Tag: Common

#RushHourRap – Rexx Life Raj – Lockheed Martin

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You only get one life at the end of the day, some people work they whole life and give it away
Midlife crisis full of dreams they didn’t chase live with the regret of all of the risks that they didn’t take

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of conscious rappers from the old heads like Common to the current king of the game in J. Cole and Rexx Life Raj scratches that itch for anyone looking for something new. Rexx Life Raj isn’t a ringtone rapper, he frequently mocks wannabe gangster rappers, and was even a D1 athlete playing on a football scholarship protecting the blindside of current Cowboys Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore at Boise State (although he was a couple of years after the Statue of Liberty play). The Berkley, California native has been putting out music for a few years working with the likes of Russ and E-40, but I was turned onto him when he dropped “Lockheed Martin” in June of this year. The Ringer actually did a feature on him last year if you’re looking for a good profile of his come up. Check out Rexx Life Raj and let us know what you think of him and the whole #RushHourRap playlist on Spotify.

#RushHourRap – 16 Years Ago Today Kanye West Released The College Dropout

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Say what you will about Kanye West and all the drama around him over the years, but you cannot deny the man put out some of the best rap music ever made early in his career. Kanye’s debut album The College Dropout alone featured mega hits like Through the Wire, Slow Jamz, Jesus Walks, and All Falls Down. Those are just the radio hits though.

If you haven’t listened to this album in a while, do yourself a favor and go back and listen to Spaceship, Never Let Me Down (ft. Jay Z), Get Em High (ft. Talib Kwelli and Common), Breathe In Breathe Out (ft. Ludacris) just to name a few. Thats basically the entire album, and I didn’t even mention New Workout Plan.

Kanye is without a doubt the most successful producer turned rapper after spending years mixing beats for guys like Jay-Z. Watching a young Ye at work in the studio really is incredible to see. Just look at Jay’s face when he first hears some of these beats that would later go on The Black Album. That’s inspiring man.

One of my all-time favorite Kanye West stories comes from the Tim Ferris Show when Jamie Foxx told the story of how Slow Jamz came together:

Also, in things I learned today is that the bear mascot that Kanye had become synonomous with over the years for incorporating into several album covers, was a completely unplanned thing.

Common Just Showed Why He’s Still One of the Realest to This Day

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Common has released 11 albums, sold nearly 3 million copies, won 3 Grammys, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award all while acting in some awesome movies during his spare time. Even with that mountain of accolades Common is still one of the realest dudes out there.

Walking down the street in New Orleans the other day he stumbled across a young, hungry rapper spitting freestyles on the sidewalk. It would have been more than reasonable for Common to do what most of us do; just blow right past that guy and continue on with your day. Except he actually stops and listens to encourage the young man before actually jumping in and giving the guy a few tips. Common legitimately looks excited about the whole encounter, which is so cool to see from someone as mega-famous as him. Not to mention he just put this guy on the map with a shoutout and a viral video for the ages.

Now I leave you with one of the best hip hop songs ever made.