The Retired Hustler
I’ve been feeling Jay-Z lately, particularly The Blueprint and The Black Album. Listen to both joints, one after another, generates a fascinating experience. Jay moves from a young hustler (Blueprint) into a grown man (Black Album).
Although the Blueprint is not as intriguing as the classic Reasonable Doubt, Jay proves that he still has his hustling swag. In “U Don’t Know,” a soulful production from Just Blaze, Jay rhymes, “I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell / I am a hustler baby, I’ll sell water to a well / I was born to get cake, move on and switch states / Cop the Coupe with the roof gone and switch plates / Was born to dictate, never follow orders / Dickface, get your shit straight, fucka this is Big Jay.” In contrast to Shawn-Carter-the-hustler in Blueprint and Reasonable Doubt, Black Album finds Jay mellows out as he reflects on his accomplishments throughout his rapping career: “There’s never been a nigga this good for this long / This hood, or this pop, this hot, or this strong / With so many different flows there’s one for this song / The next one I switch up, this one will get bit up.”
Personally, Black Album is Jay’s finest work in term of his wise words and def flows. Whenever I am on the freeway these days, I set my cruise control at 70mph so that I don’t have to look out for the bitch-ass cops, and just experience the whole CD straight through with my eyes on the road and my ears and mind on his every word. Jay’s delivery is so natural and effortless that he could even punctuate his flow. In “Moment of Clarity,” he raps with confidence over Eminem’s hypnotic beat and violin sampling, “We as rappers must decide what’s most important / And I can’t help the poor if I’m one of them / So I got rich and gave back, to me that’s the win/win / So next time you see the homey and his rims spin / Just know my mind is working just like them… rims, that is.” Love the way he pauses and then adds in the parenthetic expression.
Unfortunately Jay has left his artistic vision behind and moved on to the business side of the game. Jay needs to get his ass off that CEO’s chair and back to the lab because the game needs his presence.
If you could only appreciate rock as much as you do with hip-hop, I can stop searching for the last piece of the musical puzzle, D. Wonder what you would say about Kyo, Nickleback, or even Linkin Park. The most head-banging you went after was… rocker-chick-wannabe-&-try-too-hard-to-be My~ Ta^m . Dare to explore uncharted territory ? :)
Nope, I do not dare. Even rocker chick My Tam can only satisfy me for one or two listens. No head-banging for me, too old for that. Linkin Park is extreme noise. The only thing that they did good was the collaboration with Jay-Z. :)
So what is this, “I got the crit[ique] patrol on the vis[sual] patrol /
Foes that wanna make sure my casket’s closed… … I don’t know what you take me as / Or understand the intellegence that Big D has / I’m from rags to riches nigga i ain’t dumb / I got 99 problems but a bitch ain’t one
Hit me !” ??? Lol…
Oh shit! Miyo is spitting Jigga’s lines. Damn right! baby, I got 99 problems but a bitch ain’t one.
I don’t think any Visualgui.com readers pay attention to my hip-hop’s pieces, except for you. It’s all good. Not too many understand the intellegence that Big D has (cocky bastard) :)
Hey, it’s my guilty pleasure, what can I say ? :) Besides, jazz is only one color of the spectrum, although I go nuts for it, every other genre has its own zing. Variety is a wonderful thing, D.
“Jazz is only one color of the spectrum?” Jazz can color any spectrum. Take any kind of music: rock, folk, hip-hop, even Vietnamese and color it with jazz, you get a whole new spectrum, man.
Here are some Jigga’s lines for ya:
“I know your type, loud as a motorbike / But wouldn’t bust a grape in a fruit fight.” You use these lines against me, I’ll eat you like a grape. :)
Musical spectrum, dude. Like a rainbow. I have to admit that songs hit my weak spot every time they’re jazzed up a little but an entire rainbow blue (jazz) ? No way.
Eat me like a grape ? You sucker-ass nigga tryin’ to sound tough with me, huh ? :P Didn’t know you like grapes too. So, your “soft as grapes” expression is actually a self-revelation then ? I’m confused. Lol.
Hey, watch where you toss that word around. Color folks wouldn’t like that. I like young and fresh grape like yourself. Grape does a body good and juicy too. :) Don’t try to reverse the term on me. “Soft as grape” is for dude like Duong Trieu Vu as well as yourself, so don’t get it twisted. “Because you know who (who) did you know what (what) / with you know who (yeah) but just keep that between me and you for now.” Hahaha, I am using Jay-Z’s lines again.
As long as no offense meant, I don’t have to be overly conscious about anything, D. Unless you consider yourself black(?!) but hey, that’s YOUR problem. I can only take care of my part of the interaction. :)
As for being a softie, you’re holding a rigid facade on the outside well, just like mangosteen, your favorite fruit. But the thing about it is, your supposedly protective hard rind can also be the very antagonist that injures your inner, delicate core once impacted. Grapes’ cushion-like bodies, on the other hand, reduces shock fabulously. Survival for the fittest, punk. Do you find mangosteen grown in North America or elsewhere besides tropical areas ?!! :)
If I consider myself black, I wouldn’t be writing so much about Vietnamese music, food, and women (sometimes). My appreciation for jazz and hip-hop is just pure art.
I guess you’re right, I shouldn’t say anything about using that word since I used the word “gay” again and again and being criticized for it. I guess I am just tasting my own medicine. So as long as you’re responsible for your word, I have no problem with it.
Hahaha, you think you know my soft spot huh? Trust me, my inner core has already rotten over the years so there isn’t anything worse it couldn’t take. So don’t worry about that, punk! You should be worrying about your grape-like body with a motobike mouth. It’s a dangerous combination. :)
Nope, still can’t find mangosteen anywhere. You have to bring that up, to get me craving for it huh?
Ooh. “My appreciation for jazz and hip-hop is just pure art” huh ? How condescending. What, other genre too inferior for your exquisite taste, Your Royal Highness ?
Punk ? Use your own vocabulary, stop using mine ! At least use quote marks or give some kind of acknowledgement of the source or I’ll sue you for infringement. :P
No, I was just talking about jazz and hip-hop as Black music. I was not refering to other kind of genres.
You don’t want me to use other words for women, do you? Like bitch, hoe, slut, whore, and so on. Right? Alright then.
Wrong. Go right ahead and use those terms. It’s your blog. People would judge you, not me. Even if they do, I don’t feel like I have to care. I’m not one to worry so much about whether people would like what I have to say or not. :)
Are you two having fun yet !?
Thu Hoai, leave them alone! I’m waiting to see where the shouting match is heading. It’s great entertainment!
Their bark is worse than their bite anyway. :)
D darling, others are regarding the intense staccato of our tango and confusing the mix of sensitivity & aggressiveness as characteristics of a spat. Wanna change the counterpoint rhythm or shall we continue this melodious entanglement ? :)
Darling? That’s unusual coming from someone whose word speaks louder than her heart. Like you, I don’t care how people would judge me. Remember what I said, “fuck the world.” Besides, I wouldn’t have written reviews the way that I am writing if I care what people think of me. Nevertheless, I choose not to use those terms because of mutual respect to one another. Simple as that, baby! :)
No, I remember you said “make passionate love to the world” vividly. Don’t you come running back to the closet now, D ! Lol.
HTC, you listen to soft rock somewhat (ie. James Blunt), don’t you ? Care to join me persuading Donny to write a rock piece ?
Miyo,
donny is more into jazz and hip hop music. He articulates jazz and hip hop music pretty well! However, I might be wrong here, rock music might be too much of a challenge for him to even try!! Give it up Miyo!
So you don’t think he’ll be up for the challenge. I have the same feeling too. But isn’t playing safe dead boring though ? I guess he’s another Tra^n` Thai’ Hoa` after all, always executing the same technique, fearing that people would find his flaws if he does things differently. Oh well. Old habits die hard and some people are just too old-fashioned to progress from jazz to rock & roll. Tsk tsk tsk… What a shame.
Very nice chemistry you two. For your reading pleasure, I have written rock reviews for Buc Tuong’s Nam Cham and Thuy Tien’s Ngot & Dang. Me playing safe? Please, If I was playing safe, I would write all the good reviews instead of negative ones like Tran Thai Hoa and Bang Kieu, two of the most beloved male singers right now. So don’t even start that playing safe with me sweety :)
HTC, nothing challenges me, man. If you could write jazz, you could pretty much write anything because jazz is the most challenging music, especially the instrumental jazz. You have to pay attention to the form (AABA or 12-bar blues) as well as how each musician support each other and when one solo about to end and who should take charge and who could bring the solo back home. It’s all about chemistry and collaboration. So rock isn’t that challenging at all. I just dont feel the music. Hard rock is noise and soft rock is wimpy :) So don’t challenge the hustler, folks!
Wuss.
Calm down my dear Miyo!
Donny,
How do you think about the album “Achtung Baby” of U2?
Wuss? Is that all you can come up with?
If you want to know what I think about an album, you have to provide it to me, which often happens at Visualgui.com. :)
Moi ? Upset ? Please. Just find it funny how D says that jazz is the most challenging music and so if he can write about jazz, every other genre is a piece of cake. Somebody’s up on his high horse again that he fails to see I wasn’t referring to the technical brilliance of orchestral arrangements.
Let me repeat that personally, jazz is my #1 choice of music. However, not everything has to be jazz-infected, highly complex and wildly sophisticated. Sure, rock music might not be as rich in texture but what makes it appealing is that it’s raw, rough around the edges and even furious. Hard rock’s heavy beat & loudness project a brash, blunt, oppressive quality that jazz can’t quite deliver. Soft rock wimpy ? You have got to be kidding me. Auditory effects, hustler. The challenge for you is that you don’t seem to be able to embrace or appreciate distinctive style and form of different music genres, namely rock. That makes your perspective appear limited and biased. Yes, wuss. Challenge ? Whatever. It’s rather fear for the unfamiliarity.
I don’t know enough about jazz to have a say here. Thanks to donny’s explanation, I learn a bit more of how to listen to it.
Just like Miyo puts it, the beauty of rock is in its “raw and rough edge”. With rock I feel the music and enjoy the lyric.
My choice of music is classical. I guess it’s quite close to instrumental jazz except there is no rule. I love to close my eyes listening to my favorite tune and simply let my mind float away. Peace!
“Sure, rock music might not be as rich in texture but what makes it appealing is that it’s raw, rough around the edges and even furious.” There’s no rough and raw in jazz? You gotta be kidding me. When jazz musicians perform, they only take the structure of a song (the basic element) and just improvise on it. The end result is raw, unedit, and lively. Want “brash, blunt, oppressive quality?” Try some John Coltrane hardcore jazz. He’ll blow your brain out. Is that the only thing you can accuse me of? Fear for the unfamiliarity? Hahaha!
There is no rule in classical? I am not sure anout classical, but there aren’t any rule in jazz either, as long as the musician could keep his timing. He could pretty much improvise whatever the hell he wants. In making of Miles Davis’s classic “Kind of Blue,” he never gave the musician the music sheet until they began to record. No practice. He only wanted the first take. So that his musicians had to they thier best. If you screw up, you’re going to hear that record for life. Now that’s some rawness for your ass (Miyo). :)
Bla bla bla… Jazz does it all. Yeah. Just like how die-hard fans of Thuy Nga, Asia or any other productions would rave about their own products without having a level-headed perspective about it. :) Jazz is sashimi, sushi-chef-intensive-knife-handling-and-ooh-I’m-watching-out-for-parasites kind or raw. Rock is I-see-a-live-cow-on-the-field-and-damn-I’m-sinking-my-teeth-right-into-it kind of raw, dude. Don’t lecture me when it comes to my appreciation of jazz. You could scare HTC off with your profuse use of jazz terminology but save it with me. One doesn’t need technical knowledge to “know” how to enjoy music. If jazz could do it all, Miles Davis wouldn’t have fused it with rock & roll in Bitches Brew or In A Silent Way and got widely recognized for it. Why don’t you go reason it with our legendary man right there, huh ? As for mind-blowing effects, hmm… let me imagine, say, action-packed fight scenes in The Matrix (movie) with John Coltrane hardcore jazz playing in the background… WILD, I tell ya ! Perhaps too wild for my imagination ! That’s just plain… coarse and… rude and… interpretive jazz !?!! How Cirque du Soleil. Very artistic and tasteful. No argument there. Lol.
“I have to admit that songs hit my weak spot every time they’re jazzed up a little…” What a hipocrite! :)
I am not trying to lecture anyone on their appreciate on any type of music. I just say what I feel from my own perspective. No one has to take my word for anything I say. And I never expected you to.
I was pressing your button (or pulling your leg) when I was refering to hardcore rock as noise and soft rock as wimpy. I thought you would catch my sarcastic joke by now. I guess not. Each music has its own aestheticism. Miles used rock to enhance his jazz, so I don’t see any problem with that, even though many jazz aficionados do. Even Jay-Z uses rock in his “99 Problems.” Your comment on Coltrane is totally irrelevent. But let me not going into details because, you’re right, no argument there.
Nice works Miyo and Donny ! I enjoyed you two tremendously! Jazz world is so so big my fav is latin jazz, love that sound!!
Miyo,
You win! You can drop your scary mask now! Can you see that donny starts explaining himself? :))
My comment on Coltrane was not irrelevant so don’t you “totally” me !?!! :) You asked if I wanted “brash, blunt, oppressive quality” and offered “Coltrane hardcore jazz” for the same effect so I had to illustrate my point with an easy, visual example. Really, jazz would be so off in such setting regardless of the obscene amount of raw energy it can give off. It’s just of a different style and more suitable in a different setting, that’s all. You know, I seriously don’t think you were sarcastic or joking, D. You think jazz is superior to the rest, period. I don’t blame you since I think jazz is indeed queen in many musical aspects too, however, such supreme authority without her loyal subjects are nothing but a crazed woman, nothing more. Like organs in a human body. It’s tough to determine which is vital and which one can live without. It’s important to have that holistic view about all things, not only with music so yeah, call me a hypocrite all you want. I just think framing someone like that is demonstrably a lack of reason and support for whatever you were arguing for. :P
HTC, that wasn’t a scary mask (at least I don’t think so). That was just one jazz enthusiast discussing her thinking with her equally enthusiastic jazz buddy, that’s all. ;)
Jazz is superior in its own way, but not to the rest. If I think jazz is the highest form of music, why do I even bother listening to Vietnamese and hip-hop? So don’t you put words in my mouth. Yes. I was truly being sarcastic about rock being “noisy” and “wimpy” because I don’t listen to rock (I have to admit) enough to make such statement. If you were to asked me why I think that way, I would have replied just like your naive response to the different between Mac and PC :). With that said, let me pack up the beef to go. HTC is right, you win.
Thanks, D. Thanks, HTC. Now I feel terrible. I didn’t exchange opinions to win. Win what, really ? Just thought some exposure to rock music would be nice for D and in return, we’d get to read some interesting reviews different from ones written before. Have to admit I didn’t enjoy D’s “nothing challenges me” and “if you could write jazz, you could pretty much write anything because jazz is the most challenging music”. I guess with D being exceedingly good at critiquing, expectations are high. Agree or disagree, arrogance doesn’t look great on him. So, that’s it. I’m outa here.
My dear Miyo,
Like Abraham Maslow once said “if the only tool you have is a hammer you treat everything like a nail”. Your good intention is wanting donny to have “some exposure to rock music” beside jazz.
There is nothing you should feel terrible about. It’s just great fun. Peace? :)