Last night I got a chance to chop it up with Sickamore & Colin Munroe. We talked about everything from Damien Hirst making $100 mil in 2 days to my photo exhibition to their upcoming projects. It was good to kick it with 2 very creative dudes. They have a project on the bubble that once it touches the town will definitely be a conversation starter. Keep your eyes & ears open. 🙂 -!YG
This young man has been getting a lot of press for the past couple of weeks. I won’t front I threw a few softball questions @ him. I’ll do a follow up interview with him in a few weeks. I still have a lot of unanswered questions. Shout out 2 Joe Colli… -!YG
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Sickamore: I’m shocked at the level of response, actually. The feedback has been mostly positive. There must’ve been over 500 passionate e-mails regarding the resigning blog. I think people are just as frustrated as I am with the current state of things. There needs to be a change.
Sickamore: Not as hard as you think. What’s the worst that could happen? People would think I got fired? Who cares what people think. I’d be jobless? It was my first job! I know how to make money without a position. Those 2 reasons aren’t worth losing my soul.
Sickamore: They make a lot of money. I’m talking millions a year in salary, bonuses etc. It’s a sinking ship, but instead of trying to save the boat, they’re just looting it. Stuffing all their bags with the money and giving all their employees buckets.
Sickamore: A lot more freedom. They don’t have anything over me this way. they’re hiring The Firm to make a change. They know it’s a f’ed up model and they want to make some kind of effort. But it’ll never do a complete 180 without new people.
Ight…..Ight……so u know that I had to speak on this. I really had to debate on whether this topic was worthy of discussion and conclusion…..YESSSIIIIR!
I am sure u like everyone else has heard the Jay-Z album, “Kingdom Come”. After discussion with my folks, many have a tepid reaction to his latest opus. Even though I like 50% of the album, Mr. Carter (at 38 according to Game & the rest of Hip Hop….40 according to Jim Jones) has succeeded in doing what he has always done.
Mr. Carter has created an excitement that Hip Hop has lacked for the past few yrs. Despite the fact THE GAME dropped a DAMN GOOD album (NO DEBATE), we still find ourselves debating about Mr. Carter’s project. The timing could not be better…. After listening to Snoop’s album and the prospect of a NAS album in Dec, Hip Hop is alive and well. Do rappers feel the need to step up their game to stay relevant to today’s fickle consumer? Judging from what I have heard….it is a resounding YES.
I will not front like Hov don’t got gems on his new album because he does, my concern is the lack of hunger that came across will dilute the Jay-Z brand. I LOVE “Beach Chair” with Chris Martin and kind of wish the album took more of that direction. Ten years in the game has earned Mr. Carter the right to take more risk as an artist, which he failed to do this time around. Instead it seems like he has rehashed much of the same rhymes from ’99.
This phenomenon forced me to really re-examine Mr. Carter’s contributions to the culture. When he told cats to “change clothes”, well cats did….lol. When he told cats wear jeans with flip flops, they did… (just kidding) He even got his “kids” to stop drinking Cristal in exchange for Ace of Spade? I bet his “kids” will start waving like Miss America too? (i.e. “Show Me What You Got” )
Has Jay-Z become the Daddy to Gen Y? It sure seems that way as his “children” argue and dissect his album. I know we have societal issues, but damn! Obviously, Mr. Carter is a trendsetter, but is it really that deep? Mr. Carter even had the moxie to go at my man Jim “Ballin” Jones. Now as a cat who has been riding with the set since ’98 ( shout to Capo, Jofi Jo, and Ant Lav), I really can’t acknowledge his attempts at tarnishing the name of the Set. Correct me if I am wrong, but did Hov ever go at Pac back in the day? My point exactly……. this Dipset vs The Roc “war of words” only provides great entertainment. People just need to remember that…it is all entertainment.
One more thing, Who is Tru Life? Should I ask Jay-z too? Did Nas ”eat” Hov on that “Black Republican” Track? And Y is the Common/Gap commerical kind of hot?…. Just my thoughts… 🙂
~Time to Shake,
YG
P.S. Rebuttals are VERY WELCOME… 😉
Sickamore….Holla…I got your back….lol
