Smooth, Sweet and Smitten Saturdays

Whenever she happens to walk by, why does the apple of my eye -
Overlook and disregard my feelings no matter how much I try?

Smooth lyrics, Sweet message, from a Smitten artist
 
For this weeks love song, I decided to go with an old school favorite that's been on my mind HEAVY lately. It's a song by an old school group called The Pharcyde from the West Coast. These guys have a really cool style and have a whole collection of great music (I should know, I have their whole discography).

A lot of people know this song - better yet they know this situation. I mean, fellas . . think about that girl you see constantly and can never get to. And everyone tells you just to let it go:

See she's my type of hype and I can't stand when brothers tell me
That I should quit chasin' and look for something better
But the smile that she shows makes me a go-getter

Check out the video below:  

The Cypher

Taking it to where it all started. For the little I actually enjoy watching BET or MTV, I'm happy that BET does this in their Hip Hop Awards. A lot of them are really worthwhile and portray the raw talent of some of these older and younger artists as well. The below video is by far my favorite. Mostly because Eminem is one of my favorite rappers, Black Thought has my favorite flow as a rapper, and Mos Def is one the best rapper/poet/actors there is.

Below are some other freestyles I came across as I clicked through related videos on YouTube. In light of my post on Rap Groups, The Roots is a group that still currently exists and commands some serious respect all around. Check it out, The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest:

Freestyling has always been a trademark of Rap. Whether it may be battling or just representing yourself as a force in the Hip Hop world. A lot of a rapper's style comes out when they go at it off the top of the head, and lay down some of their best material.

One of New York's greatest doing it BIG at a young age:

And some other BET Cyphers I personally liked:

What are some other ones you all know and loved?

The (re)Birth of the (pseudo)Rap Group

Many are well aware or have at least heard that Hip Hop's latest rap group, Slaughterhouse, has signed with Shady Records, and with them Yelawolf as well. Personally, I was happy to hear this news considering my own affinity for Slaughterhouse specifically, as well as my adoration since my Middle School days for Eminem's lyrical dexterity and content ever.

Slaughterhouse includes:   
              Joe Budden from Jersey City, New Jersey
              Joell Ortiz from Brooklyn, New York
              Royce da 5'9" from Detroit, Michigan
              Crooked I from Long Beach, California

There's no argument that each of these four members is talented. What I came here to do is talk about Rap Groups, or lack thereof. Read through the list below and keep count in your head how many of these names you recognize:

• A Tribe Called Quest 
• De La Soul
• The Pharcyde
• Lords of the Underground
• Cypress Hill
• The Beastie Boys
• Ultramagnetic MC's
• Wu-Tang Clan
• Run DMC
• Digital Underground
• Jungle Brothers
• Souls of Mischief
• Arrested Development

It's almost sad to see that this fact seems to not exist anymore. All of the above named groups had a strong presence on the Hip Hop scene through the 80's and 90's. A few have even been celebrated on VH1's Hip Hop Honors in the past 5 or so years. So what's happened? Rappers seem to have grown into a self-obsessed culture, where the greater majority are more focused on their individual success or legacy. All of them working to lay claim to being the "Best Alive." A title that in this day is, arguably, already taken.

Hip Hop in one aspect used to be a team effort, as a lot of the aforementioned groups have engraved their names as a group in the history books with their individual rap names etched underneath. This isn't to say that rappers these days don't collaborate, but consistent work as a collective group hardly exists. Slaughterhouse is a special example, and even in their case the individual members carry on their personal careers first, releasing solo albums and second, as Slaughterhouse. The concept and popularity of a rap group may be dying out, if at all still alive.

As an avid listener to the "Old School" of Hip Hop, I worry that the genius work that can be born through collaborative work may not happen anymore. I wonder if today's industry is even conducive to this age old style.In most cases, they have enough timeless material out for me to enjoy even if it isn't.