I’m usually homeboys with the same n##### I’m rhymin with But this is hip hop and them n##### should know what time it is And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale Pusha T, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Drake Big Sean, Jay electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller I got love for you all but I’m tryna murder you n##### Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you n##### They don’t wanna hear not one more noun or verb from u n##### What is competition? I’m tryna raise the bar high Who tryna jump and get it? You better off tryna skydive Out the exit window of 5 G5’s with 5 grams With your grandad as the pilot he drunk as f### tryna land With the hand full of arthritis and popping prosthetic leg Bumpin Pac in the cockpit so the s### that pops in his head Is an option of violence, someone heard the stewardess said That your parachute is a latex condom hooked to a dread After being subjected to an social media onslaught to the tune of billions of tweets about Kendrick’s so-called “epic” verse on Big Sean’s “Control,” I immediately assumed the role of dissenter. Foolishly, I remained the lone Elmer Fudd-looking old man on the bench doubting the constant chirping in my ear. Hypebeasts, in their very nature, glorify the s### out of something until it becomes s#####. Usually I’m on the ball when it comes to new music, but I remained a grumpy outcast until I decided to finally listen. Alas, I was wrong for doubting the internet. If you have two functioning ears, there is no room for subjective opinion here; Kendrick Lamar spit one of the greatest verses of all time in 2013. There are just too many ideological complexities and stunning metaphors abounding in Kendrick’s verse to do it proper justice in a quick blog post, but the most stunning thing of all about Kendrick’s verse is what he says during his verse’s finale, which I use as a euphemism here to stand in the place of a more accurate description like the slaughtering you bestow on your opponent in the TKO stage during those drunken nights playing Mortal Combat. I’m not sure if Kendrick heard the thundering call-to-arms while reciting his verse, but Kendrick literally finished them. Clocking in at well over the seven minute mark, “Control” is somewhat of a surprising release from Big Sean for a number of reasons. First, the song is not about controlling… yo hoes, or even letting them talk to you crazy. Second, the structural DNA of the song retains very little traces of the tracks Sean has infiltrated the airwaves with in the past, which were mainly geared toward money, chardonnay, and ass ass ass (repeat 20x). However, Sean’s Detroit mixtape reminded early devotees that the G.O.O.D. music MC still retained a knack for lyricism, and could even get damn near conscious and meaningful when he wanted to. Providing the opening for “Control,” Sean’s verse is impressive on its own, and if it wasn’t for that holy-f### of a verse by Kendrick, folks would have been busily stuffing their Twitter feeds with delusional comparisons to Jay-Z just off the strength of his lyrics. More than anything though, Sean’s gift is ironically his control, no pun intended. The rapper has some of the most versatile bag of tricks when it comes to flow, and he is able to (pause) eject it at will. But as you well know by now, Big Sean and Jay Electronica impressive wordplay were drowned out by the hype surrounding Kendrick’s. In a world predating the Ebola crisis, hospitals across the nation scrambled to find answers to curb the recent pandemic of feelings. Many were appalled that Kendrick would dare disrupt this new p####-laden era of good feelings by name-dropping emcees in the hopes that competition would be restored once again. No baby mama jokes. No that’s why I f##### you b#### you fat m############. Just a call to arms from some of the emcees elite talent to step up to the plate. In the last decade, there has never been a more polarizing singular recording. If you don’t believe me (aka you’ve never experienced social media) type in “_______ responds to Kendrick Lamar’s verse on Youtube. Unlike other genres, Hip-hop has long been a battle for supremacy. It’s rare to envision a world where Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones and Roger Daltrey of The Who go toe-to-toe about who really dominates the arena of prancing on stage while donning c###-shrinking pants. When artists of other genres face off, it typically revolves around personal issues rather than a clairvoyant claim that said artist in question will be forever regarded as the best to ever do it. Taylor Swift has made a career by “controlling” a lot of her ex-boyfriends, but these suicide-inducing pop songs are the result of puppy lovey-dovey emotional strife. A better example is The Beatles. In the aftermath of the band’s bitter breakup in 1970, Paul McCartney and John Lennon engaged in a subliminal war on wax. McCartney (doing his best Lennon impersonation) and The Wings released “Let Me Roll It” in response. (As much as I’d love to think Paul McCartney is sitting somewhere on a plush sofa chair reading Allhiphop as part of his regular reading material, the thought that he would probably sue for this post scares the s### out of me. No disrespect Paul, my bank account is far from yours. Please leave me and crumbs to be). This competitive drive to wear a metaphorical crown is just one of many unique features that make the genre so captivating. As Kendrick alludes to, competition makes for better music. Take some of the most famous battles in hip-hop history. Nas and Jay-Z. Before Nas got called out by Jay, he was making horrendous songs with Ginuwine. He answered doubters by released “Ether,” and ultimately Stillmatic, two of the greatest additions to the […]

Beanie Sigel Shot!

Another Unarmed Black Man Dead By Phoenix PD.