The Game Season 5 Premiere

Can we say AWKWARD!!! The Season 5 premiere of The Game had everybody confused...I mean EVERYBODY! People on Twitter could not tweet fast enough.  The beginning presented itself with a couple of random situations.  Melanie and Derwin arguing about an abortion, Malik's new girlfriend unconscious in a garage, Jason having a shotgun wedding in Mexico?  I give the show credit though, while presenting all these random situations, they did a recap of how we got to this point with showing us "the previous 12 hours." Still, the show was all over the place!  Everything was random including the introduction of new characters.  They placed Brandy in the script like she was there before.  There was no introduction of where she came from, she's all of sudden in the script now! Through the last four seasons we know that the life of the characters on The Game can be chaotic, but these situations tonight just seemed unreal.  It's like they just occurred in order to have shock value for the premiere.  Did the directors and the producers want the audience to be confused? Well, mission accomplished! On the plus side though, they have managed to capture everybody's attention.  With all of the drama that happened in one hour, I can not help but admit that I will be tuning in every Tuesday to see what happens next.  (Follow me @eyediditmyway)

Common vs. Drake

The internet has been on fire lately with the new Common vs. Drake beef! Apparently, Common is not feeling Drake at all! Over the weekend many people have guessed the beef is a result of a love triangle gone bad. There's no secret that Drake and Serena got together after Serena and Common broke up.  I don't know if I would say that they "dated" but they definitely hooked up.  We all know that Drake runs through women like they're going out of style.  He must have not got the memo that Serena's tennis cakes were off limits.

I'm trying to remain neutral as possible in this situation (not that I'm directly involved). I LOVE Hip Hop and I love when rappers beef because it becomes a pissing contest.  Rap beef causes an artist to dig deep and to showcase their best. They have to prove that they are better than the person who is calling them out. It's an art form in itself; only the strongest survive!

The best rap beef are those that require lyrical skills; those that set a rapper apart from a lyricist; those that set a rapper apart from an MC. Think Jay-Z vs. Nas, LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee, Tupac vs. Biggie, KRS-One vs. Nelly (alright, that last one doesn't count because Nelly is no competition).  These are some of the greatest rap beefs of ALL TIME! All of these guys are students of the game, they were raised on classic Hip Hop...you know, they were around before Hip Hop was even a genre of music!  Common is in this category as well.

I'm a huge fan of Drake!!! He's been THAT GUY for a good three years now; he cannot do wrong in my eyes.  I love how he's versatile with rapping and singing, he blends the two well. (One of my personal favorites: The Deuces Remix, it makes my heart tingle! And let’s not forget to mention the entire Take Care album).  He's been in the game for less than five years, and yet he has had a couple of rappers come at him besides Common.  Remember, the beef with Pusha T  and the beef with every rapper from Toronto that has been ignored.

This Common beef is different.  Right now, even though Drake is great at what he does, he is just a trend.  Longevity speaks volumes versus a guy that has gotten a lucky start.  Common has endured all of the style changes in Hip Hop and he is still here; that says something.  His body of work over the years speaks for himself.  However, while he is calling Drake out on "Sweet" and "Stay Schemin Remix" he should remember that there was a time when people were saying the same thing about him.  Nevertheless, Rounds 1 and 3 go to Common.  Common gets extra points for calling Drake out directly with his latest diss.  Round 2 goes to Drake just because his verse on the original "Stay Schemin" goes hard. However, if there is a Round 4, will Drake address Common directly? (This will be a first for Drake because he is known for saying things subliminally). I guess we will have to wait and see....either way I'm #TeamCommon all the way! (Follow me @eyediditmyway)

Soulja Boy: 2012's Best Rapper

Remember Soulja Boy's song "2012 Best Rapper" off of his Paranormal Activity mixtape?  2012 is supposed to be his year! Don't get me wrong, Soulja Boy has had some hits: the infectious "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," "Kiss Me Thru The Phone," the motivating "Turn My Swag On," and the mind-numbing "Pretty Boy Swag."  All of these are favorites of mine however; it was the beats and the simple lyrics that were catchy.  Soulja boy is not a lyrical rapper.  When you think of the word "lyrical" you think of Jay-Z, Lupe, Mos Def, or Jadakiss.   I'm not a Soulja Boy hater; I like some of his music.  Soulja Boy is one of the rappers who say stuff that is catchy but when you sit back and think about what he says, he leaves you scratching your head.  He is good at making club bangers, songs you can dance too; to claim that he is supposed to be 2012's best rapper is a stretch.  We would have to see progression since his 2007 debut.  His following CD's (iSouljaBoyTellem and The DeAndre Way) have failed to match the success of Souljaboytellem.com.  In turn, his popularity has decreased while more promising rappers have surpassed him.  Some newcomers are actually rapping with substance, and the state of Hip Hop is constantly evolving.  Soulja Boy's 4th album, Promise, is guaranteed to best his best work yet.  I am interested to see if Soulja Boy has found his lyrical niche.  (Follow me @eyediditmyway)

Love and Hip Hop 1.2.11

Alright, Love and Hip Hop is one of my favorite pastimes.  I've been in love with Hip Hop since I was three.  I remember the first time that I heard RUN DMC on my dad's stereo, so how can I NOT watch this show?  But this is totally different.  We're talking about Hip Hop in 2011...things have changed.  This show is about nothing but drama; and sometimes we're blessed enough to hear a little new music.

There is always somebody crying in every episode; it is usually one of the girls, but Rich is known to cry as well.  As much as I would love to write about the awesome cat fight that took place between Erica and Kimbella, I have to focus on the end of the show that just aired.  You know what I'm talking about: THE PROPOSAL!  Finally, the moment came that we all have been waiting for: Chrissy FINALLY got her ring (Jimmy had to wait a couple years after Beyonce's smash hit to follow the instructions).  I have to admit, the ring he put on her finger was HUGE and full of diamonds.  Who wouldn't want a ring like that?  With that said, his style was all off.  He looked dapper; and the way VH1 presented the situation it looked like a surprise.  If you ask me, if Jim mysteriously appears in Miami after you left him in NY for a break, what other reason could he be there for?  If he was going to Ike Turner Chrissy in the restaurant he would of did it in front of everybody. (Clears Throat)...moving on....the way he proposed was not passionate or meaningful at all.  Chivalry is dead! Jim did not get down on one knee; he didn't ask her to marry him...nothing.  He showed her the ring in the box, stood up the whole time, and put it on her finger...that was it.  She broke down of course because she finally got what she had been waiting for.  But let’s look at this closely.  First, Chrissy has been waiting seven years for this day...we might as well say a decade! Second, she proposed to him first...months before he proposed to her.  She threw a big party and invited his family, her friends, EVERYBODY to propose to him! And Jim still did not plan a wedding date or buy her a ring.  Third, after that day he just brushed her off.  He was still carrying on with his life like he will make his decision one day.  All Chrissy did was continue to nag him about marriage for MONTHS! And let’s not forget to mention that she had her Uncle talk to Jim to pressure him into marrying her.  Chrissy put in a lot of work to get this crappy marriage proposal.  In the end, it is whatever works for them and what makes them happy.  I just expected a bigger moment on the show but hey, that proposal put the "real" in reality.  (Follow me @eyediditmyway)

Dub Magazine Project

I've tried to avoid watching The Dub Magazine Project on MTV2 for a while now.  Somehow, on a day like today where I have minimal things to do, the show managed to suck me in! I have to say that I can only stomach so much.  The content is actually interesting; I am a sucker for watching how celebrities live their lives.  Each story is filled with motivation and the "this is how we made it so you can do it too" motto.  I love the diversity of celebrities that are featured on the show, but it screams MTV Cribs meets Pimp My Ride! And not mention, The Game as a host is just awkward! Love him, but DJ Envy would have been a better fit.  This show is a little bit of a reach, I'm just saying.  (Follow me @eyediditmyway)