NEW MUSIC: Nas - Last Real Nigga Alive Pt. 2 (Power, Paper, Puxxy)(Dirty)(NO DJ)(Off That DJ Green Lantern "Invasion Radio 2K10" Mixtape)

Streaming Audio/Download Link: Nas - Last Real Nigga Alive Pt. 2 (Power, Paper, Pussy)(Dirty)(NO DJ)

CHRIS LIVE AKA SHAKER SAYS: Previously released last weekend as both a DJ "tagged" and later an all-curses-scrubbed version, I opted to Aaron Rodgers pass on those premature offerings and simply wait for the internet to do what it do ... lol. My confidence in the World Wide Web's (NOTE: "World Wide Web"! Of course we ALL know what "www." stands for but, how creepy and eerily Orwellian does that sound when NOT abbreviated and actually written all the way out?) ability to self-regulate and respond to the online market's rabid demands for C.ompact D.isc Q.uality records was promptly rewarded when the official "Dirty" version of this Nas "Last Real Nigga Alive Pt. 2 (Power, Paper, Pussy)" dropped yesterday. And all was right with the world.

For all of his near career shattering missteps, all it takes is a classic Herb Alpert horn loop, a sparse "Boom Bap" drum that would make the always bitter Krs-1 proud and precisely 1 minute and 17 seconds of his time to remind us ALL why Mr. "Nasty to Nas, Nas to Escobar" can NEVER be counted out of the "Greatest Rapper Of All Time" discussion. Listen and L.O.V.E. it!




BONUS:

While immediately upon pressing play any music fan worth his or her weight in vinyl will recognize this songs unique capacity to "Hypnotize" the crowd, follow the sample brick road a bit further to fully appreciate the sublime Jazz-Fusion trumpet of Herb Alpert on his 1979 Billboard #1 instrumental hit "Rise" that was deftly utilized for this new Nas track. Know the ledge!

MVPuppets: Blitzen Raps, Santa Raps x Reindeers Get Dunked On!

Uno.



Dos.



Tres.

CHRIS LIVE AKA SHAKER SAYS: All of this hoopin' Holiday cheer comes to Y.O.U. from Nike, Kobe Bryant and Lebron "I L.O.V.E. NY" James with the good 1-2 assist from Krs-1 and Lupe Fiasco. Good shit!

It's Still "Fuck The Police".

CHRIS LIVE AKA SHAKER SAYS: Sadly, in a misguided and, as this video illustrates, dangerous effort to prove themselves to their colleagues, Black police officers often overcompensate for their "Blackness" by demeaning and inflicting great pain on people who, without the badge and the blue uniform, would look just like them. It is as if many Black police officers (though, certainly not all) use such acts of aggression as a way to show their absolute allegiance to the "Boys In Blue". In effect, such disproportionate responses to situations that they interpret as threats to their ego and their social ranking in the precinct are meant to say, "Hey! Look @ my willingness to and, indeed, the joy that I derive from mistreating other people who look like me. I am not like these other niggers nor am I sympathetic to them and/or their needs. I can be trusted".

Such brutal disassociative measures are NEVER acceptable and I am glad that some "Joe-Schmoe" on the street had the balls to tape this incident and, more importantly, the where-with-all, even in the face of police harassment, to "no-look" pass the counter-evidence tape to 1 of the victim's friends in the crowd. I've had cops lie and lock me up for no reason before ... that shit aint no joke homie. While I am not a fan of "big brother" surveillance following our each and every move, I am super happy that, every once in awhile, we get to police the police. Message to the victim: Sue the fuck out of New York City and slap them bitch assed cops with a civil suit that would make their mama cry! Good shit.


BONUS:

Krs-1 - Black Cop (Circa 1993)

"Try To Refrain From Playing The Childish Games"

The idiom, "age aint nothing but a number" gets bandied about by boys and girls looking to escape the seemingly never ending limitations of childhood and by aging players and playettes alike, desperately trying to convince everybody within ear shot that they've still got "it" - whatever "it" is - and that they still know how to use "it" ... lol.

Growing up, I never really lied to girls about my age - I've always been unusually comfortable (NOTE: I only consider my forthrightness to be "unusual" when compared to the trickery that many of my peers traffic in regularly) in my own skin and on my own time. With that said, when Chi-Ali dropped "Age Aint Nothing But A #" in 1992, it was a rallying cry for young niggas like myself whom (like ALL pre-teens and teenagers do) viewed himself as superlatively mature and waaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond the note passing, catch-and-kiss, he say/she say games of yesteryear. I mean, I was 12 years old ... it's not like I was some little 10 year old kid anymore ... lol.

Anyway, as I jam out to this song today, the ridiculousness of a child rapping about not needing a girl who is "14 and burnt out" is not lost on me 1 bit. Funnier still is when Chi-Ali gets rejected by a girl who is 17 Years old for being too young himself, only to have him skillfully turn the tables and shit on her by detailing the extent of his 13 year old fortune and how now, thanks to her shitty little attitude, she has disqualified herself from rolling with a winner! Seriously, Y.O.U. have to listen to this record with adult ears ... like, right now!

Yes, this song is a classic that is woefully underappreciated. Sadly, most Hip Hop fans only remember Chi-Ali for turning his 30 second role in the HBO cautionary gun flick "Strapped" into some real life shit when he merked his girlfriend's brother in The Bronx about 10 years ago. Nobody remembers the talented kid who was groomed by the world famous Beatnuts (Yes, "Reign Of The Tec" deserves and will get it's own post here @ Livestyle) and was the youngest member of The Native Tongues.

Long after his brush with Hip Hop fame, I met son through my-brother-from-another-mother Cliff and he was a good dude ... real talk. I don't even know what his bid is like, but I pray for the homie and for all of my good incarcerated brothers and sisters. Age may NOT be a number, but that jail sentence most definitely is.

It's too bad that kids don't rap like actual kids anymore. I would much rather hear an honest song like this that explores the universal topic of courtship and dating from an adolescent's perspective than to have some little remedial runt trying to prove to me how "gangster" he is ... lol. Basically, thanks for a Hip Hop classic Chi-Ali. Good shit.



BONUS:

Oh yeah, Y.O.U. already know that this song samples the boom bap greatness that is KRS One and B.oogie D.own P.roduction's "Criminal Minded", right? Of course Y.O.U. do. My Livestyle "freshness" guarantee and my commitment to excellence compels me to point out such things though ... lol. It is what it is. How old school New York is that Y.O.U. ask? Very.