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DaeSu
08/02/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
I love Jay-Z to death. I just wish he had better taste in fake wives.
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apexcp
08/02/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
I was up in the first row. This song was awesome. The rest of his set? Well, let's just say that The National, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Vampire Weekend (the previous 3 bands) were all better than him. I'm a Jay-Z fan but he just can't match their live presence - and I love electronic music and rap. He simply cannot do it. The guy walks back and forth and stage and sometimes raises a diamond for an hour plus. Not nearly the best of the night.
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snugbug promoted this comment Edited by apexcp at 08/02/09 2:38 AM apexcp was starred apexcp was unstarred

snugbug
08/02/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
Just curious, can anyone actually make out whatever the Hov is flowing just based on this video? I honestly can't. Didn't catch the "Wonderwall" pun, either. Am sure it all played better live, but I had to pause this amateur vid 10 seconds in, it was just too much of a vicious assault on the senses.

I am quite curious about Jay Z's greatness.. Is he really that great, I ask with candor?! Having witnessed the Geto Boys and NWA live in their prime, I think I've been obscenely spoiled. But I keep an open mind. Is Jay Zee that good? And if so, can we get some actual evidence of it (besides that awesome Rick Rubin/Mark Romanek "99 Problems" collaboration, which is awesome?) Thx in advance!
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The-Littlest-Hobo
08/02/09

@snugbug: The Blueprint and Reasonable Doubt are both very good albums.
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Defeater
08/02/09

@snugbug: Comparing Jay to your examples is like comparing a NES to an X-box 360. You can argue about which games/musicians are better, but there's really no doubt that the later games/musicians the more nuanced, complex and fascinating (This doesn't apply to all genres, and not always to rap, natch.)

No member of the Geto Boys has ever beem able to rap as good as Jay (I might make an exception for the very, very best Scarface verses.) and NWA was essentially gimmick rap, even if it was very good.

Some Jay:
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MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment Defeater was starred Defeater was unstarred

Defeater
08/02/09

Okay, maybe embedding doesn't work.
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MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment Defeater was starred Defeater was unstarred

Defeater
08/02/09

I'm just fucking this shit up...not a fan of this comment system. Ignore that last video.
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MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment Defeater was starred Defeater was unstarred

Defeater
08/02/09

I'm just fucking this shit up...not a fan of this comment system. Ignore that last video.
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MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment Defeater was starred Defeater was unstarred

kolacek
08/02/09

@snugbug: Ok...agreed as far as the Geto Boys go. No comparison whatsoever. In my humble opinion no one will ever come close to touching those guys.

I do think (and I'm not even close to giving a shit about any of Jay Z's music) that the sentiment behind the cover was honorable and also probably heartfelt. I'm going with "this was a good thing" unless someone can refute the sincerity.
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MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment kolacek was starred kolacek was unstarred

heywhat
08/02/09

@snugbug: Well, I'm only a lukewarm fan of Jay-Z's. I think he is ok but I think he is only considered great because he was the only guy left standing. Tupac and Biggie died and Eminem didn't come into his own until around 2001. The only other guy was Nas and he wasn't as business savvy nor as good of a self-promoter as Hov.

The socially conscious rappers (Mos Def, Talib, Common, the Roots) all had the misfortune of being around during the collapse of the record industry so they don't get nearly enough attention as they should.
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MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment Edited by heywhat at 08/02/09 7:12 PM heywhat was starred heywhat was unstarred

MissNormaDesmond
08/02/09

@Defeater: Ooops, sorry, I saw too late that you wanted the previous one ignored.
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Plawf
08/02/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
Jay-Z isn't the first rapper to headline a major rock festival. Kanye West headlined Lollapalooza last year.
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yourfriendandneighbor
08/02/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
Rap is not a live medium.
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Mount_Prion
08/02/09

@yourfriendandneighbor: Hey! Not true. If you've got somebody on stage doing something, it's live. And as for complexity and skill in live electronic music, which rap is essentially, there are tons of things like this. Or, you know, "La Di Da Di".
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yourfriendandneighbor
08/02/09

@Mount_Prion: What i mean is that it sucks live. i didn't say anything about electronic music. i said rap is not a live medium and it isn't.
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MissNormaDesmond
08/02/09

@yourfriendandneighbor: So if you say it, it must be so? All the other people who enjoy it as a live medium are just wrong? I'm always mind-boggled by people who make statements like this.
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contains_hot_liquid
08/02/09

@yourfriendandneighbor: Never seen the Roots then, I imagine.
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Iwillnotauditionforastar
08/02/09

@MissNormaDesmond:You shouldn't be. Depending on what song, how much physical activity is involved, the live version of any music is just not the same as when they are standing there in front of a microphone with a coterie of technicians able to adjust the sounds.
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Iwillnotauditionforastar
08/02/09

@Iwillnotauditionforastar: Not to mention the acoustics of a properly designed studio as opposed to a large cow patty field where there is no reverberation and contains dead zones.
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Iwillnotauditionforastar
08/02/09

@contains_hot_liquid: That was an awesome miniseries!
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snugbug
08/02/09

@yourfriendandneighbor: That's a profoundly weird and non-sensical statement. Rap was born as a live medium, it's ALIVE and interactive, you fool, that's the point of it. WTF you talking about? You can't rap live, you're no rapper. Have you just experienced rap via Blender magazine writeups?
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Edited by snugbug at 08/02/09 2:50 AM snugbug was starred snugbug was unstarred

MissNormaDesmond
08/02/09

@Iwillnotauditionforastar: I'm pretty sure everyone was aware that music frequently sounds different live than it does in a studio. There's more to a live performance than acoustic quality.
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The-Littlest-Hobo
08/02/09

@yourfriendandneighbor: One of the best shows I've ever seen was Public Enemy on the "Fear of a Black Planet" tour. So that's not always true. However, it is true that a lot of rappers put on pretty lousy shows.
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Edited by The-Littlest-Hobo at 08/02/09 2:56 AM The-Littlest-Hobo was starred

Iwillnotauditionforastar
08/02/09

@MissNormaDesmond: Mmmm, the extra sensory stuff. That's the best part!
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atlasfugged
08/02/09

@Mount_Prion: Rap is essentially electronic music? They both typically consist of beat-loops and samples, but that's where the similarity ends. Electronic music requires some sort of sound-producing electronic instrument - a synthesizer, drum machine, sampler, whatever; vocals are optional. But, what makes Rap Rap are the lyrics - nothing but the human voice is required.
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MissNormaDesmond
08/02/09

@Iwillnotauditionforastar: You do recognize that there are visual bits to the presentation, right? The energy and showmanship of the performer is also fairly important, as is the presence of the audience and the energy they bring to the event. Otherwise, live dates would be superseded by lots of people sitting around listening to recordings.
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RonnSicTorossian
08/03/09

@The-Littlest-Hobo: Weird, I was just about to weigh in on this battle by saying that I saw Public Enemy on their Fear of a Black Planet tour in SF and it was pretty powerful shit. They had dancers in military garb on stage, pretty slick.
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Iwillnotauditionforastar
08/03/09

@MissNormaDesmond: I don't go to concerts for the PR aspects. I go for the music, the crowd, and the "experience." Even when I reviewed them. Good trip, bad trip. That's all I wrote about.
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MissNormaDesmond
08/03/09

@Iwillnotauditionforastar: Huh, I think I've been misunderstanding you -- which you kind of strive for, I think. I give up.
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Iwillnotauditionforastar
08/03/09

@MissNormaDesmond: Giving up is good. I only control me. I only understand me. I love that you are different and it is no threat to me. Unless you came at me with a gun and told me to be like you. I promise you I will never try to make you like me.

*kiss*
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MissNormaDesmond
08/03/09

@Iwillnotauditionforastar: I would never come at you with a gun. Whether or not I would come up behind you with a chloroform-soaked rag, however, I refuse to state.
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Anthony De Rosa
08/02/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
If Foster's head were any further up Jay-Z's ass he would be Damon Dash.
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Mount_Prion
08/02/09

@Soup: I'd put my head up Jay-Z's ass if it would turn me into Damon Dash. Hell, I'd put my head up Foster's ass, too. And, come to think of it, I'd be willing to participate in any combination of heads up asses involving myself, Jay-Z, Foster, and Damon Dash, as long as the end result is that I am either Damon Dash or Jay-Z from here on out.
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Edited by Mount_Prion at 08/02/09 1:17 AM Mount_Prion was starred Mount_Prion was unstarred

badasscat
08/02/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
Wait, what? So covering the Beastie Boys is considered by Gawker to be "making music history"?

Just asking, is all.

Rappers shouldn't headline rock shows. And yeah, that includes the Beastie Boys too, who, btw, I would argue were the first rappers to headline a rock festival, not Jay-Z. They've done it several times, IIRC, always to my chagrin. (No, I'm not a fan.)
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Edited by badasscat at 08/02/09 12:34 AM badasscat was starred badasscat was unstarred

The-Littlest-Hobo
08/02/09

@badasscat: Is that you, Noel?
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The_Rodge
08/01/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
I can't believe people call this man ugly. He's beeeeauuutiful.
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yourfriendandneighbor promoted this comment The_Rodge was starred The_Rodge was unstarred

yourfriendandneighbor
08/02/09

@The_Rodge: Joe Camel?
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contains_hot_liquid
08/01/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
http://tinyurl.com/l3uh4a

Also rockin' the chain and black.
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Edited by contains_hot_liquid at 08/01/09 11:26 PM

The-Littlest-Hobo
08/02/09

@contains_hot_liquid:

I knew Hov was a reader of the New Yorker! That DODD (Death of David Denby) track is pretty hot, too.
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Alaska Miller
08/01/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
A true definition of rap star as once ascribed to rock stars.
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Edited by Alaska Miller at 08/01/09 11:05 PM Alaska Miller was starred Alaska Miller was unstarred

magnets
08/01/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
"The first rapper to headline a major American rock festival?" I'm pretty shocked that there is no novel-length all-caps angry corrective note from a MARTINLOUISTHEKINGJR lurking among the unapproved comments.
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Iwillnotauditionforastar
08/01/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
"He's now the first rapper to headline a major American rock festival"

Do you mean first solo rapper...

Cuz I remember Wu Tang Clan at Lollapalooza back in the 90's.
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Iwillnotauditionforastar
08/01/09

@Iwillnotauditionforastar: Oh, ok, forgot that it could mean both featured and lead. Sorry!
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SaraRueful
08/01/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
Take note, Kanye. THIS is how it's done.
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Moff
08/01/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
And he shares a bed with Beyoncé. I would hate him bitterly if his flow didn't blow me away.
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MissNormaDesmond
08/02/09

@Moff: I thought I hearted you long before this, but apparently not. This has now been rectified.
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MissNormaDesmond
08/02/09

@MissNormaDesmond: WTF? I had hearted you, but it's not showing up. This offends me.
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Moff
08/02/09

@MissNormaDesmond: Yeah, it's not letting me heart you either. "Theirs was a love Gawker dared not allow..."
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k122n
08/02/09

@Moff: gawker fanfic?
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MissNormaDesmond promoted this comment k122n was starred k122n was unstarred

MissNormaDesmond
08/02/09

@k122n: I don't just approve this comment, I am delighted by it.
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theartdodger
08/01/09

In reply to Jay-Z's Epic, 'Ill' Tribute To The Beastie Boys
Jay-Z is great at some things, but performing live is not one of them.

I used to think that it was because he wasn't trying, and sometimes that's the problem.

But, more than that he just isn't live when he's live.
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contains_hot_liquid promoted this comment theartdodger was starred theartdodger was unstarred

contains_hot_liquid
08/01/09

@theartdodger: Incorrect.

And also, he, Nas, and Rakim are basically the only super emcees to take the stage solo.
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theartdodger
08/02/09

@contains_hot_liquid: I've got to disagree. When I think of great live hip-hop I think of The Roots, Fugees, and Wu-Tang (when they're at their best).

I can't put Jay-Z in that category.
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contains_hot_liquid
08/02/09

@theartdodger: Hey that's cool, you're opinion. But I must say:
The Fugees??
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MissNormaDesmond
08/02/09

@contains_hot_liquid: inorite?

Edit: I changed my mind. I was feeling bitchy. But this does make the point: different people have different lists. It's not a set in stone thing.
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Edited by MissNormaDesmond at 08/02/09 2:54 AM MissNormaDesmond was starred MissNormaDesmond was unstarred

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