JumpinJack AJ

However, respectable sales are kinda important. For instance, the music award shows that are totally focused on the quality of music and not sales, media hype, etc, can't have music up 4 awards if they have no success at all. Without a lil' success, they don't get considered. Touring goes the same (tho' some established groups/artists don't have 2 worry about that). If u don't have a succesfull album...not many people are gonna come out 2 support some no-name artist. That's not waz the biz is like these days 4 big labels. It's multi-platnium or u get dropped. Ain't nothing wrong with barely going gold, but that's looked down on these days. In Hip-Hop/Rap, there seems 2 be a popular trend of the lower quality of music, the higher sales u get.

Yeah, i think they were hilarious in How High and i thought this show would have had comedy on the same level...but it's no where near it. I think that's why the show isn't that great, cuz they need 2 be behind more of the show. Hopefully they get that chance b4 they cancel it. As i look back, i can kinda see how the acting waz kinda not there...cuz they felt it waz so stupid that they didn't feel comfortable with it.

Yeah, i remember calling the hotline, but it was down by the time i got the And In This Corner... cassette (in 1991).

I never saw it...i waz going 2 only cuz Will had a cameo in it but i never did. I'll check it when it's released.

Where have u been?!? Will's ex-wife Sheree is very close 2 Will + Jada and very involved in the kids' lives. When Jada and Will got serious, Jada made Will fix the problems between him and his ex-wife and ever since they've all gotten along. More people should take the advice Jada gave Will cuz they've accomplished something that shouldn't be, but often is impossible these days. After all, their situation is what their show All of Us is based off of.

Like it says a few posts away, this is supposed 2 be focusing on strictly rap...not everything else. But 2 answer all your ?uestions, Da Brat's "In Luv Wit Chu" single/video did well but the album flopped cuz Arista's promotion stopped after her sucessful single. Jermain Dupri only did a few trax on the album. Bow Wow and Jagged Edge didn't leave him either, when JD waz taking So So Def away from Columbia, they offered him a HUGE amount of money for each act and accepted that. He said in an interveiw that the figures were so insanly high that it almost wouldn't make sense 2 keep them. Both of their current albums (espeically Bow Wow's) aren't making movies their past albums were doing...but JE still work with him (cuz he's a genious). And Fundisha never really got her career started. JD is the man, that's why he's been around for over 10 years and is still all over people's albums producing and rapping.

The only other place i've seen a clip of that 2Pac + Jada "Parents Just Don't Understand" video waz on The Kenan Ivory Wayons Show back in the summer of 1997 or 1998. Me and my cousin did a video like that 2 Snow's "Informer" back in the day...ha ha. If i ever blow up, i hope they never get their hands on that video cuz i look like i'm trying 2 be really hard in the beginning cuz when they started the music, it waz by some generic guy and i got the impression i would be lipsyncing 2 the actual song.

Definitly Bad Boys. It's my fav movie of all time and i saw it at least 5 times in the theaters when it waz out...ha ha. In the past year i think i watched it twice (once on DVD, once on VHS).

Thanx 4 that article. I love reading about family cuz it totally reminds u how Will really is, rather than seeing him all Hollywood at award shows and stuff. It sounds like the wedding waz relaxing and refreshing. It waz definitly great weather on the east coast this weeding so i'm sure Will + Jada loved getting away from it all. I wonder of Jazzy Jeff and the fellas from Boyz II Men got along. I heard that while A Touch of Jazz has been working on their up-coming album, they stole his microwave. :roll:

I remember LL Cool J (who admitted 2 having a jacked up deal with Def Jam....from 1985 when he waz a nobody) said that touring is strictly about making money and persuading at least one person 2 buy your album. Touring is one thing where the artist can definitly take the whple thing in2 their own hands. In 2002, Will waz out there dressing like he wanted, performing "Summertime" and thinking about that stripped down tour with Jeff. U think Columbia had anything 2 do with that?!?! YEAH RIGHT!! If someone ever wants a good dose how money is in the music industry, watch VH-1's 1st Behind The Music special on TLC. In it, Left Eye breaks it down in detailed facts how a group can sell 10 million albums (CraZySeXyCOOl) and file for bankruptsy....it's amazing.

I finally watched it 2day. 2day waz my day off so i just stayed home and popped the DVD in and watched all the extras right after it. I love the movie, it was put 2gether very well. What makes this surpass all past 2Pac documentries is the fact that it's all told from his point of view. The story just rolls along totally legit and totally honest. It's amazing the way they put the narroration 2gether cuz there's only a few spots where it obvious when the were putting different interviews 2gether. 2Pac is one of the most misunderstood emcee ever and i think it's important 4 people 2 see this movie. Most of 2Pac's fans don't know what the man was all about and this movie clears alot of things up. I waz a fan of Digital Underground and 2Pac when he 1st went solo so i got a dose of all of his sides, ideas, etc...but not alot of fans have and my opinion and understanding of him is nothing like alot of people who got in2 him later. I think this movie is perfect 4 skooling his fans AND 4 those people who have never been in2 him that much but are willing 2 see what he's about. All that controversy and media hype totally messed up his image. There's a few ties in2 it that people here would definitly be interested in. It shows a good chunk of 2Pac and Jada lipsyncing/dancing 2 "Parents Just Don't Understand," a bonus feature of Jada talking about him, and footage of the MTV Music Awards where Will introduced 2Pac's and Biggie mothers.

It's actually not really the riff from "I'm All That"...it sampled from another song (which the title slips my mind at the moment). I used 2 play guitar but since i listened 2 Hip-Hop i didn't have any motivation 2 stick with it...so i skipped over 2 piano and keyboards where i learned 2 play some stuff from the later JJ+FP albums. The technical side of playing music and the limits of how u could express yourself with a musical instrument frustrated me 2 much so i just stopped. Did u figure it out just play experimenting? My friend dose that (and it drives me insane). He'll sit there just guessing how 2 play a song until he gets it down.

Jermaine Dupri is the behind Kris Kross, Da Brat, Xscape, Jagged Edge, and Bow Wow. He's also produced stuff for nearly everyone in Hip-Hop and R-N-B...Will, TLC, MC Lyte, Whodini, Run-DMC, Usher, Monica, Tamia and the list goes on. In 1998 he dropped his own album (as rapper and producer...u may remember his track with Jay-Z "Money Ain't A Thing)." In 2001 he released his 2nd album which wazn't as large as his 1st but had the sucessful singles "Welcome To Atlanta" and "Ballin' Outta Control." Oh yeah, i'm sure u've heard of So So Def...that's his company.

Why i won't be putting either of these cats in the top 30 list anytime soon...i don't think either of them can be in that "wackest" category when there are so many un-talented people out there. Puffy makes alot of music that dosen't mean anything, but he has put out some songs that i like (Missing You, Victory, Best Friend, Satisfy You, I Need A Girl, etc) and some trax i can't stand (Cant' Hold Me Down, It's All About The Benjamins, etc). I don't think he's great when it comes 2 writing or flowing...but i'd take him over Ja-Rule, Nelly, Ludacris anyday. I like Jermaine Dupri alot and would never put in on a "Wackest Ever" list. This guy came up as a Whodini roadie and fly producer. We aren't talking producing skills right here, but i think he's one of the best producers of all time. He can simply do it at and he's way underrated. As a rapper, he dose do alot of trax that are about hoes and money...but he's never talking about guns or serious substance addictions. Even when he makes a track with weak subject matter, i think he's a brilliant writer and his strong, often-unkown old skool Hip-Hop background keep his stuff fresh and on a respectable level. I got both of his albums, tons of albums and songs he's produced and remixed...i just love that stuff he puts out. On top of that, i've seen him rip the mic in person live and he tore it down. I can understand where people would find that hard 2 believe...but out of Ludacris, Journalist, Ms. Jade, and Mr. Cheeks...Jermaine outshined them all with just one track. Hate him if u want...but he's laffing all the way 2 the bank (and Janet's crib). :thumb:

Yeah, i think i'll go with Ja-Rule. I think he's just a bit wacker than Nelly cuz he seems so fake alot of the time. However, i will say that when he waz newer in the game, i kinda liked him...that Dru Hill remix he did...that waz dope. I also think a few of his songs are okay like the one he did with Case and the one with Bobby Brown, but that's also cuz i like the artists he collaborated with. It's kinda funny cuz Will gave Ja-Rule props at the MTV Beach House 2 summers ago saying "that's one talented dude"...ha ha. I think the waz exactly the point where Ja-Rule's fakeness got outta control. He also got along with Nelly and gave him props when he did that interview with Will in the summer of 2002. It's funny cuz both of them fall in2 that category of rappers that Will's dosen't support...yet he keeps things cool by getting along with them (as people....maybe just not as artists...if u wanna call them that).

Man, this is a tough one...i think both of these cats are wack and they so-called style is quite similar. Lyrically, they suck...not one of their songs (that i've heard) has subject matter that is fully talked about on the track AND stays on topic. If sex, money, and drugs didn't exist...these guys would have nothing 2 rap about. Ja-Rule is just stealing DMX's style in a pansy kinda way. His sing-song trax kill me cuz some people should never try singing. He trys 2 hard 2 sound like DMX and have the 2pac vibe going on...and he's not fooling anybody. Another thing, skinny cats with no muscles shouldn't take their shirt off as often as he dose....i guess he thinks it'll draw attention from the ugly faces he makes. Nelly needs 2 quit his whining on trax....most of the time he sounds like he's breaking in2 tears while he raps. His beats almost always suck. "#1" and "Dillimma" are the only trax by him that i think were good....and that's the beat i'm talking about. Man, another hard one...they both just suck so much. I don't think i can make up my mind yet...i'll try 2 reply soon. It's just so hard when they can't write anything good, rap, or simply not get on my nerves.

They have 2 be suffering. Think about it...how can u make artists like Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Will Smith, Wyclef, Lauryn Hill, etc.?!?! They are some of the biggest and most influential artists of modern times and they are busy making them mad...and untimatly using them. Don't they feel stupid after awhile that they can make a multi-million-selling artist sell less than expected and then lose them..sometimes by choice.

I'm pretty sure that L.L. renewed his contract with Def Jam, but i havn't read any sources that gave that out as 100% true.

Columbia and Sony have tons of unhappy artists and artists who have been dropped or crappaly pushed off the label.....Will, Mariah Carey, Jon B, Michael Jackson, Wyclef, Jermain Dupri, Mandy Moore, Ruff Endz, and his So So Def, etc. If they are so worried about success and money, why don't they try 2 make and maintain carreers of their artists?!?! They don't care...period.

I caught it. After seeing the commerical 4 the show, my expectations were really high. Me and my friend Marivien made sure we kept our nite free 2 catch the show. However, the show didn't meet my expectations at all. It just wazn't nearly as funny as i wanted and the story waz really weak. Some of it waz a lil' corny, but it waz obvious that they didn't care. They had this awful, fake laff track after the jokes that i couldn't tell if it waz supposed 2 be bad or not (that's how bad it waz). It waz cool 2 see them on TV with their own show bringing a dab of Hip-Hop culture 2 basic TV...but that's about it. The main story line waz about them moving 2 a rich neighbor hood and how they were outcasted from all the rich white folks who were trying 2 get them 2 move out of the community. They eventually got 2 stay at the end. However, it did alot of the overdone jokes that many black vs. white shows/movies/ themes have in them. Definitly nothing new here at all. I'll continue watching it cuz alot of shows need 2 find themselves when they start out b4 they get good...just don't expect much. Both me and Miv were kinda like "that's the end??...hmmmm...that waz average...at best."

I like this song!! I knew that he waz thinking about doing an entire album with Timbaland his next time around...but i didn't expect this. When u said "club/crunk" track...i waz expecting a Lil' Jon type track which i waz hesitant 2 be excited about. I like this track alot tho'...just something good 2 blast and nod ya head 2. There's always a tyme and place 4 a club banger track so i don't see it as a bad thing at all. I didn't catch the words 2 the chorus but i thought it waz fine. I love Timbaland's production and this track dosen't even strike me as the kinda song where i can just hear it and say "yeah, Timbaland produced this." I'm hyped about the new album and what L.L. has got in store. I've never been really disappointed with anything he's done and i love Timbaland's stuff...so i welcome this next album. It's good 2 hear that he's keeping it clean still (by what we can judge thru' this new song).

Man, they are just 2 different 2 compare. I hated Vanilla Ice when he 1st came out...never liked him. I just thought he waz an M.C. Hammer wanna-be who tried 2 hard. His 2nd album waz totally overlooked, but i gave it a listen and got mad cuz he actually had a few good beats on it...but he waz the one rapping over them. I watched him on the Surreal Life a few times and thought he waz actually kinda cool...ha ha....but that has nothing 2 do with his music. Master P i always thought waz wack as well. I just think that the No Limit sound (when they were big and now) is just awful...empty beats that sound like 8 year olds put 2gether. And other than Snoop Dogg, none of the rappers on the label could barely speak a word of comprehesable english...just moaning and screaming in their music. I think in recent years, Master P has relaxed a bit and that his current wack music isn't as wack as his really popular late-90's wack music. Either way, i don't like music by either of these guys.

I also got the DVD but i havn't watched it yet. Since it wazn't shown here where i live...i had 2 get it when it 1st dropped. I can't wait 2 watch it. The reason this one is probably the best is cuz 2Pac's camp backed it up officialy.

Yes, Will smacked that fool and put him in his place. It happened back in 1995 during the Bad Boys era. I have the Inside Edition or Hard Copy feature on this event and it's hilarious. It waz a set up....one guy kept taking pictures and ignoring Will's nice requests to leave them alone and stop taking pictures...the other guy followed them from a distance video taping the whole thing trying 2 see what they could get. After the guy followed him 2 the car and kept taking pictures, Will smacked the guy upside the head...it's great. I could watch that thing looped for 3 hours....ha ha. This didn't hurt Will's career at all and infact, most people don't even know about it. Of course if they did, they wouldn't blame him. As somebody who has seen the video, let me assure that Will should have beat the guy down minutes b4 he smacked him upside the head.

That waz the 1st break we read in Will's departure from Columbia. It's not accurate tho'....like posted above, Columbia and Will weren't happy with each other. That's why the crappy Greatest Hits album waz put out...2 fulfill their contract and have no legal problems. This article came out 2 Januarys ago. That article is garbage tho'...what ever Sony PR said that is full of crap, yet it shows how Columbia is. That say he dosen't appeal 2 kids...well, who said Will ever wanted 2 appeal 2 kids. Will isn't making kids music here...just cuz he makes respectable music without cussing and gritty details about the darker things in life dosen't mean he's making music 4 children. Will just makes music cuz he loves it and dosen't discriminate 2 who can relate 2 it. Columbia has turned in2 a label where your talent means nothing, your creative mind means nothing, your art means nothing...only your ability 2 make them money on your own means something 2 them. The second u have a success-lacking video/single, etc....they ignore u until u fall off the label. Will is a multi-faced artist who can do something simple yet deep like "The Rain"...then do a radio-friendly dance track like "Miami." If somebody thinks Will's music career starts with "Men In Black" and ends with "Miami" then they are fools who fell in 2 Columbia's plan of making Will the ultimate, non-threatening, un-creative rapper ever. I remember reading a comment from Will in an interview where he talked about being off Columbia and there was a dash of disliking towards them. I waz happy 2 read that cuz it totally shows that Will waz tired of the "Hollywood Rapper" thing and that he felt his music career suffered with them...cuz it did. We are about 2 witness a new chapter in his music career.