Nas & Hit-boy – 3 years, 6 classic albums! They just keep creating, they won’t stop! Amazing! I love them! GOAT combination. Nothing like this has ever happened before – black magic, undisputed, walking skyscraper! Black excellence. Great albums, great visuals! We are really witnessing something special here. Nas just eclipsed everyone, your favorite isn’t releasing anymore, they aren’t relevant, a case of writers block, fatigue, lack of inspiration, a victim of their own success while Nas is still on top more than 30 years later. He is timeless. He is still amazing! Wow, he blows me away! I’ll say it again, he inspires me. He is hip-hop. He is the greatest of all time.
One day I hope to have the right amount of sensitivity, experience, finesse and creativity to execute a song like Cherry Wine. I can safely say it’s my favorite song of all time by miles. It’s the song that made to go to the music store to purchase that “Life Is Good” album. Yes, the album was hyped up and I loved the two singles, “Daughters” produced by No I.D and Summer on Smash produced by Swizz Beats but I didn’t make the decision as of yet to purchase the album. Then one day, I came home from school and the music channel was debuting “Cherry Wine”, so I gazed onto the TV screen and was transported to pure music heaven, the song paralyzed me and I was in awe, “wow”, I thought. I knew that my life would be altered forever, I mean it was Nas and Amy Winehouse – Salaam Remi on the credits. To this day Amy Winehouse is still my favorite artist. I watched that “Cherry Wine” video and I fell in love. It’s so hypnotic and Nas is so thoughtful, expressive and articulate. He makes you reminisce about the past while being hopeful of the future, while Amy is dreaming out loud, her mind drifting on top of clouds and she’s yearning for this man who is just like her to come take her away, she feels alone, she feels vulnerable, it’s sad, it’s moving, it’s meaningful, it’s poetry, it’s life, it’s art. The beat, the horns, the verses and Amy’s vocals, it’s just a beautiful song – perfect! I was a bit sentimental because Amy Winehouse had past on a couple of months prior and “Cherry Wine” was her last song and it was with Nas! Nas is amazing! I wish I could write a song like that. After I watched that video, I downloaded the song and it was actually better than the video – the video was shortened but on the mp3 Amy goes on and makes the song her own. “Cherry Wine” changed things for me, I bought the “Life Is Good” album. The album is one of the best CDs I’ve ever bought. “Life is good” is a masterpiece, a certified Nas classic, I love it, one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time. The first CD I have ever bought was “God’s Son” by Nas. Also a classic, had songs like “Get Down”, “I Can”, Dance” and “Heaven”, yea that was a great album. Illmatic is unbelievable! Still if I had just one wish, I’d wish to create a song like “Cherry Wine”. I want the mood, the aesthetics, the Jazz sound and melodies, the feel and an artist as talented as Amy Winehouse to take center stage. I would also talk about Love and what I want in a woman. Like Nas, I’d give Amy the space to make that song hers. I’d also name my song “Cherry Wine”, that’s my dream. I know creating content like “Cherry Wine” is difficult, Nas suffered through divorce to make it happen. That’s the beauty of “Life Is Good”, it’s so personal. I am open to endure suffering to create great art. One day when I have the resources and talent, I am going to create all of this and it’s going to be the most awesome thing ever!
Yea, Nas is my favorite rapper. He made things easy for me with King’s Disease, KD2, Magic and KD3. Shout-out to Hit-boy for producing all of those Classics. He is still Escobar, Nasty Nas, he hasn’t switched up, he is still Nas! His flow, rhymes, storytelling and word play is of the highest quality. The longevity under his belt unbelievable, 30 years at the top and he is still hungry for more. He is a living legend. He was never something he was not, he didn’t appease the culture, he never dumbed down, he was just Nas. I respect that, I admire that. He is a shinning light. He inspires me.
The world please hear me out. This is not another narcissistic rant. This is real, this is evident. He is the greatest human being on earth. His got the magic. His incredible. He is the greatest. My man Jigga, other wise known as Jay – Z. He is Kanyes big brother and the one who brought on J. Cole in the game. If that’s not enough, he has signed Marcus Rashford and Kevin De Bruyne on his management company; soccer fans I know I’ve got your attention. Jay-Z again known as Shaun Carter is my favorite person in the world. He is great. He is black. His a winner and he educates – He shares his wisdom with the world. He is supremely intelligent; book smart and street smart. His a servant of his will and destiny. He is my favorite rapper. Sorry Common, Kanye West, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar but this is hard for me, please understand me. You know Jigga, Kendrick, Jigga probably influenced you and Cole Jigga signed you! Common you mirrored Jiggas energy on your single “His Love”, fine he did it first but you responded. And well Kanye, Jigga is your big brother – the guy who got you out of your Mammas house and helped you buy her a house. Jigga has always been great and he will continue being great, I have confidence in him. He will never disappoint me, never has, never will. Kanye please continue matching Jay, I also want you to be great. Keep delivering that jab, every punch counts. I have deep faith in you. It’s because of you that I am in the game. Thanks Kanye. You are my best friend. My subconscious, that place in my mind telling me to be the best that I can be, like the hero, Goku, Mr. Autonomous Ultra Instinct, the absolute messiah. You are great Kanye but Jay has been doing this longer. Plus he is a better businessman and Investor. Fine, “better” is a subjective term and I am being biased but this is a JAY-Z post, everything takes the backseat. And well, I am both, I identity with Jay more. You produced hits for him. He used you to propel himself to the top. You have no chance! But don’t feel bad, no one has a chance. And let’s face it Kanye, you’re a bit crazy but that’s okay because it’s your source of power. Jay is the chosen one that’s just how it is. Let’s not forget his the first Billionaire rapper. Yea, his that great, haven’t you been listening? Jigga represents a level I aspire to be. His the best man. I mean Beyonce? Who can beat that? It’s impossible! They are the greatest couple in the history of this world. Well done Jay for the excellent deal of securing Beyonce. I am positive it wasn’t much of a challenge for you. Besides, you created “Beyonce”, relax Beehive, this is a Jigga post. You had a blueprint and you won. You changed your paradigm and won, it’s that simple, that’s life. It takes time. It takes habit, to be the greatest of all time. Who comes closer to Jigga? Nas? No he wasn’t consistent enough, and Jigga signed him. Biggy? Two albums are not enough? Tupac? He was Biggys rival. So to answer that question, no one even comes close to Jigga. My big brother was Bigs brother, used to be Dames and Hip brother, who is no ID friend, no ID my mentor let the story begin. I remember that awesome verse on Kanye’s “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”, it was a burst of amazing powerful energy, it was magic like smoke on the stage and you pulled up a line that resonates with me so much, you said “impossible takes a week, I do this in my sleep”. Wow! Such confidence, such arrogance, the showmanship, the charisma! Wait! Let’s not forget that last line on “Never let you down” by Kanye. “Hovs a living legend and I’ll tell you why, everybody wanna be Hov and Hovs still alive.” OHHH! Yes, Hova I wanna be you! Jay, I also believe that there is nothing I can’t do. Maybe it’s youthful exuberance but I doubt it, right now on this text, I promise to never change, I promise to never betray my heart. I have blind faith in myself Jigga, and not only am I going to be a great man, I am also going to be a Billionaire or I will die trying. It’s strange how Kanye’s energy is all about this text. Kanye is also a Billionaire and he achieved this feat faster than Jay. Could it be that Kanye is better than Jay? I think Kanye West and Jay -Z are an archetype. They are the same person. Plus, they both got their big breaks aged 26 – surely that’s not a coincidence. The Universe is a wonderful and interesting place.
As a side note, Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint and The Black Album are 3 of the greatest hip-hop albums ever created. Thank you Jigga and well that “Never Change” record changed my life! It would be a huge injustice if I didn’t reference “Watch The Throne”, that right there is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me! I mean two of my favorite rappers of all time combining to create an album, it didn’t disappoint too! I mean the first track of the album was “No Church In The Wild” WTF! It was incredible! Everything about “Watch The Throne” was incredible, the music, the content, the visuals, it was content on another level, a once in a lifetime project and I was there! I got the album, I was a part of the culture, it defined me! Thank you Jay-Z, thank you Kanye, thank you God, thank you Universe! God bless everyone!
There’s nothing better than sharing a joint. It’s a unique experience. Participants involved in the partaking of the activity are complicit and committed. We smoke for the whole journey. When you are smoking a joint with someone you are enjoying the process and the end result. We know what we are doing, we want to get high, just to relax or have a good time. It’s a very good thing, plus it won’t kill you, unlike cigarettes, it kills off cancer. Regardless, there are many ways to die. Put in some viga or dry gin, it absolutely makes no difference to me. Remember “Life’s a bitch” on Nas’ Illmatic album, lauded by everyone as the greatest hip-hop album of all time! “Life’s a bitch, and then you die, that’s why we get high, because you never when you gonna go, Life’s a bitch and then you die, that’s why we puff lye” and then that horn at the end, it is such a beautiful song. It has a Scorsese, Godfather, Scarface feel to it.
When you choose to get high, you want to alter you mood and emotions. You want to escape to travel the milky-way and different galaxies and cosmoses. Life is difficult, you want to go through it not high? Well Godspeed my brother, I wish you all the best, I need some zol in my life, it’s God’s gift to humanity, it’s good, it comes from the earth. Imagine, Monsanto can’t do anything to my weed! That is great, thanks God, we thank you for our weed. Man, I am also a better roller these days, I am beginning to perfect my cones, at the end of this year, my cones will be perfect. I can also roll slenders now, I can just about roll you any type of joint my brother. Smoking a joint with someone is such a blessed experience, it is spiritual, magical, an experience ordained by angels and life in its entirety. There also can’t be negative energy when we are smoking. There’s no attitude problem and no one is going to get raped.
My friend Lloyd once said “I have never seen someone as talented as J. Cole”. This was because he single-handedly produced his album, rapped throughout and featured himself twice – his that nice, on KOD. I had to admit that was pretty dope. Featuring himself was a response to his critics who said he never collaborated with anybody. What a response hey? KiLL Edward. I agree with his sentiments, J. Cole is easily one off the greatest to ever grace the mic. His story-telling sets him apart from everybody. He uses awesome metaphors and similes. His relatable and grounded. He is poetic. It’s his flow, he follows the rhythm. It’s his intelligence. Spits knowledge. His hooks are outstanding and he can sing. He is multi-faceted. Considering he does all his albums alone, you would think they are second rate right? Wrong! Focused energy is better. His albums are generally lauded by critics and are among the most best selling not only in hip-hop but music. To due all his albums have gone platinum. They have all peaked number 1 one the billboard 200. But still no Grammy! What’s a nigga got to do? Yea, I know he won one with 21 Savage on “A lot” but it doesn’t count for me. J. Cole is consistently overlooked by the Academy. How can “Power Trip” not win best Rap Sung song? Really? In 2013? Really? Objectively, what was better than “Power Trip”? “Hotline Bling”? Don’t waste my time. I am not throwing shade on Drake but Power Trip is way better! It’s more intelligent, it appeals more to people. Everybody has been infatuated with somebody to a degree that they couldn’t think properly. Maybe my views are clouding my judgment. Maybe I shouldn’t have referenced “Hotline Bling”. I am being unfair, subjective and biased in my analysis. Maybe J. Cole is another Nas, a artist so great, who was loved by everybody except the executives of coprates. And that’s good because that means they are talking about real things. They are autonomous, they don’t follow waves, the suites don’t have a say in their creative processes, they are true philosophers, the true voice of the people. Cole, Nigga I have “The Come Up”. Let’s not forget “The Notorious BIG” never won a Grammy too, instead they gave it to, Oh wait for this, you’ll love it! They gave to Puff Daddy! Yes, that’s right both “Biggy” and “Puffy” were nominated for “Best Rap Album” and the award went to “Puffy”! Hahahaha, in their demented world “Puffy” is better than “Biggy”! Man, fuck the Grammys for real. Award shows are fixed, it’s all about PR. Real artists never get recognized. I remember when Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won over Kendrick Lamar. It was good kid, maad city Kendrick Lamar, one of hip-hops greatest albums! How does that happen? I am sorry I mentioned the Grammys clearly they don’t have a clear criteria, quite clearly they are unreliable, they lack credibility. I was talking about J. Cole. I first heard him on “The Warm Up”. It was a great mix tape. I instantly fell in love. He had this x-factor. He was authentic and genuine. He had a arrogance. He was super hungry. He had punchlines for days! I remember when I first heard “Dead Presidents II” I lost my mind. The play on words was incredible. He was too quick, he was delivering punchline on punchline. The metaphors and similies were great. I remember a line, he said “ahead of my time, like I live my whole life backwards” and I was like what? I remember “Dreams” too, on the song his talking about the girl on “Power Trip”. Man, Cole is incredible. There was also “Lights Please” that was like conscious, “A Dollor and Dream II” that recalled his struggles and my anthem of the mixtape “I Get Up”. Damn! “The Warm Up” was so awesome. It takes me back to my high school days, riding a train to and back school. Then his debut album came out “Cole World: Sidelines Story”. I expected more. J. Cole let me down. Sure, there were magic songs like “Sideline Story”, “Can’t Get Enough” and Lost Ones” but it wasn’t enough to spark the album into life. The album sounded too controlled and commercial. It didn’t have a clear structure. It didn’t sound inspired to me. Sure it had songs like “In The Morning”, “Lights Please” and again”Lost Ones” but I knew those songs from his previous mixtapes. As a J. Cole, the album didn’t have much to offer for me. It was bitterly disappointing. Then 2013 came and he released “Born Sinner” and my whole world changed. It was the J. Cole that I knew, that I wanted. He was so awesome in the album. The album was so powerful. It was so inspired. And on the track “Let Nas Down”, he officially linked himself with Nas and apologized to the whole world for his first album! He assured us that it was just a part of the plan, he needed to appeal to the commercial space and we all forgave him. He kept his word and he has been the same ever since and now his “the greatest right now!” His third album, a concept album named “2014 Forest Hills Drive” was amazing! A real hip-hop classic! It was the first album to go Platinum without features for over 25 years. He did it alone, from the Raps to production. I have a separate post for “Forest Hills Drive”, take a look at it, I can’t talk about it here. His 4th album too, also a concept album titled “4 Your Eyez Only” is a classic. It got nominated for “Rap Album of the Year” at the Grammys and surprise, surprise it got overlooked. Then in 2018, he released one of hip-hops most important and impactful album titled “KOD”. This is an awesome album. It is J. Cole at his absolute best. The album discusses drug addiction, infedelity, taxes, facing demons, the system and money. This is a big “NO!” from the man and we all understand why this album was overlooked by the Academy. However, it solidified J. Coles name as the voice of the people, the voice of reason and a hip-hop immortal. I lead you astray there “Cold World: Sidelines Stories” was incredible! It talked about an underdog who made it despite time times. He managed to endure and made it to the other side. His done it now, his a superstar! Nigga, I am the underdog like Cole and Jigga! How do you feel about that album now? Think for yourself ntate. St. Tropez OH you made it here, Cole in his prime! Amazing song my nigga, well done! To be honest, I can’t pick between Born Sinner and Forest Hills Drive. They are both great. But I think Born Sinner has an edge. It was released a year earlier. YES! That’s my criteria. That’s something.
She is my sunshine. My light in a world filled with darkness. My cherry wine. The best thing that has ever been mine. Not that she’s a possession, she’s just my everything, my world, my eternity, my forever. I first laid my eyes on her when I was a young teen. We hit it off and slowly matured like good wine. Her smile brightens my day. Her laughter nourishes my soul. She has the ability of working the room like Ginger in Casino. She makes me wish, I were De Niro, the starring role in her life. But it’s complicated. She can never be mine like Ginger. So maybe I am Ace, trapped with a woman who can never love me.
But we are best friends right?
Get the rizzla and we will create clouds in the sky. We will talk about the future. We will talk about our dreams and how I need you in my life. How I will love you until you go numb. We can talk about our kids and expensive mansions with exported gates, big trees and high fences. The bespoke clothes, shoes, cars and luxury brands. Everything and more if you can be mine. Grant me that chance, that opportunity of a lifetime. Be my Daisy, my greenlight. I have everything set up for us. I have been building and hence I have left you vacant. But only you occupy my heart. Everyone else is just a tenant and as the landlord they are evicted.
I love her
You are mine. I love you. You make me feel good. You give my life purpose. You complete me, make me whole. You take good care of me. You care about me, you make me feel special. You are kindness personified. You make me feel like I can fly, like there’s nothing I can’t accomplish. I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t want to be with anyone besides you. I love you.
antakalipa 