The Freshmen Dropouts…

I'm finally healed from my drug and alcohol filled bender called the CMJ Music Festival. I saw a show with Mr.Vegas opening up for Game Rebellion. Dancehall and punk rap metal on the same bill. That's almost as diverse as going to a show featuring Asher Roth and Heltah Skeltah. If you do have a chance to see Asher Roth open for Ruck and Rock I suggest you make that move. In another year's time I don't think we will even remember who Asher Roth was.

I feel that way about more than half of the dudes on XXL's 'Freshmen' cover. The lesson I learned from Joell Ortiz is that it takes ten years of grinding for you to become an overnight success in the music business. I don't know if all these artists pictured care to put in ten years of blood, sweat and tears. Even with the internets giving people an instant profile across the country I see only a few slots opening up for rap dudes. My advice to some of these 'Freshmen' rappers would be to start singing.

Think about this, Jadakiss, one of the sickest rappers from the last ten years is finally getting a commercial push for his music. Now all of a sudden people are hearing sonn's name and his music in the broadcast radio format. Right behind 'Kiss you have Fabo and Juelz Santana who are due up to have their window of opportunity opened. When in the fuck is Universal gonna have time to talk about a Curren$y? In the meantime Curren$y needs to think about getting his ass on a television show or a fucking infomercial.

I fucks with Blu, Wale and Kid Cudi and I don't wish no bad shit on their movements, and Asher Roth is an earnest motherfucker who does try to spit his best futuristic lyrics but that is all the freshmen that will get sophomore shots in the game. I wanna tell some of those rappers to just get into production or maybe even marketing. But who am I to tell people how to pursue their dreams? I'm just a nigga that is unmotivated and unmoved by so much of the rap shit that I hear today. That shit makes me frustrated sometimes.

It's fucked the fuck up to say that seven of the ten artists on the new XXL cover will be dropouts but then again that pretty much represents the 68% of Black boys who drop out of NYC high schools annually. Don't get mad. UPS is hiring.