So, I've made some less-than-flattering comments about Kanye West in the past. However, the fact remains that the guy is selling mad records, and people seem to like him - this despite his being a just-average lyricist. I finally caved to the crushing pressure of his immense popularity (maybe it's the influence of the omnipresent and all-powerful media conglomerates and their stranglehold on what we see and hear) and I bought his album from the iTunes Music Store to see what the hoopla is all about. Well - I'll maintain that his rhyme skills give hope to non-lyricists like myself (shit - I could have written Through the Wire), and I'll also stand behind my assertion that I'm not impressed with his insistence on turning classic soul tracks into Alvin and the Chipmunks, but DAMN! There are some hot-ass joints on that album! 2 Words is BLAZING! So is Jesus Walks and The New Workout - pure FIRE, man.

I'm man enough to admit I was wrong - partially. He's probably a 2 or 3-trick pony.

Can anyone really feel sorry for Beanie Sigel? As I see it, if you shoot someone six times, you should get locked up. Don't get me wrong, I dig his "arsenic flow" and all, but I'm just sayin...

Is anyone as troubled as I am about how interchangeable "niggas and bitches" is with "brothers and sisters?" I don't know, but it just seems wrong.

I like how Kanye West is supposed to be some kind of frickin' genius just becuause he finds some classic soul joint, by someone like Chaka Khan or something, speeds up the vocals, and has "MC Flavor-of-the Month" rhyme over it. What happened? He used to make some hot beats, but he's become a real one-trick-pony lately.

I'm a big fan of Little Brother, the genre-defying hip-hop group from North Carolina. Their album "The Listening" is in heavy rotation on my iPod. However, every time I hear homeboy refer to himself as "Big Pooh," I can't help but think of a giant turd.

Hello. I haven't posted in a while, but I was moved to do so when I heard this miserable hip-hop tidbit:

"My style's so touching/
It could wipe your eye"

- Ja Rule, Kill 'Em All, feat. Jay Z

I believe this will be the first of many such quotes that I will post under the title "Shit-hop Quotables".