Common Vs. Drake: Could It Go The Distance?

Alright so as you all know Rick Ross' Rich Forever Mixtape just dropped. That's great and all but the real story is this brewing beef between Drake and Common. Now as some of you know, Common has a track called Sweet from his new album. On the track he says;

"Singing all around me man, la la la
You aint muthaf-cking Frank Sinatra"

Peep the video

When the song originally came out, a lot of people thought that it was aimed towards Drake. And we all know that he has the tendency to sing and rap on many of his songs. So when Common was asked if that was a diss to Drake he didn't deny it. Which brings me to now. As I said, Rich Forever is out. Check out the video for Stay Schemin'. But pay special attention to Drake's verse.

 

As you can see from Drake's verse, he's talking to Common directly. Very good verse. But, wait...its not over. This just came out today. Skip to 3:30 to hear Common's verse.

 

That Canada Dry line was fire. Til this point, the more impressive rapper in this brewing beef has been Common. I'll tell you why. I am very impressed with how aggressive he has been with his issues towards Drake. And as far as I know, Drake hasn't addressed him directly aside from subliminally. I know I am getting ahead of myself with what this may mean. But as I have mentioned before, I think beef doesn't have to be a bad thing in hip hop. Though I don't doubt Common's feelings about Drake are authentic, I can't turn a blind eye to the timing being around his album release. Maybe it serves both purposes. 

Its always great to see a beef like this. Old blood vs New blood. This is a more raw side of Common that has been lacking from the last couple of albums. It is reminiscent of the Common that once battled Ice Cube. Drake's response to this could confirm his confidence not only as a rapper but potentially a rap legend one day. Yeah I know, way too soon. Whatever your opinion on beef, or this one in particular. Hip Hop heads, young and old, will be talking about it. Interest and discussion is good for hip hop. I just hope to get a couple more tracks from both of them before it ends up in the rap beef graveyard...twitter. 

Speaking of twitter, follow me @HipHopPoli to continue the discussion. Til next time....thanks for reading   

Hip Hop Fantasy League

                      
What's up again people. So there is a rumor going around that the follow up to Take Care will be Drake's last album on Cash Money/Young Money- I'm sure that the  video having not one Cash Money artist or symbol didn't help either- That would be huge because aside from Wayne and Nicki Minaj there is no one on that roster putting them on the map at the moment (yeah I know Tyga is there, but I haven't heard much about his new album, Careless World ). So naturally the next question is; if this is true where would he end up? I also heard that he fired his management team as well. And it made me think, what if Drake was managed by RocNation? After seeing how well Wale is doing since the MMG signing, it wouldn't be a bad decision. Think about the how epic that would be? Jay-Z, Kanye, Drake, J.Cole, and Wale all in the same circle. But this is all speculation until we hear from the man himself:

Yes, a great vote of confidence from Drake but is he convincing the crowd or Wayne? Now I don't know how many albums Drake is under contract to do with Cash Money/Young Money but I guess we will have to wait until his next project to see if the story changes or not. But for now it seems he's not going anywhere.

Speaking of moving labels, Common is not releasing his new album under the G.O.O.D music imprint. Many websites I've visited claim that Kanye is jealous over Common publishing a book as well as acting on a new TV show. But I find that hard to believe that Kanye would want anything from anyone at this stage in her career. As for Common, he doesn't need to associate himself with Kanye to sell records but it doesn't hurt. He's been on a roll with My Dark Twisted Fantasy (MDTF), Watch The Throne, and the upcoming G.O.O.D music compilation album. Anyone would be happy to be in the same circle.

This all got me thinking, if you had a fantasy record label, which artists would you want there? Would the rumors of Drake or the Common's departure from G.O.O.D music mean anything? With a void like that left, which artist would benefit the most from it? A lot of success in hip hop is not just about talent of where you are signed, it's also about timing. J.Cole has been waiting for his album to drop for 3 years. Think about that. The album is done and because of timing, clearances, editing, etc...it gets pushed back. Something to marinate on the next time you ponder the Detox question.

It seems like its going to be an interesting end of the year in hip hop. Any part of the rumor I got wrong? Don't care about these artists? Leave a comment or continue the conversation with me on twitter. @HipHopPoli.

Cop Killing,Violence are Common's Place?

That's right Ol' Knitcap here is the most violent rapper..ever.

The last couple of days, I have been boycotting the news while the media continues Bin Laden Mania. But while scanning through last week, I caught the report about Common going to the White House. You know its a slow news week when reporters are reaching for controversy like this. If you don't know, Fox News have added Common to list of rappers that they believe encourage violence and in this case, cop killing. It's almost not worth commenting on. If anything, through the many incarnations of Common he's gotten flack for not being 'hard' enough. Even the casual hip hop listener knows that.

Here's the old video that Fox is referencing. I miss Def Poetry Jam....

Once again. Another poorly researched fact taken out of context by an ultra-conservative, fear machine. I swear they pick on a rapper ever year to mess with. Remember the Nas controversy? Or how they painted Ludacris as a gangsta rapper? He lost an endorsement deal with Pepsi because of these lunatics.

 

People are entitled to their opinion on hip hop. I don't agree with some of the music either. But the great thing about hip hop is that there are different subcultures that all people can find something they like. Youtube Common, and you can find a positive song in 5 seconds. Just do some research. Educate yourselves. I think that Jon Stewart said it best.....

Nuff said.....

My condolences to the family of M-bone of Cali Swag District. R.I.P.

Contact me at hiphoppolitician@gmail.com. Follow me @HipHopPoli

Talib Kweli New Track

When I listen to Talib Kweli, I am pulled in two different directions. On one hand, I am faithful fan waiting for new material because I respect his lyricism. But I am equally frustrated in the inconsistency of his albums and his ability to put out a cohesive body of work. I can't say that I have sat down and listened to a recent album all the way through without skipping a track. Kweli is dropping Gutter Rainbows this month and I just watched the video for the single and it seems we're back to the same okey doke. I like the energy and confidence but the beat just doesn't flow with the content. That frustrates even the most dedicated fan of lyrical content.

And it got me thinking......

There are a lot of artists that befall the fate of poor production drowning out their music. Common has had problems with this too. He hasn't had a great album over all since Be. I only listened to Universal Mind Control through once and I bought it! And don't get me started on Finding Forever. There was nothing to look for. I will never waste money on another one of his albums....ever again.

I think he is still trying to find that balance between commercial success and maintaining his underground appeal. I am sure a lot artists face this. You work on an album and when putting it together it sounds great but, it doesn't translate well to the fans. It's part of the creative process I suppose. I know there are plenty more I could give examples of but I wanna hear from you. Are there any artists you listen to with the same problem? Maybe an incredible beat is just that important to a good song. Do you listen past the beat when switching the radio station or that CD? I mean, I love 6 foot 7 foot and I have never listened to whole Lil Wayne album (I'll explain that another day) I think a lot of hip hop today is based on that very principle. Is there anything wrong with that?