I'm trying really hard to love it, but it's not happening.There are some brilliant tracks on like (the first track is fantastic). but there's a few songs too many where my mind ends up wandering. The sample on F.U.T.W does my head in. What is that from?

I can't place the sample from "Heaven," though I know it has to be painfully obvious. The melody of the chorus, at the very least, sounds like it must be a Rubber Soul era Beatles track, but can I place it? Absolutely not. I'm sure it's in the CD booklet somewhere (y'all have to buy the CD- packaging is gorgeous)
but I'm too proud to look.

I really can't believe how poor the critical reception has been. Everyone thinks it's a great instrumental/musical effort, but that Jay is bored or old or tired. He's probably all three, but he still loves making music, and it's clear that this was a major undertaking for him, long in the works. Not just a promo for Samsung.

Speaking of phone promos, is Gaga really releasing her album *two months earlier* on iPhone? That seems extremely dumb. Although, if you're gonna do it, do it with iPhone. It's much more difficult to extract iTunes songs and make them playable on other devices, just due to the strictness of the medium. With google/windows phones, you might as well give away a million copies of your album, because anyone who can turn on a computer can share the songs within 60 seconds of downloading the app. Gaga might be making a brilliant marketing move for herself, apple, and IOS7. Cunning little bird.

i'm happy about the poor critical reception, cuz that'll motivate Jay to do a crazy ass album next. he's still got one or two great albums in him, he ain't leaving like this.

word. While I feeel a lot of it is Jay on autopilot, the beats are incredible. And my best compliment is that even when he has little to say, he sounds awesome saying it.

why aren't you guys talking about Vince Staples' verse on Hive?

Must spread more rep. Before blah blah noisereductions.

Yeah, he might want to branch out a bit lyrically. I think taking a more political angle would serve him very well. He can't really talk about the same old shit anymore, but he is in the perfect position to start rapping about social and cultural issues.

For instance, nobody's going to buy Jay Z rapping about his own life being "hard knock" anymore, but what about all the people who still live the life he escaped? He could be an advocate for change. He could tell other people's stories, and ensure that they were heard. From now on, I only want to hear 2 tracks per album about how awesome Jay is. I don't mind that Magna Carta consist of little else, but I think he could be a John Lennon figure for the rap world; something that gwnre's never truly had.

Basically, instead of telling us more about his own story, and laughing at the "haters" (of which there are, essentially, none) I want Jay to get angry, and rap about the average 40-something black man. My one complaint about Jay, who is basically my favorite pop emcee, is that he sounds like a ficking republican. A CEO. A "two-percenter." I just want him to take the "with great power comes great responsibility" path, instead of the "with great power comes the right to brag about having great power" one.

Still, one of the most well produced hip hop albums of the year. Even lyrically, it packs a serious punch at times, and features some lines that are destined to be classics. He also has managed to change with the times, without losing that Reasonable Doubt-era, Brooklyn gangsta persona that made such an impression in the '90s. I can't think of any others from that era who have been able to evolve with the genre, and sometimes even stand at the forefront of the cutting edge, while still essentially sticking with the style that made them stand out in the first place (with the possible exception of Nas--ironically-- though history simply hasn't been as kind to him as it has to Jay, and Nas has always been stuck between his inherent urge to preserve his individuality, and his susceptibility to the opinions of others... Specifically critics and fans; motherfucker is way too eager to make them happy. Jay doesn't give a fuck.)

My posts are ridiculously long. I start them, and get distracted, and get back to them hours later, making them read (I'm sure) like some kind of steam of conscousness tirade. Sorry about that.

you just made me wanna listen to "Black Republican"

Puffy just stepped on his discography ;)

Sev, you remind me of myself with Weezy. i always want him to do better, because i know he can, and put more soul into his music. but it never happens, and i get pissed off.

Yeah, but Jay has had soulful moments. He also has a cultural consciousness, but you're right. I'm asking for disappointment. Better to look to Kanye for that kind of thing, though at the moment he seems to be going through a kind of "plastic Ono band" phase, so to speak, and settling for primal scream over bed-ins and peace. ;)

Does "Diddy" even pretend to make music anymore? What a fraudulent fuck. I actually had a little conspiracy theory going about him back when Biggie died. I was probably spot on. Fuck it.

Smart move Puffy, concede defeat musically and take your talents to South Beach. They just cut Mike Miller, I think they got an open slot on the roster ;)

I aim to please ;)

Z-Man - Yeah That's the Rellie ft. DJ Quest

http://youtu.be/mvUFcTCfyG8

Man, look at that dumb, vacant look on his face. I know he's not an idiot (when it comes to being a snobby black Donal Trump on reality shows and endorsing things-- his actual knowledge of marketing and business is overblown, honestly) but in this picture it's like he's doing a Towelie impression.

"Ah man, look at how wacky this whole situation is that you are photographing! And me without a towel! But seriously, we are all very good friends."

Heat are probably thinking, "What the fuck is Puffy doing getting in our picture?"

Nah, I'm sure they just saw the tux and assumed it was Kanye. After all, non-NBA players all look alike. (I'm just saying what everyone's thinking!)

August 20.

Aaaaaaaaand boom goes the dynamite.