(not then anyway). But around the same time I copped Lord Willin, I decided to take a chance on the new LP he dropped.

God's Son. My path into his music was definitely a weird one; he went from an artist I couln't stand to my most favorite and I got introduced to him on his 5th studio album. God's Son was recorded when Nas was dealing with the death of his mother, causing the album to have a pretty somber theme. I finally heard what I was missing and it struck a chord. I think "Get Down" was my introduction to a story rap(not counting Children's Story), Nas' cautionary verses combined with one of Salaam Remi's best beats had me hooked. "Last Real Nigga Alive" was the perfect track for me to get acquainted with Nas' history and progression. I always loved the concept of "Book of Rhymes" and wished he completed tho, only Nas could have throwaway rhymes so memorable. I still have a sentimental attachment to this album even though its not that old, because it put me on the path to the rest of Nas' library.




Jurassic 5's Power in Numbers also played a part although not as instrumental as Lord Willin or God's Son. Golden put me on to the old school aesthetic and did get me curious about checking out the old school and underground hip hop I wasnt aware of before. J5 was different than anything else I was aware of at the time, with their focus on group dynamics, the heavy old school influences, and overwhelming positivity.

After listening to these albums I slowly became more aware of music outside of radio and tv. I finally turned to the internet to seek music and to learn about the music I was missing out on. My taste has definitely evolved from those days and I think I caught up with the general populace a few years back keeping my ears open to mainstream and indie influences. And thats basically the abridged version of how my hip hop knowledge and taste has grown.

60. Tha Mobb- Lil Wayne



59. Glamour Life- Big Pun



58. MVP- Big L



57. Coolie High- Camp Lo



56. 1-800-Suicide- Gravediggaz



55. Check Yo Self (Remix)- Ice Cube



54. Phone Tap- The Firm



53. Put You On The Game- Lupe Fiasco



52. Glory Days- Cormega



51. Mathematics- Mos Def

If you don't know this is Maddox from The Best Page In The Universe. This internet supergod took some time out of his busy schedule for a talk with one of the little people of the internet. Read Up:


1. When will we finally see your name on an election ballot?

"Probably 2016, when it'll be legal for me to run. Though that hasn't stopped people from writing me in as a write-in candidate in the past, bless their misanthropic hearts".


2. Has anyone ever confronted you in person over something on the site?

"Yes, on my book tour. Generally people are very positive because most people who read my site aren't dipshits (in spite of the impression I give people based on my hatemail section). There was a chick who waited in line for about an hour in Oregon during my book signing to tell me she hated me and my website. I acknowledged her criticism, and asked her if she had anything for me to sign. She didn't, so I moved on to
the next person and that was that. I don't know what she was expecting, but she came away from the encounter with both ovaries intact, and that's the most anyone who doesn't have a penis can hope for".


3. Do you ever regret creating your site?

"Regret is a longing to have done something differently. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of in my life. So, no".


4. Who influenced your writing and satire?

"Talk radio primarily. The Don & Mike radio show (now the Mike O'Meara show out of WJFK in DC), Tom Leykis, Phil Hendrie, Howard Stern (but to a lesser extent because he was never syndicated in Utah), and a few others".


5. What's in store for Maddox the author?

"I'm working on a manliness themed calendar, and possibly another book. I want to write for film and television, and have done some of the latter, but my forays into TV have thus far been disappointing. There's way too much censorship on television, and way too many hands in the cookie jar. Everyone has an opinion about how a piece should go, and by the time it makes it to the air, every semblance of anything edgy or humorous is usually stripped from the script, so what you get is more bullshit. I'm trying to find a way to circumvent the bullshit in my career".


6. Did you ever think your site would blow up like it did?

"Yes".


7. What are people missing if they haven't yet read "The Alphabet Of Manliness"?

"They're missing out on a milestone in literature. Also, hairy knuckles, an increased frequency of intercourse, and a marked improvement to their charisma (as well as a marked decline in hygene). That's what my book does to people. Believe it. Also, it has drawings of boobs".

You can find the book here.
And the site again is The Best Page In The Universe. This is easily the best form of free literature available on the internet.

And a big thanks to Maddox again, this isn't an everyday thing.

I have a quick bone to pick with the selections for the producers' Hall of Fame. It seems we forgot some of the best, not to mention most important, beat makers in the history of rap. Why is that? Probably because many rap fans have a poor sense of history, so great music gets forgotten in favor of what's in our decks at the moment. (I'm writing this mostly in regards to 9th Wonder's pick, by the way) That's not to say some of these guys haven't made some of the dopest music in rap's history, but we need to be a bit more inclusive in our selection of candidates. I'll try and start us off real quickly:

Organized Noize

Timbaland

Havoc

Prince Paul

Bomb Squad

Pete Rock

Rick Rubin

Dilla

Pimp C

Tribe/Q-Tip

Neptunes

Lord Finesse

Mr. DJ

Easy Mo Bee

This is just a quick list scanning through my computer, for the record. I thought about writing little blurbs about each producer/production team, but these guys all have track records that speak for themselves. I know I forgot somebody really important, but that is why the comments section exists. So what do you say? Let's rectify our oversights.

You already know.

Another Tuesday, another On the Record from the kid Wally $ean. I've been waiting for today for a long time now because of Jump-Off Joe and Black Milk's new joints, but that's just me. The DJ Babu and Ruste Juxx albums look pretty dope, too.

Joe Budden - Halfway House
Joe Budden - "Touch and Go"


Black Milk - Tronic
Black Milk - "Give the Drummer Sum"


DJ Babu - Duck Season Vol. 3
DJ Babu feat. M.E.D. aka Medaphoar - "It's a New Day"


Ruste Juxx - Indestructible
Ruste Juxx - "Vic Flair"


Edgar Allen Floe - The Streetwise LP
Edgar Allen Floe - "Shine"


The Knux - Remind Me in 3 Days
The Knux - "Cappuccino"

Are you a good rapper but don't know what to name yourself? Do you want your name to sound violent and generic at the same time? If so, we here at FunCrusher can help you out with our 16 Tips To Make An Unoriginal Rap Name!!



Proclaim your youth! No one want to listen to an old man flow, you have to be young and exude that "I don't give a fuck" mentality. The easiest way to master this name trait is to make your first name Young and the second part of your name can be anything. Just write down the first thing you come up with, Young ________. Remember, this still works even if your old. No one will listen to Middle-Aged Jeezy, but Young Jeezy is another story.
Young examples: Young Hot Rod, Young Black Teenagers, Young MC, Young Soldiers, Young Noble, Young Buck, Young Jeezy, Young Dro, Young Justice, Young B, Young Gunz,Yungstar and the list goes on.



Say that you want to prove that your young, but your also short and small. Use the first name Lil', it's much easier to say than Young Short Small _______. And plus the Lil' name has a great lineage:
Lil examples: Lil' Scrappy, Lil' 1/2 Dead, Lil' Bastard, Lil' Boosie, Lil' Bow Wow, Lil' Brotha, Lil' Cease, Lil' Flip, Lil Fizz, Lil' Jon, Lil'Keke, Lil' Kim, Lil' Malik, Lil' Mama, Lil Rob, Lil' Romeo, Lil' O, Lil Wayne, Lil' Troy, Lil' Wyte, and the list goes on.


If your a plus sized individual, those two suggestions didn't do much. You don't want to be a faker right? So if your a little bit larger, you want to be Big______. Don't worry about beefs with this name, it's as intimidating as simplistic names come.
Big examples: Big Pun, Big L, Big Pooh, Biggie Smalls, Big B, Big Tuck, Big Syke, Big Pokey, Big Hawk, Big Moe, Big Gemini, Big Jess, Big Reese, Big Daddy Kane, Big Mike, Big Tymers, Big Lo, Big Noyd, Big Quarters, Big Shug, Big Stackssss, Big Stress, Big Kuntry King, Big Herk, Big Gipp, Big Mello, Big Lurch (check out this crazy motherucker), Big Rube, Big Pimpin' Delemond, Big Boi, and the list goes on.
If your pretty secure with your body type, why not apply an easy label? It's much less time-consuming than Big _____, just call yourself Fat __insert your name here__. This works best if your Italian or if you used to be in the mob, because insiders know that the fat ones are the dangerous ones. You could also go the other way though, and call yourself Skinny ______. Skinny rappers are usually pimps, so it's at your discretion if you want to insert that into your name (it never hurts).
Fat examples: Fat Joe, Fat Pat, The Fat Boys, Fat Tony The Ill Sicilian, Too Fat(Phat), and the list... kind of stops here.
Skinny examples: The Skinny Boys, Skinny DeVille, Kingpin Skinny Pimp, Skinny Black, and once again the list abruptly stops.




What's more important than the money? You have to reference money somehow in your name, or else people won't see you as a ravenous, money hungry vulture who could care less about the culture. Like I said it's a necessity. Paper, Cash, and Money are the typically used ones here, no real need to be creative,
Money Examples:
Rappin 4-Tay, Paperboy, Curren$y, Fidel Cashflow, Young Money, Dead Presidents, Cash Money, Young Moula, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Ray Cash and the list goes on.



Why make up a name of your own when you can use somebody else's? That should be common logic. But, this one is kind of tricky. You don't want to just use anyone's name. Say you decided to use the name Big Bird, you might get some looks. So, in order to create or "borrow" a GOOD name, choose someone whose had an overglorified movie or two made after them. John Gotti seems to be pretty popular here (hint, hint).
Gangsta Examples: Rick Ross, Freeway, Nas Escobar, Scarface, Dreddy Kruger, Noreaga,Capone,Irv Gotti, Yo Gotti, Big Gotti, Don Goitti, Juan Gotti, Bazooka Joe Gotti


Honorable Mention:
1. Name yourself after a sex(ual) act: 69 Boyz, Cunninlynguists, Silk the Shokker, Swollen Members, Shorty Shitstain, Da Bush Babees, Yak Ballz,
2. Name yourself after something illegal, dangerous or violent: Tony Yayo, Peedi Crack, Anonymous Roundz, Kon Artist, Bone Crusher, Uncle Murda, Brotha Lynch Hung, 2 Pistols, 40 Cal, 8 Ball, C-Murder, Kokane,
3. Make your name sound like an animal: Chamillionaire, Birdman, Chali 2na, Spider Loc, Peanut Butter Wolf, Snoop Dogg,
4. Sound grown yet violent: Puff Daddy,Trick Daddy, Daddy Yankee, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Mr. 3-2, Mr. Criminal, Mr. Knightowl, Mr. Lil One, Mr. Shadow, Mr. Silent
5. Just think of something really goofy: Devin the Dude, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, CC Lemonhead, Busdriver, Papoose, Insane Clown Posse, Limp Bizkit, Crunchy Black, Flo-Rida, Funky Aztecs.
6. Use your real name (Boo): Mike Jones, Kanye West, Sage Francis, Andre Nickatina, Talib Kweli, Saul Williams, MC Paul Barman, Asher Roth
7. Describe yourself with avid adjectives- Messy Marv, Bubba Sparxxx (get it like Bubba smokes, very clever), Master P, Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch, SkateBoard P, Rappin' Duke, Keak da Sneak, Afroman.
8. Make your name an adjective or an unidentifiable object- Nelly, Chingy, Fabolous, Jkwon, Baby Bash, Juelz Santana, Papoose.

Second to lastly, you can always end in man, and can always insert the word Baby anywhere.

Lastly, always end your name in Z, ALWAYS!!!
EX: Dem Franchize Boyz, New York Timez, Da Notorious Prime Playaz, Da Muzicianz, Boss Hogg Outlawz.... and almost half of the previous names we used.


An ideal name for me might be:
Mr. Young Lil' Drug Trafficking Gotti Venereal Big Fat Baby Sex Skinny Dogg Guy Fawkes Ironic Cash Manz

Isn't that so much better than anything you could have done yourself?