Who is the Real Slim Shady?

This album is deep as fuck. Let’s starts with a warning…. DANGER!!!! This album is very deep, and is the single most graphic album I have ever listened too. The subject matter will include: Sex, Drugs, Rape, Incest, Incest Rape, Kidnapping, Infanticide, Terroristic threats (think Columbine), Sexual Abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, and LITERALLY ANYTHING YOU COULD EVER GET OFFENDED ABOUT. There are more references to infanticide than any other album in the history of the world. This album is off the rails and absolutely bonkers.  I wish I could describe my feelings about this album, but there aren’t words for it in the English language. Absolutely crazy.

The lyrics behind this album may be to most graphic I have ever heard. I had never been reduced to feeling sick about a song like I did for “Kim” and “Stan”. Rarely does an artist incorporate the sounds of chocking, killing, and raping women into their songs. This is an incredibly touch subject to even consider talking about, much less is much an explicit, “rape glorifying” way.  Throughout the album, Eminem uses an unprecedented number of slurs. His vocabulary leaves no group safe, as he goes after Everyone other than straight white males.

Eminem wrote this album using cluster-fuck of different tactics. Dr. Dre has described his an eccentric and unconventional. Eminem has described himself as a “studio rat” who liked being alone in the studio brainstorming. During the production of this album, Eminem would engage in 20-hour long studio sessions. He tried to keep these secret to keep the publicity down, which distracted him from writing the song in the way and with the meaning that he intended. Dr. Dre said, “We don’t wake up at two in the morning, call each other, and say, ‘I have an idea. We gotta get to the studio.’ We just wait and see what happens when we get there.” They were both very chill when the recording process involved them both, a direct contrast from when Eminem is working by himself in the studio.  Eminem has said on multiple occasions that his favorite material on the album evolved from “fucking around” in the studio, and seeing what spun out of that. This shows Eminem’s mindset very well; IT WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE. He has even gin into some detail about doing ecstasy in the studio as a sort of “Firestarter” of ideas. Having such a loaded track in “Bitch Please II” also added that talent to the production, with Dr. Dre being heavily involved with this album and Snoop Dogg helping out for the single track. Dr. Dre really helped elaborate on beats, and increase the mainstream production value. He stripped back the beats and let Eminem’s killer rapping do the talking.

It’s difficult to talk about “The Marshall Mathers LP” without mentioning the widespread commercial success of the album. This is the #1 best-selling album of ALL TIME by a solo rapper. OF ALL TIME. OVER 32 MILLION SALES. THE MAN SOLD 2 MILLION ALBUMS IN ONE WEEK. It’s hard to get my head around how insane this is. With such negative feedback on the harsher than harsh subject matter, that there are still enough people willing to pay for this album that it floats such a lofty sales margin. The album spent eight weeks at #1 on the charts. EIGHT WEEKS! TWO FUCKING MONTHS! Those are unfathomable results. It won the Grammy and MTV award for “Best Rap Album” of the year, and was the runner up for the Grammy’s “Album of the Year”. The album is unequivocally in anyone’s publications of the “500 Best Albums Ever” or “100 Best Rap Albums Ever”. The reception of this album is, In my opinion, the most intriguing in the history of music. The ungodly amount of record sales mixed with the ungodly backlash from disturbed families made for some great communal entertainment.

The backlash received from the Marshall Mathers LP was immediate and ferocious. With people as high up as Lynne Cheney, in the United States Senate, accuse this album to be the sole cause of the Columbine shooting during a hearing to try to impose age restrictions on his album. A similar case came out of Canada when Eminem was scheduled to play a gig in Toronto. Ontario’s Attorney General attempted to have Eminem stopped at the border, as he didn’t believe that it would look good for Canada to have him preform there. He was specifically wanted him arrested for violating hate crime laws with the way he talked about women, which is ironic because women aren’t covered under Canada’s hate crime laws. A study conducted by Edward Armstrong found that Eminem lyrics contain way above even the normal rap average for violent misogyny. With normal “Gangsta Rap” scoring around a 22/100, while Eminem scored a whopping 78/100. The LGBT community was another group that felt alienated by his music.  This climaxed at the 2001 Grammy Awards. Eminem performed “Stan” with openly gay singer Elton John. Eminem was using the fact the Elton John was gay to counter claims by GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) that his lyrics were homophobic. Despite massive protests and debates, the performance went on and the album won “Best Rap Album”. With this level of dissent for his music, there were bound to be extremists on the other side of things. He had fiercely loyal fans that were willing to do just about anything to clear his name. They would counter-protest when groups tried not to allow Eminem to tour through their city, claiming freedom of speech among other things.  

Public Service Announcement 2000

Eminem’s alter ego, “Slim Shady” is an absolute pile of horse shit and doesn’t deserve to reproduce. He is the most racist, sexist, flaming sack of garbage, person. But that is the point. He is meant to piss you off. It very quickly becomes an emotional response to the album, even if that emotion is very, very negative.

Kill You

This song has an incredibly catchy beat, great rhyming schemes, and is once of Eminem’s most popular non-single tracks to this day. Opening with this was definitely a good idea, as it is an introduction to the mindset of this album. It does, whoever, lack the bigotry and hate of the rest of the album. It’s like dipping your toes in the water and not expecting much, just to have a 50-foot Great White leap out and bite your dick off. Graphic enough yet?

Stan

This song will give you chills. It is rapped very well, and the vocal samples from Dido fit with the song remarkably well. The holds relevant to this day, as fans can be closer to their idols to the point where they follow their every move, thanks to social media. This is the cult classic of the album, and I have seen this song appear on some “Best Songs of the Decade” lists. The way Eminem puts this song together is awe-inspiring. It will take you from borderline orchestral at times, then “serenade” you with the blood-cuddling screams of a woman drowning in the trunk of a car. It runs down both end of the spectrum, and will fuck up your emotions.

Paul (Skit)

10 second phone call. Disgruntled fan can’t get his hands on the “new album”

Who Knew?

This song is about Eminem’s newfound fame and how that has had an effect on him. It is one of the more “middle-of-the-pack” tunes on this album. He pulls off solid rhymes while adding his signature touch of profane humor. This is one of my personal least favorite tracks, but it goes to show how deep the album is that it’s still worth the listen. There just isn’t too much that helps it stand out from the pack, and it leads to a lukewarm tape.

Steve Berman (Skit)

This skit is about the pressure that record labels put on artists to create. Specifically, on Eminem to put out new, best-selling material. The skit goes hand-in-hand with “The Way I Am” I love the concept of skits in the middle of albums. They can introduce characters, and we can watch them tell the story and fill in any blanks left by the songs.

The Way I Am

Eminem’s first serious single. Produced by the man himself, the beat is an eerie sounding piano loop with church bells complementing the chorus. You can definitely feel Eminem’s anger in this track about the media blaming him for the Columbine Massacre. I love this song, and it feels like the most genuine look you get at Eminem all album. He tends to hide behind other aliases, but this is Eminem, as a man, and he has all that pint up rage that makes him the powerful figure everyone views him to be. This also elicits plenty of emotion from fans of Eminem, specifically the ones that have followed him beyond music for a while.

The Real Slim Shady

This is the albums biggest hit. Essentially the sequel to “My Name Is”, it employs the same comedic voicing and mantra. This is just a killer song. It has been towards the top of my rap Spotify playlist for the entirety of my life. There are a lot of (at the time) pop culture references that flow really well and show that Eminem, while famous, still had his finger on the pulse. Just a really fun song.

Remember Me?

Coming in with the first guest appearance on the album, featuring Sticky Fingaz and RBX, packs a mean punch. Eminem convinced Sticky Fingaz to put his verse on his album (it was supposed to go on ‘2001’) because he fell in love with it. No surprise, Eminem was correct and the verse is fire. The beat is very dark, and fits well. Check this one out.

I’m Back

“Who Knew” 2.0, most of the content of the song is the exact same as “Who Knew”. A track about his own career. Skippable.

Marshall Mathers

The title track of this album, and surprisingly nothing like most of the album. This was produced by the Bass Brothers, who obviously took a different approach to their tracks. It is a nice respite for the “in your face” stylings we’ve been bombarded with other songs in this album. Nice guitar plucking.

Ken Kaniff (Skit)

Random. Reaffirms in people’s minds the immaturity of Eminem. Cringeworthy.

Drug Ballad

Solid beat with good verses rapped over them. One of my favorites. I enjoy this song partially for its introspective views on drug use. It gives us a different point of view than we’re used to; even if it is Eminem’s, who’s drug opinion you should take with a grain of salt.

Amityville

WHY DOES EVERYONE LOVE THIS SONG?! I don’t understand. The beat is fine I guess, kinda reminds me of Scooby Doo, and Eminem is ok… BUT GOD DAMN BIZARRE SUCKS. He just can’t rap well. He’s a wannabe Eminem with none of the actual talent, so he relies on shocking people with the subject matter that comes out of his mouth. Like he sounds so bad on this track it drags everything else down with him.

Bitch Please II

I like this song, as it tied Eminem back in with what every other rap artist was doing at the time. Dr. Dre knew how to rap it because he largely produced the rest of the album, and Snoop Dogg pulled his usual “Doggy Dog” charm. The other features make it look like Eminem walked into Dr. Dre’s hood and started spitting bars with him and all his buddies. My one criticism would be that it does feel kinda out of place in an Eminem album.

Kim

Wow. This song killed me. I don’t have the correct words needed to review this song. You have to listen to it for yourself.

Under the Influence

Copied “Bitch Please II” just like “I’m Back” copied “Who Knew”. Just this time the later was the better.

Criminal

A great conclusion to the album, solving its downward spiral since the “Ken Kaniff” skit. Super catchy, nice soothing tone to contrast the deranged lyrics. Perfect climax to a perfect album. 

Fuck Tha Police

REVISION

There has always been tension between Black culture and the Police, going all the way back to the civil war, Blacks have always been skeptical of the authoritative figures in charge, and for good reason. The police seem to have always given them a harder time about everything, even going back to voting and finding ways to keep them out of the voting booth even though the laws said that cleared African- Americans to vote. While always in the background, this hate had always found a way to be swept under the carpet, but really began to bubble to the surface in the 1960’s. The black culture had enough of the constant dehumanizing efforts from police departments from all over the country and decided to do something about it. Relations reached a boiling point after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.  James Earl Ray was convicted of Murdering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4^th, 1968. The Black community was rightfully incensed, and riots began nationwide. The anti-police sentiment grew from there, and it didn’t cool down. N.W.A had a first-hand experience of the police brutality that came as response to the rioting, and that became their inspiration for the album “Straight Outta Compton”. Compton was a major “hood” that saw way more than its fair share of police brutality. With a group consisting of black youths in the center of this, getting arrested, and experiencing the subject matter that they later wrote their songs on, there was no one as accredited on the matter to narrate.

N.W.A was a key voice in rallying against police brutality. Politicians, police, and conservative hated them, but record sales from sympathizers kept them more than afloat. In the album, a single anti-police anthem stands out. “Fuck tha Police” is a very graphic and very telling song about the struggles of growing up in the hood, and the shortcomings of the police. With rhymes like “… So police think, they have the authority to kill a minority” and “Taking out a cop or two, they can’t cope with me”, they proved they meant business, and inspired many young males to join gangs and fight back against the injustices. They most intriguing line of this song to me is, “But don't let it be a black and a white one,
‘cause they'll slam ya down to the street top; Black police showing out for the white cop.” This shows that the divide between black culture and police doesn’t necessarily mean white police, as black cops try to prove their worth by being even harsher on their black community.

The majority of N.W.A.’s music is considered by most as inappropriate. Even though that this may be the case, their music tells a story. Without the profanity, the story would be incomplete. Artists shouldn't be limited to what and how they tell their story. There will be some that hate it and some that relate completely to it. All they can hope for is that their voice is heard and some type of change can come out of it.  But many people try to silence change, which seemed to be the case with the N.W.A., so they created the album “Straight Outta Compton” as a response. This directly shows the role the black community plays in this fucked up world. They are seen as the dirty, half-life, scum that can’t do anything but smoke weed and steal welfare money. Although this clearly isn’t true, this is what some of the white community believed. Martin Luther King Jr. knew this, and attempted to disprove this stereotype through peaceful, educated protest. When the riots broke out, white people were happy to sit back and watch the arrests pour in, because the black violence completely turned back the clock and proved that they couldn’t control their “primitive instincts”. Malcom X feed into this even more, which worsened their case for some white people. The converse of this is that fear began to have a place in the “Race War” of sorts, and blacks began to use this new outlet to get what they wanted. The anger that was kept down inside them for so long could finally burst to the surface, and shit got real. This album was created at the perfect time to capture this mindset and turn it into a battle cry. It became a catalyst for the young “Robin Hood” figure that was gonna fuck up the white neighborhood in order to help the black families out. This was an admirable effort, but had one major side effect.

White culture responded with violence of their own. This was embodied with the group that had the most contact with the black aggressors, police officers. This wasn’t the start of police brutality, but this was the first time in America when it seemed as if the cops got called out on it, instead of being praised for “beating up another black thug”. Fear tactics worked on police, leaving some refusing to leave their vehicles in certain neighborhoods, and others to use way more that acceptable force on their victims, to ensure that they didn’t have the opportunity to fight back. This created a never-ending cluster fuck that lead to both sides being perpetually mad at exciter, an issue that is still going on to this day. Legislators refused to address the issue, and so did almost everyone in white communities. They were angered by N.W.A.’s album, and saw at as beyond disrespectful, and thought that it was inciting violence. I think they were way off. The song didn’t “incite violent”, their actions did; and the songs were like the soundtrack. If whites listened to the music, maybe they could begin to understand how blacks thought on the issue, but they refused to get off of their high horse. This is an issue that still goes on today, and has no easy solutions. But if all sides listened to each other progress may be made swifter. This album creates a great forum for a moral discussion, as well as being kick-ass music and intriguing social commentary.

1520 Sedgewick Avenue

REVISION
Rap as a genre has taken many forms since its inception, and there is much debate about the birthplace. I, for one, am going to take the history of rap from the West African Griots who served as the equivalent of town criers. They would tap out a simple beat on basic percussion and deliver a story to the beat. The roots of rap start in African culture and have been there ever since. African Americans have been the key contributors of almost every major genre change that rap has been through. In 1950, Joe Hill Louis released the song “Gotta Let You Go”, which contained rapped verses on top of a Blues beat. Another name that is thrown in for laying the foundation for rap is, surprisingly, Muhammed Ali. He used many elements in both is activism and his trash talk that people later took and used to start rap as a genre of music. In 1971, the song “Stanger in a Strange Land”, by Leon Russell was the first song with a section of rap to breaking into the Billboard Top 100.  Rap, in the way we know it today, was formed by DJ Kool Herc and Coke La Rock in the later 1970’s. DJ Kool Herc invented the two turntable Hip-Hop style that is the norm in today’s music, and Coke La Rock was the first person to ever rap a verse over that kind of beat. Later, in 1979, the first mainstream rap song was released; “Personality Jock” by the Fatback Band, but flopped in sales. But the foundation was laid, and society was ready to embrace rap as a genre. The year later, “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang was released and broke into the Billboard top 40. This song blew up, and reached massive sales heights, with over 2 million sales in the United States. This set the tone for the what rap could become, and many artists jumped on for their chance at fame. Rap was given the final push towards stardom by Blondie, with her song “Rapture”, which contained one verse of raped lyrics. This was the first song containing rap to break into the Billboard Top 10. The craze only grew from there.

Run D.M.C., among others, was one of the very first rap celebrities. They produced massive hits, like “King of Rock”, “Walk This Way”, and “Peter Piper”. These were even larger hits than “Rapper’s Delight”, but the important part of this success what that it showed that you could consistently create rap hits, and that it wasn’t a “one-in-a-million” type scenario as some had previously believed. This catered in a new wave of refined, mainstream rap music.

Rap success wasn’t just limited to the African-American male community, as the 1980’s saw white group, the “Beastie Boys” get signed and release album “Licensed to Ill”, which outsold almost every one of rap’s earlier albums.

Starting around 2005, sales of hip hop music in the United States began to severely wane, leading Time magazine to question if mainstream hip-hop was "dying." Billboard Magazine found that, since 2000, rap sales dropped 44%, and declined to 10% of all music sales, which, while still a commanding figure when compared to other genres, is a significant drop from the 13% of all music sales where rap music regularly placed. A NPR culture critic noted that, "some industry experts say young people are fed up with the violence, degrading imagery and lyrics." HA. Ok. That really seems like youth culture. So pristine and innocent.

But others were saying that rap was more popular than it ever was. And that is how we get to current rap. You know the normal complaints against this artform. You’ve heard it. “Everyone can talk fast into a mic. They can’t sing because they have no talent. I can’t even understand what they are saying, I can’t believe people listen to them.”

While it is true that especially in the 21^st century, mumble rap has become a popular coined phrase in the United States. We have artists lie Fetty Wap, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Yachty, and honestly, you need to listen to their music a copious amount of times or look the lyrics up online to understand what they are saying. But this fact shows the progression of rap. It’s no longer a Run D.M.C. or Sugarhill Gang world anymore. Rap has evolved into this club scene look. I should say MORE of this club scene look. Lyrics has been and always will be a huge part of rap, I don’t mean to sit here and tell you any differently, but rap has become more and more about the beat. It needs to be lit or gucci or hype or whatever hip slang you want you use. It has to make me what to run through a brick wall.

Rap has also now become a platform of acceptance. Weed? Doesn’t matter. Drugs? Whatever floats your boat man. Sex? Whatever gets you off. Rap is a beautiful, messy, melting pot of everyone just telling everyone else about their problems.

The alternative hip hop movement is not limited only to the United States, as rappers such as Somali-Canadian poet K'naan, Japanese rapper Shing02, and Sri Lankan British artist M.I.A. have achieved considerable worldwide recognition. In 2009, TIME magazine placed M.I.A in the Time 100 list of "World's Most Influential people" for having global influence across many genres. Todaydoe to the increasing use of music distribution through the internet, a diverse group of rappers and artists have hit their strides in ways previously thought impossible.

The internet not only helps rap with its reachability, but it also helps directors and artist to visually get their message across in music videos. Rap videos, arguably more than any other genre, has very poignant music videos that help gain awareness to political, social, and economical problems that are happening in America.

Rap music has come an unspeakably far way. From African Slaves, to rioters riding on top of elephants in Kanye West’s music videos on the internet. Oh what a trip rap has taken us on, and I am excited to see where it takes us next.

Tha Shiznit

Snoop Dogg’s album. “Doggystyle” was instrumental in bringing multiple influences to the rap game that hadn’t been so prevalent before. First off, “Doggystyle” introduced a level of obscene sexuality that hadn’t been seen in music before. Don’t get me wrong, sex and music have gone hand in hand since the beginning of music; but Snoop took it to a level that would melt a Pastor into a puddle. He is so open about stuff that is still considered extremely taboo today. But his innovation has lead for that level of sexuality to be considered the norm today.

Doggystyle also introduced the crazy frontman figure that is so prevalent in rap today. Rappers today have no problem smoking weed on stage, drinking and “sharing” with the crowd, and basically having sex during their performances. I believe that much of this is a nod to Snoop Dogg, as he was revolutionized the idea that these actions are not only acceptable, but that they are the only way to prove that “You’re a real man”.

The overall sound of this album is very consistent, strongly parallel with the typical “early 90’s” sounds of rap. But I believe that Snoop very much shaped this sound. For as much as people have written him off over the years, Snoop Dogg is very much a musical and lyrical god. Rappers and singers today still try to emulate things he has done, and people like Kendrick Lamar have said that if “Doggystyle” was never made, that they would never have aspired to be rappers.

The King of Rock?

Track-by-Track Analysis- Raising Hell- Run-D.M.C.

This album was a pioneer for rap music and took the genre to new heights, featuring the first hip hop song to make it into the Billboard Top 5, and one of the biggest rap/rock crossovers with Aerosmith. With fun songs like "You Be Illin'" to cultural anthems like "Proud to be Black", this album is a must for anyone that calls themselves a fan of rap. It brought rap to the forefront of American culture, and it hasn't looked back sense.

Peter Piper- A very freestyle oriented song with killer rap. One of the most popular songs on the album, and with due cause, because of how ahead of its time it is. It is very similar to modern rap in both a lyrical sense and with the driving instrumental influences that push the song forward. This song, along with “Walk This Way”, have changed the game more than any other song on this album.

It’s Tricky- One of most withstanding songs on the album, still garnering attention today. It’s just a fun song, with fun lyrics and a catchy beat that gets stuck in your head all day. The premise of the song is that it’s hard to live the life that they are living. The tone and everything else going on here are very solid.

My Adidas- One of the more popular songs on the album, and for good reason. This is a solid song from start to finish, with a nice mix of all instruments involved. It was also one of the first uses of a commercial brand so heavily in a song, penetrating even the title of the song. It also gave listeners the sense that DMC’s shoes had their own personality and image, which was then expected to be delivered in music videos and concerts.

Walk This Way- Hell yes. Perfect song. This is the first hip-hop song that broke into Billboard’s Top 5…. ever. This was such a game changing song, as it brought rap to levels of success it had never seen before, while simultaneously saving Aerosmith’s careers. This launched both artists into careers so huge that they are still household names almost 40 years later. The song is a perfect mix of Rap with just enough Rock to appeal to more white listeners, which also changed the way rappers look at things, considering whether or not to whiten the music and become a brand like Bruno Mars. This is an instrumental song in gauging where rap went after this.

Is It Live- There is more of an African real to this song, with bongo sounds replacing the normal snares and nontraditional cymbals replacing the hi-hat. The rap is much more structured when you compare it to other songs in the album, as each line is smoothly rapped instead of being broken up with interjections from the group or pauses. One of the better songs on the album

Perfection – A nice change of pace within the album, with a much jazzier beat and real drums instead of the same fucking drum machine that DMC overuses in this album. While I greatly enjoy the laid-back vibe of this song, I have absolutely no clue what this song is about. Like the lyrics don’t even come close to creating any kind of logical story or thought progression. It the lyrics sound like two friends got together and tried to freestyle verses together and change off almost every line, and sounds just as jumbled as I’d imagine.

Hit it Run- Has a clever swing-y drum set beat supplemented by some beatboxing. While being one of the least popular songs on the album, its quickly becoming one of my favorites, mainly because it breaks up the monotony of the lower tear songs of this album. Also, the entirety of the song “Son of Byford” is at the end of this song, which doesn’t make sense to me.

Raising Hell- Being the album’s namesake, I can’t say that it lives up to the name. There is a heavy rock influence, with electric guitar taking the forefront for most of this song. It sounds like a pseudo-reincarnation of “King of Rock” from their last album, but without the arena rocking baseline. Just like most DMC songs, almost every line rhymes.

You be Illin’-  The beginning of this song starts like the theme song to and 80’s sitcom. It is a light-hearted song about people doing stupid stuff, like ordering a Big Mac at Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s so elementary I don’t Know what more to say. It sounds a song they wrote after sippin’ too much henny one night.

Dumb Girl- This song starts off very similar to a modern electronic song, with a looped lyric and an electronically syncopated hi-hat. The message that this song conveys is consistent with Kanye’s “Gold Digger”, in that it’s about a girl who sleeps around with rich guys for the financial benefits that come with it. The last verse is DMC’s advice for getting her out of the situation, in a surprisingly fatherly tone. As the song progresses, it starts to sound more like typical 80’s DMC.

Son of Byford- a 25-second song displaying DMC’s beatboxing. Seems to be a song about Darryl McDaniel’s (headman of the group) genealogy, but in only 25 seconds, who really knows?

Proud to be Black- A tone setting anthem about being black. With multiple references to major components in the civil rights movement and black history as a whole. Heavy baseline, along with the drum set/ drum machine dominating the instrumental side of things.  This song sounds just like stereotypical old school rap, with drums and heavy DJ-ing with disk scratches.

Let me Clear my Throat...

 Hi! My name is, what? My name is, who? My name is Noah Diveley. I was born and raised in Columbia, SC, and am an undergraduate student at the University of South Carolina. This blog’s content is primarily albums that have changed the rap game into what it is today, and showing the direct impact in modern albums. This blog will be a very sleek, educated blog that will make you think of albums and artists in ways you never have before. I will be covering rap and hip hop from all time periods and corners of the globe, but only if they have shaped what we listen to today. My blog is named “750iL”, after the model of car 2Pac was killed in because it was one of the big events that changed rap. Founded in 2017, this blog serves as a community of educated, music loving people who aren’t scared to think so deeply that people question if they are high. I believe that all things, especially music, are connected in some way, you just have to look hard enough to find out how. Join me as we take an adventure through this wonderful genre as we make connections no one has dared to make before. Let my Adidas roam all over the coliseum floor, so you don’t have to. If you are interested in rap, hip hop, creativity, or just plainly food for thought, I highly recommend that you take a look at this blog. Because, after all, it feels so empty without me.