Mumbo Jumbo: Introducing Rants & Opinions By Joe King
Published: Monday - November 12, 2007
Words by Joe King
While diggin' through some records today, I found some old mixtapes that I made with the likes of Nas, CNN and Mobb Deep on it. Man, Queens has always been a problem, haven't they? I remember when Nas started to sing on choruses of his records. At the time I thought "how wack is this?" And questioned who signed off on Nas signing? Did someone fuck around and tell him he could carry a note? It's ironic because although it seemed a bit out of place back then, Nas was actually setting a trend for his generation which affected acts like Mobb Deep, 50 Cent and Ja Rule.
If you think about it, there's dozens of rappers that have sung a hook, no matter how off their key is. Remember Nas on the joint with CNN "Calm Down?" He sung the hook to the melody of Evelyn King's "Love Come Down" replacing the lyrics with "Music makes this thug calm down." He's done it on various occasions -- songs like "Nastradamus" ("Nasty, Nas the Esco to Escobar, Now he is Nastrodamus"). "Nastradamus" was probably one of the worst Nas records ever, but that's beside the point. Lately, these two arch-enemies -- 50 cent and Ja Rule (also Queens natives) -- both claim that they invented the style in recent interviews. They have yet to find out that they're both claiming to be the originator of the technique. Now Ja Rule always had that singing/rapping thing going on even when he was street. He did take it allllllllll the way there with the run of chick tracks. 50 Cent is also notorious for singing his own hooks, especially when doing parodies of joints like Jonel's "Round and Round" off the "How High" soundtrack that 50 tweaked to his own theme, so instead of Jonel's lyrics "Round and round we go," 50's version went "Everywhere I'm at, everywhere I go. I stay surrounded by hoes," or LL Cool J's "Love You Better," which was altered to "You're after my cheddar."
Quite entertaining if you ask me. 50 Cent is the Weird Al Yankovich of hip-hop. I don't have to give you any Ja Rule examples, I'm sure most of yall were singing in '01 "Where would I be without you?" Fellas don't front like you don't know the words! Anyway, I was just thinking about how no one gave Nas the credit for starting that trend, which I believe was probably out of pure laziness to get a singer to come in a lay down the hook, and it turned out to actually work. Isn't it strange that two Queens rappers, that don't have shit on Nas in terms of seniority in the game, haven't had thoughts in retrospect that it was actually their very own that started the fad? Queens always did hate on Queens though. That's the only bone I have to pick with the Q! Even Littles said it, they just don't look out and put each other on. Check out the new SMACK DVD with 50 on the cover. He's got some interesting things to say about himself (what a shock).
THE GOOD DIE YOUNG -- OR DIE TRYING TO LOOK IT?
R.I.P. Donda West. Mother of Kanye West died an untimely death this past Saturday in a California hospital (see "Kanye West's Mother Dies Suddenly In Los Angeles"). Now although details have not been released, the word is that the cause was some botched plastic surgery job. Now that's some fucked up shit. Not because she was Kanye's moms or that she was mere 58 years old, but who wants to die after going in for a routine tummy tuck? That just sucks. Dr. West WAS the CEO of Super Good, the parent company of Kanye West Enterprises.
D-FLOP!! J-HOOD NO HOLDS BARRED!!
Now there's been all kinds of videos, media outlashes and slanderous talk coming from D-Block's former foot soilder, J-Hood. Now, I don't know about you, but Sheek's a bit scary. SP and Jada -- not worried about those baby-foot n----s -- but Sheik, that dudes a monster and it seems as Hood is going at him the hardest. I feel like Sheek did some ish like when Superman decides to be mortal and live a regular life and gets punked all the time by people that wouldn't dare to even look if he still had his super powers. I think once Sheek comes out that slum, he's gon' come for J-Hood's ass and hog tie him with that D-Block chain Hood's been seen draggin' on the sidewalk! J-Hood has seriously disrespected the entire Lox. And even though his frustrations with his career on D-Block Records is understandable, turning your back on the ones that gave you a home is dispecable. J-Hood has even said he'll be touring in the UK with G-Unit!!! Show discipline n----s!
MARS ATTACKS!!!
There's talk that Def Jam songbird, Rhianna, was partying in Barbados when she got into it with a fellow club-goer. I'm not sure what got into ET, but she was definitely trying to phone home after she got a drink thrown in her face!! Hasn't the NBA season begun? Rhianna give the other half of the game ball back to the Knicks, they're gonna need it more then your forehead does.
KELLY'S DESTINY WITH DR. 90210?
All this talk of Kelly Rowland getting breast implants needs to stop. First of all, it doesn't look like anything has been altered. Her tits are still tiny like two tater tots. And if she did get breast implants, boo to the doctor that didn't enhance enough!
REGULAR JOE JUST WANTS TO BE A REGULAR DANCER?
Maybe instead of Darren's Dance Grooves we'll have Joe's Jock Jams? Lol! Rumor has it that when Joe Budden was asked recently, "what's next for his career?" After being dropped from "The Jam," he simply stated he was going to just put out "dance" records. Hmmmm. With Mood Muzik 3 on the horizons, would it be a good look for Joe to pop, lock and drop it? I hope that he doesn't do a Nas and wear a red leather suit with his beer belly out, dancing around with Diddy. Get it together, Joe! We all know you're a frustrated genius.
RANDOM MADNESS
LOL @ a MediaTakeOutt member who said that Serena Williams needs a shoulder reduction!!! LOL
SPANDEX, SPANDEX AND MORE SPANDEX!
You know I love females in tight spandex! I don't know, but some are saying Remy Ma looks like a schmohawk on the cover of NY's Village Voice, but I think this is actually one of her better looks. Now when you think about Remy in a leotard -- that could go either way. Not always known for having the best fashion sense, this time around Remy pulls it off. Say "no" to camel toe.
LOCKED UP AND THEY WON'T LET HIM OUT!!
Although, T.I. and T.I.P. (lol) are locked up in the crib, word is he's still going in with the bars!! At least he's being constructive while on house arrest. Hopefully prepping for another hot album!
CHEW ON THIS: For all you wannabe, gangbanging fools out there, do you even know what the term "RICO law" refers too? Do ya? I got this for HowStuffWorks.com and Wikipedia.org. Go do some research, so you know what the fuck you're talking about next time you have a convo about the heat in the streets! Be well-versed if you're gonna act like you know! It will only do you good!
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (commonly referred to as RICO Act or RICO) is a United States federal law that provides for extended penalties for criminal acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was enacted by section 901(a) of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, Pub. L. No. 91-452, 84 Stat. 922 (15, October, 1970). RICO is codified as Chapter 96 of Title 18 of the United States Code, 18 U.S.C. § 1961 through 18 U.S.C. § 1968. It was intended to make it easier to prosecute organized crime figures, but has been applied in several other cases as well.
It has been speculated that the name and acronym were selected in a sly reference to the movie "Little Caesar," which featured a notorious gangster named Rico. The original drafter of the bill, G. Robert Blakey, refused to confirm or deny this.
RICO offenses
Under the law, racketeering activity means: - Any violation of state statutes against gambling, murder, kidnapping , arson, robbery, bribery , extortion, dealing in obscene matter, or dealing in a controlled substance or listed chemical (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act ). - Any act of bribery, counterfeiting , theft, embezzlement, fraud , dealing in obscene matter, obstruction of justice, slavery , racketeering, gambling, money laundering, commission of murder-for-hire, and several other offenses covered under the Federal criminal code (Title 18). - Embezzlement of union funds. - Bankruptcy or securities fraud. - Drug trafficking. - Money laundering and related offenses. - Bringing in, aiding or assisting aliens in entering the country (if the action was for financial gain) - Acts of terrorism.
Pattern of racketeering activity requires at least two acts of racketeering activity, one of which occurred after the effective date of this chapter and the last of which occurred within ten years (excluding any period of imprisonment) after the commission of a prior act of racketeering activity; The Supreme Court has instructed federal courts to follow the continuity plus relationship test in order to determine whether the facts of a specific case give rise to an established pattern. Predicate acts are related if they "have the same or similar purposes, results, participants, victims, or methods of commission, or otherwise are interrelated by distinguishing characteristics and are not isolated events." H.J. Inc. v. Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. Continuity is both a closed and open ended concept, referring to either a closed period of conduct, or to past conduct that by its nature projects into the future with a threat of repetition.
Where RICO laws might be applied
Although some of the RICO predicate acts are extortion and blackmail, one of the most successful applications of the RICO laws has been the ability to indict or sanction individuals for their behavior and actions committed against witnesses and victims in alleged retaliation or retribution for cooperating with law enforcement or intelligence agencies.
The RICO laws can be alleged in cases where civil lawsuits or criminal charges are brought against individuals or corporations in retaliation for said individuals or corporations working with law enforcement or against individuals or corporations who have sued or filed criminal charges against a defendant.
Anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) laws can be applied in an attempt to curb alleged abuses of the legal system by individuals or corporations who utilize the courts as a weapon to retaliate against whistle blowers, victims, or to silence another's speech. RICO could be alleged if it can be shown that lawyers and/or their clients conspired and collaborated to concoct fictitious legal complaints solely in retribution and retaliation for themselves having been brought before the courts.
THINGS THAT PISS ME THE F$%# OFF!!!: I was on the train the other day. Riding along, not bothering anyone. When some hippie, granola-eating, organic food buying tea bag asks me to turn down my iPod. Now, it's rush hour traffic on a week day morning, so the trains are already raging with nose pollution. This request threw me off my high horse. I was wondering where she got the nerve to ask someone such a ridiculous question! Ear phones are for "personal" listening enjoyment. Now if I wanted Ms. Quaker Oats to enjoy my tunes with me, I'd pull out and ear bud and share. How annoying is that? Who asked the broad in the first place? I mean, when the train is shrieking into the station, do you approach the conductor and express your dislike for his lack of sensitivity for your ears? Hell no. Personal space is personal space. Look, if the lady was wearing shorts, sitting next to me I wouldn't tell her she needed to move 'cause her hairy ass legs were scratchin' me up like a brillo pad! That's a personal choice. Just like me blasting my got damn music!
THE MEAT MARKET!
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