September 19, 2008
Archive for the 'Rap' Category
As all of my reader(s) know, I love rap about sports.
So, because of that love, I must re-distribute (AKA blatantly re-post other people’s hard-earned content) this quick rap about LeBron James from over a year ago, but just now making its rounds on the Internets.
The biggest Sports Talk Radio Show in Los Angeles (possibly the biggest radio market if you cede that people in New York are on public transportation and don’t get the radio) had it’s main host and co-host, basically, not believe in LeBron. But it was soo much more than not believing; they belittled him.
So this had to happen to them:
We all should learn something from CAVSBOARD.com. Your eyes don’t lie. Admit to greatness when you see it or can see it coming. Admit to reason. Stop being unreasonable, even if you think it creates “ratings”. “PTI” works because Wilbon and Kornheiser are good together, not because they disagree all the time (which they don’t). That’s why I don’t watch “Around the Horn” or anything Skip Bayless does. Someone has told them to just dissent to whatever is reasonable because it gets good ratings. Although there is some point to that (intelligent and thoughtful, yet passionate discussion of differing sides is good TV or Radio), but that LA Radio Host (Steve Hartman) just differs from the norm for the hell of it. It is almost unlistenable at times when he tries to corner people for any statement they make, when the public can clearly tell what is meant.
Back in July, I wrote about an underground rapper named “Ja Skillz”, who also went by the pseudonym “Daniel-san”, the same name I write under.
This “Ja Skillz” berated me in an email in which he demanded that I stop writing under “his” name. We exchanged heated emails and he became more and more interesting to me. Eventually, I asked him for his album and he offered it up to me for the “low price, considering the brilliance, of $35″.
As I said back in July, a week after I immediately turned down that offer, he sent me a rap song about Golf. Fantastic.
He also sent me a rap song about the Buffalo Bills. He mentioned in his, I’m assuming, fake bio that he was born in Buffalo, so apparently he has an affinity for the Bills, as well as the Gentlemen’s Game.
I haven’t heard from “Skillz” in awhile, but the Golf Song and this Bills song, entitled “Norwood Wide Right”- which he called a “slow jam”- have gotten me through a long summer.
First, to preface the song, it was apparently written between 2000 - 2002, during or just after the “Rob Johnson Era”.
Wade Phillips fat references, Kent Hull, the Biscuit, Jim Kelly and Rogaine, Ted Marchibroda, Thurman losing his helmet and Andre Reed getting the unsportsmanlike conduct call in the Redskins Super Bowl right before half-time: this song has it all.
“Norwood Wide Right” - Ja Skillz - link to song
Checking my email late one evening several weeks ago, I came across a scathing rant addressed to a “Daniel-san”, which is my blogging nom de plum, obviously not my real name, nor how I should be addressed when being attacked personally.
The assailant was a person who signed off as “Ja Skillz”, but had claimed the nickname of “Daniel-san” as an alias… an alias he used as a Rapper (he also claimed “The Elite”, “The Franchise”, and “The Commissioner”). He wanted me to cease using the name “Daniel-san” to write posts… immediately.
After a few entertaining- but vicious- emails back and forth, I became very intrigued about this “Rapper” and asked him to send me some of his stuff. A week after I quickly turned down his offer for me to buy an album for $35, he sent along a couple of songs and this “Bio”:
Born in the dead of winter in the rugged streets of Buffalo, NY, Ja Skillz learned to fend for himself by the time he was a mere toddler and moved to the 6 Mile neighborhood in Detroit, MI (2 Miles tougher than Eminem’s neighborhood). After hustling for 2 and a half years, he moved to Trenton, NJ to sell crack. During the infamous crack shortage of 1996, he was forced to move back home to South Buffalo to run drugs in from the nearby Canadian border. After three years in Juvey, he tried to set himself straight and get into the Rap game. After spending an entire year working on the now classic album “Where’s My Forty Acres and a Mule?” (2002) in the ghetto of Syracuse, NY, he was shot eleven times (2 more than Fifty) in a beef that stemmed back to his days hustlin’ in the streets of Detroit. He was in a coma for 16 months, lost his ability to smell and hear, but was still able to make a strong comeback with the hit “Norwood Wide Right”.
At this point, I was disappointed, a little amused, but mainly just disappointed that this whole thing was nothing more than a hoax. I figured the songs were dangerous viruses and I didn’t download them… until a week later when “Skillz” emailed me:
Have you listened to the tracks yet? What do you think?
He seemed serious. So I went to the Library and downloaded the files on that computer.
And what I found has to be the only Rap song ever that is solely about the game of Golf.
I thought now, right before the British Open, would be the perfect time to unveil this song, as Skillz even references Jean Van De Velde, the man who we last saw at Carnoustie (also the site of this year’s Open Championship), gracing us with “the least clutch moment in all of sports.”
Even if Ja Skillz is trying to make up a persona, he actually recorded this… he actually wrote it out, made a beat (although it’s tough to hear sometimes because of poor audio quality)- I no longer cared what lies he was telling me or what stories he was making up- you can’t lie about a song. I can hear it. He actually made this gem. And by “gem”, I mean… well… you’ll see.
So, without further ado, here’s Ja Skillz- with “Game’s Displayin’”:
Ok, so maybe it is a virus.
(I’m actually slightly entertained- the reference to Tom Watson’s 1982 U.S. Open chip, rapping about Arnold Palmer being Golf’s first millionaire, a random Mike Myers SNL reference- it’s just messed up… but strangely appealing. I don’t really know what to say.)
- Look closely… some skywriter drew a smiley face in the sky over Los Angeles one Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago. And people hate this city. Come on.
- In my NBA Awards column, I didn’t have Carlos Boozer as high as My Roommate because the Jazz struggled down the stretch. He pointed out that Boozer was still great. Well, he was right and is right- but look what happens when Mehmet Okur doesn’t do anything offensively (down 0-2 to Houston). His scoring was down in April, too, and the Jazz had a losing record. Yes, this doesn’t really matter for All-NBA Teams, but I would just like to point this out.
- You wanted it- you got it: Now it’s time to dig deep down into your soul and ask the Coreys whatever you want.
- I’m only doing this as a favor to My Roommate. He’s been singing this song for months. It’s his favorite song and his favorite hobby. So, without further Adu, here’s My Roommate’s Jam of the Year:
- Oh, and here’s Kobe Bryant’s favorite song:
- Look’s like one person almost saw what I saw this year in the Coach of the Year voting. (Pat Riley one 2nd Place vote)
- Boy do the Yankees need pitching- and Bernie Williams. Miguel Cairo was playing the Outfield and a hurt Johnny Damon was put in late in the game. Bernie refused to come to spring training without a guaranteed contract and now the Yankees are calling up guys from Triple A. I know Bernie is possibly not in baseball shape right now, but what does that mean? Bobby Abreu looks like a cross between John Kruk and Sammy Sosa and he’s fine. It’s sad that Bernie has gone out like this, but he or Cashman or somebody is just being stupidly stubborn here.
- I’m not sexist, but I do like the fact that when the Yankees win, they play Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York” and when they lose some woman sings it.
- I’ve finally figured out why people hate A-Rod: His at-bat music choices were “Walk It Out” by Unk and “This is Why I’m Hot” by Mims at the game on Sunday. Awful. Just awful. This is one of the times in Rap History that I’m glad Biggie and Tupac aren’t alive to see this.
- Bobby was right on “The Sopranos” last night, but I still enjoy playing with the Free Parking Rule- i.e., how Tony and Carmela played, not just placing $500 in the center to start the game. Come on. That’d be ridiculous.
- I know it’s just how his shirt is, but at the end of this video, Zach Johnson looks like he popped his collar when he put on the Green Jacket. I bet the members at Augusta were none too pleased with that move.
- Where are all the boxers with losing records? Every fight I see is like some dude who is 27-2 going up against a guy with a 35-4 record. Someone is losing those fights. I want to see a fight where one guy is like 16-23 and the other dude is 7-43. Now that should be on HBO.
- The greatest group of videos on YouTube: Paul Wall’s “Get Money TV” promoting his new album that drops in April. Watch Paul do word association, check his MySpace messages, teach you how to brush your grills, and let you know what “Chunk the Deuce” means. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
- Did David Stern order all teams to stop trying so the Knicks can make the playoffs? I mean, he knows that he can’t pull the old “frozen envelope” this year because the Bulls have the Knicks’ pick, so he must be ordering Indiana (lost 7 in a row), Orlando (4-12 in their last 16), and New Jersey (lost 3 in a row) to start tanking. But it appears Shaq and crew are disobeying the edict (12-4 in their last 16).
- I’m not saying the teams are bad, but MAN, do I hate the Big 10- in both sports. How bad was that first round of the Big 10 Tourney? These mid-Western teams are just BORING. I don’t know what it is- and yes, the Michighan/OSU football game was amazing this year, but try watching Indiana travel to Illinois for football or Michigan/Purdue in basketball. It’s bad. Real bad… and yet, I watch it.
- The NBA is considering a Flopping Rule next season (Varejao Rule). Hockey did this several years ago and soccer recently instituted possible yellow cards if the Ref thinks you flopped trying to get a call. I’m hoping this goes to baseball and football, too. That little twat David Eckstein would get kicked out of the MLB and Shaun Alexander would get penalty after penalty every time he falls down after getting “touched” in the backfield.
- Another Rap story- Suge Knight is giving up Death Row records because he found God? The New York Post is reporting that he recently met with two different Preachers who told him to forget about the past and move on. I don’t trust that murdering bastard one bit. Everyone be on their highest alert- Suge is definitely planning something… I just don’t know what it is yet. I’ll keep on top of this story.
10 Years Later