It was a great year for me in 2007! Why, these crazy people just did whatever, whenever, with whoever! With that, I decided to – pull out of my brain – the wackiest stuff to happen last year with a lil’ commentary. Check it out.
Gimmick Dance Rapper/Singers: I have news for you. If you had a rap song that was connected to a dance, you are probably reading this from the comforts of your home. My advice is to leverage your fame to get you a job that you really don’t deserve. If you are of school-age, pre-registration starts soon at a high school or community college near you. The Dance rap phenomenon was a flash in the pan and unfortunately so were most of its artists.
Soulja Boy Told ‘Em: Hey, I like that song he did, but I’m not doing the damn dance. He’s no Yung Joc!
The iPhone Stomped Other Gadgets: I don’t even have an iPhone! Still, they were the coolest gadget in town for the hip crowd.
Black People Hating on Barack Obama: You can’t have it both ways, Black People! You can’t have the first viable, realistic candidate for president and then claim that he isn’t “Black enough.” Anybody that talks good, unbroken English was/is considered “acting White.” Well, I think in ’07 people lost their ever-lovin’ minds in questioning Barack as if he was David Duke or something. His name is Barack! That’s Blacker than Jackson!
Rampage Jackson Beat Chuck Liddell: I told you so. Mixed Martial Arts really rose up in ’07.
Oscar De La Hoya’s Fishnet Stockings: Were they live or Photoshopped?
White Women Rule Rap: This is the second year that White women ruled rap! What can you say? Fergie and Nelly Furtado’s CD’s dropped in 06 and they still dominated clear into 07. Jungle Fever is what I had for White Female rapper/singers.
50 Cent/Jim Jones Unite: You know, I loved that Jim and 50 overcame that petty beef in 07. Sure, it created a scene where Cam’ron took a L, but it was all for the greater good.
50 Cent Reaching: 50 Cent really did a lot this year, but the beefs that didn’t happen proved that he was totally reaching with his attempted beef with Lil’ Wayne, Fat Joe, Cam’ron and innumerable more.
Remy Ma Cried: When BET’s Toure interviewed Remy Ma in 2007 and she cried as she talked about her trials and tribulations…I cried.
Remy Ma Allegedly Shot Somebody: There is somebody right now named Makeda that doesn’t give a damn that Remy Ma cried.
T.I. Getting Arrested For Allegedly Buying Machine Guns: Altogether now: SMH!
Raekwon Shatters Wu-Tang Fans Dreams: Everybody was hype for the crews new CD and…after Rae dissed it, nobody much cared.
The Jena Six: Yeah, they were done wrong, but that doesn’t mean they can get on BET and start throwing up what seemed to be gang signs! Shout out to Hip-Hop for riding nonetheless.
Michael Baisden: How is he the Bad Boy of the radio when he is like 50 years old? No disrespect, but how about being the Bad Man?
Ray J Needs Attention: He moved his career forward and backward at the same time.
Kim Kardashian Got Attention: I love her! I can’t help it! This chick did a sex tape with Ray J and I would still get my Ill & Al Scratch on if I had the chance with her!
Other Love Crushes I had: Kelly Rowland Ruled! I have to admit, Gabrielle Union was the “it” girl. And of course Meagan, Nia and Sanaa. There was a brief thing for Lauren London until I realized she liked a rapper that looks like a pet rat.
Lil Wayne Is So Great: Lil’ Wayne professed to be the best without so much as a classic album out. Maybe that’s the real sad thing about Hip-Hop.
Daddy Diddy: Had a new baby from a woman that wasn’t named Kim Porter. And he had twins with Kim Porter.
Papoose Punch: Pap got sucker punched and nobody thought it was cool, except the conspirators.
Jay-Z Left Def Jam: The Def Pres announced that he didn’t want to be president anymore on X-Mas Eve. How sneaky!
Reasonable Doubt 07: Jay-Z also dropped Reasonable Doubt 07 (American Gangster) after the grown and sexy stuff didn’t go over well.
Jay-Z and Kanye West: These dudes released two of the best albums in 2007, but how is it that they both marred them with one horrible song each. “Hello Brooklyn” and “Drunken Hot Girls” were stinky and out of place.
Internet Beef: Whether it was the fans or the rappers, internet beef was at an all time high and it was as corny as ever! Yay!
“You Mad Cuz I’m Stylin’ On You”: ENJ was mad when Nycks was stylin’ on him, because E sucker punched him in a rap battle. I had to love this one, because it was such a shocker.
Two Girls, One Cup: Just Sick. [Google it…NSFW!]
Common: If you are over 30 and rap, look at Common for the blueprint to aging gracefully in Hip-Hop.
Hip-Hop-based Reality Shows: Whether it was the “White Rapper Show” or Flav or that show Shar Jackson won – they were corny! (Persia is my homey though!)
Oprah Vs. Hip-Hop: She’s worth over a billion. Can’t we all just get along?
Free (Fill In the Blank With A Rapper In Jail): No, every rapper that gets thrown in the bing isn’t worthy of a “Free (Rapper Name)” campaign. There needs to be a “Jail (Rapper Name) campaign for some of these ignorant N-Words!
Britney and Amy: 2007 was a weird one. The media and the fans literally watched and waited for these two to die. Sad.
Hip-Hop Vs. America: I loved how BET did the excellent Hip-Hop Vs. America show and then proceeded to push the same songs/videos/artists that are supposedly messing up the community and the music. Hmmmmmm…..
The Rise of The Hipster Nation: I don’t know where these people came from, but I’m not with it. The pants are tight enough to stop your future kids. How do they get their pants that are like spandex jeans…yet they sag? Too many Barbie flavored colors! I like people that are different, but conformity exists in subcultures too!
The Saggy Nation: Still saggin’ your jeans like a fool? It has been going on for well over a decade. The sag and super oversized clothing is old and it’s played. If you ain’t wearing hand-me-downs, you need to cut it out with that super size clothing.
Don Imus: Damn him for blaming Hip-Hop for his racist acts.
Sean Taylor Murdered: The rappers did it! No, seriously. When Sean Taylor died, I was stunned. People murdering NFL players? Something is wrong!
Blaming Rap: America will never solve anything if it continues to point its judgmental finger at Hip-Hop.
Racism: You had to love how racism came back with a vengeance. Luckily there were no necks in all those nooses.
Beyonce Fell: I mean, she actually made a mistake. Wow!
Rihanna Rose: I became a fan after not caring one bit for Ri Ri. A whole bunch of other people were with me.
Eddie Murphy’s Denial: Denial (get it, Da Nile) is a river in Egypt for Eddie Murphy, but he is the father of Mel B’s father.
No H### & Pause: I get it. In Hip-Hop, the heterosexual people don’t want to be regarded as gay. Still, “no h###” and “pause” are getting old, even though it was very comical at first. In 2007, the terms became tools that are used by insecure men that could actually be gay.
Let The Ladies Back: Since nobody is gay, let the ladies come back into Hip-Hop, you hypermasculine rapper boys! I miss the ladies and I don’t mean video chicks.
Deaths: Like every year, many people didn’t make it until 2007. James Brown technically died in 2006 (Christmas day), but he deserves a nod as the King. Ike Turner is a founding father or Rock music and should be seen as more than a dude that beat up Tina. Anna Nicole died. Billy Henderson of the Spinners passed. Donda West died. Hip-Hop lost Pimp C.
Fictitious Deaths: In pop culture, the death of characters hit people hard too. 50 Cent might be alive, but fans of 24 saw the death of another Curtis – Curtis Manning. (Damn Jack Bauer!) Comic fans and patriots alive mourned the legendary Captain America. It was late 2006, but I’m still mad Bodie from The Wire had to go out. On “Heroes,” they managed to save that cheerleader, but other characters died only to be reborn.
The AllHipHop Celebrity Battle: Yeah, that battle was pretty interesting, but what was equally interesting was the ensuing battle after the fact. Budden, Phonte, Mistah Fab – All the dudes get my respect.
Rumors: Rumors, Rumors and more rumors in 2008!
2007: All in all…I am ready for this New Year called 2008. Let the games begin.