Tumblr is kinda awesome. I can't do shit with mine and I don't really like dealing with it, but wow, lots of good images. The below image from Naruto was a pretty nice moment.
By not-yours-madara
So I decided to do another compilation....this time it's oft some 90s tracks that I like. More variety on this one than on the previous effort. I'm really liking doing these! I think I'm going to try harder with the sequencing next time, hahaha...link is here click away!
Yo, so one of the things I've loved from other blogs is the sort of compilations that they put together. I don't really want to put people on blast, so I won't say specifically who does it, but there are people who do the hip-hop community a great service by releasing "mixtapes" of sorts, composed of recent tracks. I personally would not have really gotten into hip-hop at all if not for both torrents and these compilations...when I went away to college, I didn't make a great effort to listen to the radio, and really my only interaction with music was when I hit parties. This is one of those things that helps to spread the culture to people who might otherwise be unaware. Odd Future doesn't really play on the radio...but I was able to hear "Bastard" by Tyler, the Creator through the efforts of a specific blog that I've followed since 2006. As a new student of the culture, I greatly appreciate what has been done by hundreds of blogs before this one and will be done by hundreds after. All I can hope for is that this blog can help someone else become attached to hip-hop.
This is the tracklisting. 20 tracks...I felt like that was a good number. It's mostly stuff I've already reviewed, with some things I want to review but probably won't.
Here is the link to this compilation, which I am entitling The Exstatic Tape Vol 1. Idk how many of these I'll do, but here it is. In the future, there will be more artist variety; lately I've been consumed with other duties, so I haven't been able to focus on this as much as I want to.
It's 2008. Nas drops an album, initially entitled Nigger, and, after a (calculated) uproar, removes the title and releases it as an untitled album. When you remove the fuss over the title, it's actually an above-average album; most of Nas' albums have been above-average, despite Jay-Z's claims to the contrary. It sells about as well as Nas' albums typically do, but is followed by the usual string of Ls that Nas seems addicted to. A tax lien is filed against him. Kelis divorces him, and is awarded child support. A promoter and his son are kidnapped because of a Nas no-show. Due to issues with Def Jam, the follow-up to The Lost Tapes is delayed indefinitely. Just ridiculous shit. In the interim, he dropped a project with Damian Marley that was a decent album, yet not a Nas album. With all of these Ls in mind, you can understand why people were excited for a new Nas album. The Nas: Behind the Music documentary helped to foment this excitement, and when the album cover was released with Nas and the wedding dress that Kelis left behind....I'm sure that half of the blogosphere had an orgasm. Anyone who had remotely followed Nas' career had to be interested in this album, and as someone who has listened to him actively....I was very interested in hearing this project. Luckily, some kind (terrible) soul made this, and thus this post, possible...
1. No Introduction - Woah. Production from the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, eh? One of the universal complaints about Nas albums is about the production, so having the JL produce a track is definitely a good look. Recognizing our interest in his backstory, Nas gives us 3 verses depicting different times of his life, complete with a B.I.G. reference, a Kelis reference, and time before Illmatic. All-in-all, a good opening, and as I stated earlier, the production really increased my expectations for this album - 4/5
2. Loco-Motive (Ft. Large Professor) - Yooooo...Large Pro is a legend. Nice to have some vocals from dude over this No I.D. beat (btw, kudos again for the production). Doesn't this sound like some Illmatic shit? Definitely brings to mind "New York State of Mind"...ironic that he mentions winning with all of the aforementioned losing he's been doing lately, but somehow, it DOES work. After "Takeover," who thought Nas would be back selling platinum again? If he's really worth $200 million as he claimed in "No Introduction," then he is most definitely winning. The rhymes on this aren't the best of Nas' catalogue (not saying they're bad), and I definitely didn't want to hear the "supa dupa" flow on a Nas song, but the track works. I'm really feeling nostalgic with this one...definitely took me back to the 90s. - 4.5/5
3. A Queens Story - Salaam Remi floated with the beat here. Honestly, I'm having a hard time seeing how Nas tops this on this album. Even for a non-NYCer like me, the bars, beat, and story are excellent. I don't even want to do this song an injustice by trying to describe it. Listen to it below (it's altered a little) - 5/5
4. Accidental Murderers (Ft. Rick Ross) - Been waiting for Ross to be on a Nas album for a while now...we finally get the track here. This is definitely a Ross-style beat; it reminds me of "Mafia Music" to an extent. Aaaaaand, Ross definitely has one of the better lines with his opening - "We grew up doin graffiti, now hollow heads gettin heated"...I've already heard haters ignoring the alliteration there...but that's cool. Niggas hate hearing Ross win, so it doesn't even bother me. Not gonna lie, Nas is kinda winning with these tracks thus far b....he's got the storytelling vibe going perfectly, and even though Ross IN NO WAY stays with the theme of the track, the shit still works thanks to it being a Ross beat. I fucks with this one - 4/5
5. Daughters - You've probably heard this one already. I'm one of those people that when a track gets hyped too much I don't like it. For those who are wondering, I feel the same way about Jay-Z's "Glory." By the time I heard it, I had been bombarded with "OMG THIS IS THE BEST DEDICATION TO A CHILD EVAR" as if Talib hadn't done "Joy" and numerous other rappers hadn't also done a similar track. Just alkealkewf get over yourselves for a second man. Damn. Anyway, this is actually a good track, but damn, I'd really like to not get a bunch of overhyping about a track before I even get to hear it. I heard this one actually caused MORE trouble with his daughter and her mother....smh - 4/5
6. Reach Out (Ft. Mary J. Blige) - Yoooooooooooo Ms. Chicken Wraps is actually still doing music? Word. Anyway, I don't really fuck with this one. This isn't the type of beat that Nas thrives on, and just overall it feels too pop. Not trying to hear this one again. First fuck up of the album though (but again, I've been hearing "YO THIS IS A CLASSIC" from multiple people...including Twitter (where I thought Nas was hated lol) so hearing this one definitely made me alkefalirjflkrejfawe - 2/5
7. World's An Addiction (Ft. Anthony Hamilton) - I didn't even know dude was still doing music. I don't really like the beat too much...maybe it just sounds too much like the type of beat we would have heard Nas on on previous projects. That being said, the subject matter and bars are both legit. Nas is in full conversational form, with rhyme schemes sometimes tumbling through bars rather than remaining uniform. The beat is really disappointing though...keeps this from being a better track - 3.5/5
8. Summer on Smash (Ft. Miguel and Swizz Beatz) - Word...Nas doesn't do commercial tracks, but we got this number? I don't even care that he does the tracks, it's just annoying when Nas fans act like he's the epitome of rap purity and that's why they fuck with him. This isn't Immortal Technique, man. Anyway, yea, this is pretty meh. I can't act like the beat doesn't bump, but the bars are subpar, Swizz is doing his bullshit, and Miguel? On a Nas track? - 2.5/5
9. You Wouldn't Understand (Ft. Victoria Monet) - This one has an 80s feel....but overall I'm not fucking with this at all. The album is really in a bad spot at this point...started off excellently, but the last few tracks have been...jkalealkewjfweflk - 2/5
10. Back When - Word. We're back to good tracks...and of course that means that after a string of tracks from typical Nas producers, we get a No I.D.-produced track. This track is another trek into nostalgia, with Nas reminiscing on the old days in NYC. It's another track that would mean more to a NYC resident, but we get a real line with "You blame your own shortcomings on sex and race, the Mafia, homosexuals, and all the Jews." Real rap, I've lost count how many times I've seen people in the industry rant on about the Illuminati, Jews, homosexuals, etc. being the reason they aren't on....nah...that's not why. I fuck with this track - 4/5 (could use another verse, tbh)
11. The Don - One of the singles from the album, I'm sure you've heard "The Don" already. This shit BANGS. This is one of those rare Nas tracks that works as a single and actually has bars. You've heard this already, so I'm not going to get too deep into it. - 4/5
12. Stay - A nice, jazzy feel to this one. Again, a No I.D. beat, so we're in for a quality track. We've already gotten the Common/No I.D. album, but we definitely need a Nas/No I.D. album. "Some say hatin' is confused admiration"...YO. I don't really fuck with 2 verse songs like that, but this is an excellent one. We're back on a roll here. This is my second-favorite track thus far. - 5/5
13. Cherry Wine (Ft. Amy Winehouse) - I wasn't blogging when Amy Winehouse died, but if I was, I would have written some crazy long, rambling, angry post about people neglecting the health of others, and about regular people somehow thinking that famous people aren't worth our empathy. Back To Black is one of my favorite albums of all-time tbh...very sad that someone that talented died so soon. This track actually sounds a LOT more like an Amy track than a Nas track, but his flow still works on this. I'm getting emotional, man...fuck, we really could have had an Amy/Nas album...lkawelkawfawef fuck this world - 5/5
14. Bye Baby - This is one of those tracks that you can feel a lot more if you've gone through a break-up yourself. On this track, Nas basically gives his side of his break-up with Kelis...I actually had forgotten that she was fucking all of those dudes before Nas, lmaoooo...Anyway, I don't completely like this beat, but I can't even knock it after listening to the song. A great way to end the album. I'm gonna review the 4 bonus tracks, but this is the "official" end of the album - 5/5
Bonus Tracks
15. Nasty - The homie Ivan Rott (check his blog out if you haven't already) said it best when he tweeted "Any rebuttal to what I utter get box-cutter'd" <------ still the illest shit I've heard in a LOOOOOONG time..." He's right...that line is ridiculous. The track is hot, and it was a single...so why the hell is it a bonus track? Anyway, this is nice - 4.5/5
16. The Black Bond - You all probably aren't nerds, but part of this beat reminds me of Char's Counterattack (specifically the final fight between Char and Amuro). Anyway, that can only be a good thing, so yea, I fuck with this one. Basically, this track is Nas imagining himself as James Bond. A nice, 2 verse track. Another one that I would like on the album, but I can understand it not really fitting with the flow of the album. - 4/5
17. Roses (Ft. Nikki Flores) - Another track commenting on women (this could be about Kelis)...why isn't this on the album? I get put through "Reach Out," but this isn't on the album? Smarten up, Nas. Anyway, this one sounds pretty depressing...I can only imagine how pissed off dude must have been when Kelis decided to divorce him (while pregnant). If he's indeed talking about Kelis on this track...man. Hold your head. - 4/5
18. Where's the Love (Ft. Cocaine 80s) - I can do without the hook to this track. Outside of that, this is a good song...yet another candidate for the "Why the hell isn't this on the album?!" award. Completely change the hook and this is a great track. - 3.5/5
Without considering the bonus tracks, I give this album a 4/5. It had some GREAT moments ("Queens Story," "Stay," and "Bye Baby") but wow, it had some terrible moments as well. It finished out VERY strong, and that's the reason for the 4/5 instead of a 3/5. I feel like there were too many subpar tracks for me to give it more than a 4/5 though. If I could swap some of the bonus tracks with some of the official tracks, I would. This really could be a 5/5 album. With the trash tracks, though, it's more of a 4/5 album. I'll buy this when it comes out, definitely worth the money.
So last week, the chapter concluded with Sasuke's determination to meet Orochimaru. Any of us who have followed the manga remember that Orochimaru was able to escape Sasuke's body since Sasuke took him over....it was really weird how they (didn't) tried to explain it, but basically, you could assume that if Orochimaru put part his chakra in you, then he could escape your body (really, if you continue with the Orochimaru = Voldemort thing, it makes sense. Consider anyone who has ever received a curse seal or his chakra as a horcrux, and it makes complete sense). I felt that Sasuke would simply extract him from Anko, similar to how Itachi sealing Orochimaru removed the curse seal from Sasuke, and they did something similar.
Bottom-right panel
What they ended up doing was weird as fuck. Basically, Juugo took a piece of Kabuto, added it to Anko, and Sasuke did a reverse seal to resurrect Orochimaru...who was of course NOT SURPRISED AT ALL. This guy really just knows everything. The REALLY hilarious shit to me though....was Suigetsu's reaction to the entire thing. First, he didn't want Sasuke to resurrect him...like he hated the idea completely, and tried to convince Sasuke to not do it. THEN, when Orochimaru was resurrected, he was fucking SHOOK. I've seen Suigetsu go up against Kisame, Darui, and fucking Killer Bee in his Bijuu form, and he did all of these things without a problem....he sees Orochimaru and his face turns to this shit.
LOOOOOOL
Holy fuck he was shook, lol. Just tells you how dangerous Orochimaru is...and really, we should already know this. How many Kages died because of him? Hell, how much shit in the story happened in part due to his actions? And now we find out that he can just get information from random people who have his curse seal? Fuck, this guy is an unkillable piece of shit. Isn't he supposed to be in Itachi's Totsuka no Tsurugi? Or maybe Itachi even knew that getting rid of him wouldn't be that easy, but was cool with just getting him out of Sasuke. Whatever.
Anyway, Orochimaru's ambitions remain the same: he wants to take Sasuke's body to accomplish his goals. I'm assuming at this point that he wants to awaken the Rinnegan (and thus learn every jutsu in the world) and basically become the next Rikudo Sennin. Now he's acting like some wise elder and shit, which is fucking weird. They've kinda developed this persona through the Kabuto backstory; now I'm supposed to think Orochimaru is this caring father figure?
............................
FUCK OUTTA HERE DOG WE REMEMBER THE SHIT OROCHIMARU DID. So he's going to help Sasuke get whatever info he wants...probably because he knows he can't take Sasuke's body now (hell, he couldn't do it BEFORE Sasuke got the MS, what's he going to do against the EMS?), but it's Orochimaru, so you have to think that he has another plan. Fuck.
Overall I liked the chapter. Getting Orochimaru back is fucking great. Watching Madara troll the Kages was getting annoying and I haven't been interested in Naruto's part of the story since he trolled Yondaime Raikage. Still VERY interested in what was in the scroll, where Sasuke-tachi are going, who they're meeting, and what Sasuke will do at the conclusion of it all. I'm going to give it a 4/5 because they really have pulled some fuck shit with this Orochimaru shit. Orochimaru's awesomeness can't make up for all of the bullshit. Juugo's act toward Sasuke is also getting boring, and wtf is Kabuto going to do for the rest of his life? Lmaoooooo ultimate troll move.
I had been dodging listening to this guy for a while....I had heard everything from "he's a parody rapper" to "he's not about the culture," and there are enough of those guys out already...I didn't feel the need to listen to yet another privileged fuck trying to cake off of hip-hop. I finally ended up listening to some of his shit by chance (ironically, it was a track from this tape), and it actually wasn't bad! So, when I heard dude had a project out this week, I figured I'd take the time to listen and see if he's actually nice with it.
1. R O Y A L T Y - That's how it's spelled on my copy, so fuck it. Some words from Blake Griffin...complete surprise to me. I fucks with the creator of the #BlakeFace though, so whatever. Intro bullshit.
2. We Ain't Them - This was the track I had heard of his before this came out. I was pretty surprised that he had a hand in the production. I fucks with this track; indeed, this track is the only reason I was even interested in this project. Kid has punchlines and is very good at riding the beat. This nigga's from Atlanta? Very surprising. There's a lot of introspection on this track, he jumps from his own struggles with alcohol to his brother's problems to his musical journey. Overall, this is a very good track to introduce the tape as well as Gambino the rapper. I'm thinking he doesn't stick with this song structure for the rest of the tape though. - 4.5/5
3. One Up (Ft. Steve G. Lover) - Yo this shit bumps a lot more than I was expecting it to, after "We Ain't Them." By the way, the nigga Gambino produced this shit too. Jacking ad-libs doesn't work for some people, but "HANH" and "WOO" are pretty fucking universally good. Nerds will appreciate the Mario reference ("We got that extra life, nigga one up"), and if you like Ross-style tracks, you'll fuck with this one. I think Steve G got him, but it's cool...they have a nice chemistry on this track, and Gambino sounds much more at home on this than I expected. I'm still laughing at that Chris Brown line, if only because I can't imagine this nigga doing shit to anyone. - 4/5
Naaaaaah b
4. Black Faces (Ft. Nipsey Hu$$le) - My nigga Nipsey been getting on a lot of shit lately. That's what's up. When's the album coming out, nigga? Yo you already know Nipsey gets it in. His verse is short and to the point...we ballin over here b. Gambino's kinda nice on these hooks...and he's got some nice punches on here ("M Fox to my people on some family ties") even though they're a little direct. I'm already getting a little annoyed with this chip on his shoulder though. I guess dude's been hated on a lot....word. Lots of new rappers get hated on bruh...but so far, this joint is alright. No real problems with the tape at this juncture. - 3.5/5
5. Unnecessary (Ft. Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul) - Disclaimer: I don't fuck with Ab-Soul like that. He's nice, but he's my least favorite member of his crew. I see some niggas riding for him and giving him props and shit...I just can't fuck with him like that when he gets eaten any time he raps with his niggas. DUDE ISN'T WACK. I'm not saying he's wack...but he IS the wackest of the group to me. Niggas be acting like it's Jay Rock, but nah...don't get it twisted just because Jay Rock has been grinding for longer.
Getting that out of the way, I kinda didn't mess with this one until the beat changed...the beat is on some like...swaggy shit. Like you would expect French Montana on a beat like this (and btw, French would KILL this shit). Doesn't really work with Gambino though. Q is able to salvage the shit on his verse, and Soul actually does well on the beat switch. I'm giving Gambino more credit on that part though...the beat switch was ill. Sounds like some Tyler, the Creator type shit. I'm still not really impressed with Ab-Soul (although the "Soul!" ad-lib is legit) - 3.5/5
6. Shoulda Known - OK, this is more Gambino's lane. On some chill, R&B type shit, this beat is dope. Reps Atlanta on this shit (nigga...I'm still surprised he's from Atlanta), and does a little more complaining on this...but overall, this is nice. He's really good at switching flows and staying on the beat...that he produced. This is a talented nigga! It's kinda unfair my nigga. You're already on TV, we don't need you being decent at music shit too...
HAH! Imagine if I hated on a nigga for being multi-talented! Imagine that fuckboy shit! That's the shit niggas do nowadays though...niggas don't want to let you be great, they just want you to be average and shit. Fuck that. Do your thing lil nigga! (The hook is on some Drake shit though. Kinda wack, doesn't really fit the track like that) - 3.5/5
7. R.I.P. (Ft. Bun B) - I never really thought about comparing dude to Lupe, but he raps over the same Kavinsky track that Lupe did...interesting choice. I don't really fuck with that track like that, and as a rap background...it's not the same as a Radiohead or Justice track (some shit you'll see normally in rap). You know that Bun is going to rip the shit (you see what I did here? lmao) so that comes as no surprise. The bars from both Bun and Gambino are dope. I don't fuck with "Nightcall" AT ALL though, so I can't give this more than a..... 3/5
Get this the fuck outta hip-hop period
8. American Royalty (Ft. RZA and Hypnotic Brass Orchestra) - YO. THE RZA. FUCK. I'm a Wu-Tang acolyte b....so yea. I fucks with the RZA heavy. This shit gets 5/5 on GP. Fuck. I fucked with RZA's part more (not just because it's the RZA, but the orchestra in the back was legit). Shit is dope though. Hands down my favorite track on this thus far. Man, it's hard for anyone to stay with the RZA on a track, so yea, RZA eats him, but the fact that he had the RZA on his mixtape...son that's legit. Also, he had some nice bars on this shit himself ("I'm clean and concrete, you ass and Charmin") so it's not a big deal that he let RZA "Renegade" him, hahahaha - 5/5
THE RZA THE RAZOR
9. It May Be Glamour Life (Ft. Ghostface Killah) - MY NIGGA. YOU GOT RZA AND GHOSTFACE ON BACK-TO-BACK TRACKS THOUGH? MY NIGGA. YOU WINNIN B. With that out of the way...this shit is short as fuck. I'm not a huge fan of niggas having tracks on their mixtape...that they aren't rapping on (ironic considering it's Ghostface in this case). Shit is dope, but yea. My nigga, it's YOUR mixtape. I can't let that shit go. - 4/5
10. Toxic (Ft. Danny Brown) - Yo, this nigga has had 4 straight tracks where he has NO hope of having the best verse on the track. Danny Brown is nice with it. If you haven't heard this shit, then get on that. Danny Brown is a beast on beats. Haaaaaaaa they got the Britney Spears sample though, that's kinda legit. I fuck with this one. I never thought I'd hear a Britney Spears sample on a hip-hop track, but here we are. Shit is dope, so I can't even complain...nor act like I've never rocked some Britney Spears shit back when I was like 10. It's just like Danny to rap on some shit like this, hahahaha. I fucks with this heavy. Dope shit. - 4.5/5
11. Silk Pillow (Ft. Beck) - More production from Gambino...it's nice to see some of these rappers coming out with more than just raps. Producing is where the cake is...my nigga Wale said "and mama why you throw away my drums," and that shit is relevant. Anyway, to this track...I was hyped after "Toxic" and this shit brought me all the fuck down. I hate when rappers do shit like that. The dude Beck...I feel like I'm supposed to know who that is...sounds like some indie rocker. If I treat this track separately from "Toxic," then it's fine. Gotta work on sequencing though, you can't do shit like this on an album. Gives you that "Mockingbird" by Eminem feeling...and I'm meh toward that. There are some good bars on this, from both Gambino and Beck, but overall I can't really shake it from its location. - 3/5
12. They Don't Like Me (Ft. Chance the Rapper) - So right after a low-energy number, we get this one. This makes me even MORE pissed off at "Silk Pillow" b. This shit also samples "Oh I Think Dey Like Me" which definitely pisses me off. Overall though, I fucks with this. Nice energy, some swaggy shit versus the rappity rap shit of some of the previous tracks. It's nice to throw some balance in there, so I fucks with this track. Nothing deep and profound here, the shit bumps. - 3.5/5
13. Arrangement (Ft. Gonage) - Oh shit, this shit right here, nigga? I fucks with the dark-sounding tracks (like "Damien" by DMX). The nigga Gonage makes this sound like some Three 6 Mafia shit...which is dope. The verses work, I don't fuck with the hook at all...which is kinda wild, because Gambino's had some good hooks on here. Overall the shit bumps, and I'm officially a fan of Gambino's production. Even if he ends up being an ain't shit rapper, his beats are nice. It is kinda weird having Gonage's verse and then Gambino's verse though...they aren't even close to the same style of rapper. This shit works though - 4/5
14. Won't Stop (Ft. Danielle Haim) - It's nice when people actually get singers to do their hooks (or, you know, can actually sing). This shit has a balance between high and low energy parts, but it's a little short (from a rapping standpoint). I guess that's my main complaint about this track. Not enough rapping on this. Overall, this isn't a bad track, but I won't really be checking for it. - 3/5
15. Bronchitis - Weird that I'm satisfied with the length of this when it's about the same length as "Won't Stop," but I guess that's what happens when you have a track with 1 long verse, rather than a short verse and a bunch of singing. This one's dope...I'm a former SDA, so I get the reference on track, ha. Beck is apparently a decent producer himself...this one's low-energy, and I fucks with it. I DO still think Gambino could have rapped a little more though. - 3.5/5
16. Wonderful (Ft. Josh Osho) - I guess this one verse a track thing is going to be a thing....I don't fuck with that idea, but at least he does long verses for the most part. It's a little too lighthearted for me, basically the type of shit I thought he'd be doing (before I listened to his shit). I don't really fuck with this one. - 2.5/5
17. Make it Go Right (Ft. Kilo Kush) - I don't fuck with this. At all, really. Worst track on the album so far, for me. Female rappers are so hit-or-miss, man...there are actually a lot of dope ones, but this one sounds like she's on some Kreayshawn shit (in terms of voice), and her bars aren't exactly lethal. Skip. - 1/5
18. Real Estate (Ft. Alley Boy, Swank, and Tina Fey) - Son, I was anticipating the fuck outta this shit after hearing about it....and hearing the beat start, I'M ANTICIPATING THE FUCK OUTTA THIS SHIT, LMAOOOOO. This nigga really has Tina Fey on some Rick Ross beat, hahahahahaha! Yo he needed 2 Chainz on this shit. He's gotta do a remix with 2 Chainz, that shit would be ill as fuck. LMAOOOOOOO YO IF TINA HAD DROPPED A "NIGGA" THE WORLD WOULD HAVE GONE NUTS. I'M CRYIIIIIIIIING DAWG. Would've been funnier if Tina actually dropped a verse though...he gets a 5/5 on GP just for doing this hilarious shit though (it actually reminds me of Wale having Julia Louis-Dreyfus give him a drop) - 5/5
Hi Tina. You got a bit of an ass there. Bye Tina.
Alright, so this shit kinda fizzed out at the end, but the last track killed it. I'm giving it a 4/5, but be aware that his features are better than him on this shit (for the most part). There are some miscues, but the highs on this are pretty fucking high. I was very pleasantly surprised by this mixtape...it'd be nice if the album he ends up dropping is as good as or better than this. Really, a 4/5 might be high, a 3.5/5 is probably closer to true value...but nigga, he's got the RZA on this shit. That's worth a half a point any day.
So last week, I heard rumors that Steve Nash might go to the Lakers.....since I know that the Lakers tend to get whatever they want (other than CP3), I was immediately concerned that those fucks would get Steve Nash. My fears were allayed when Nash himself stated that he was too old school for that...that it would be hard for him to put on a Lakers uniform. I gleefully returned to lambasting the Lakers for sucking, and stating with supreme confidence that Kobe Bryant will not win another ring....
Yea, fuck outta here
With that in mind, imagine my surprise when I heard that not only did the Lakers get Steve Nash, but STEVE NASH HIMSELF ASKED TO GO TO THE FUCKING LAKERS. For real? How many epic playoff series did you two have? Look, I didn't get mad when LeBron went to Miami, so I'm not going to go to task on Nash about that, but holy fuck. How do you make a complete 180 within a week b? Someone break your nose or some shit again? Fucking Steve Nash, man...is there a player who commanded more respect than Steve Nash? There really weren't that many left. No scandals outside of the game, a 2-time MVP, pretty much universally recognized as someone screwed by circumstances more than his own talent (we remember the Robert Horry hip check)...Steve Nash is a top 10 PG of all time. Last year, at damn near 40, he averaged over 10ppg/10apg without a 20 point scorer on the team. Yet now....someone who is, at his own admission, old school, pulls a move to get a ring that really can only be rivaled (in recent years) by Malone going to LA, in my opinion.
Yea, we remember this fucking shit. S/O to GP though
Now, he joins a guy who refuses to acknowledge that he needs to let a younger player be the focus of the offense. I don't know if it's Mike Brown and his offensive ineptitude, or if it's Kobe Bryant and his ego, but that Lakers team refused to show much confidence in or respect for Andrew Bynum (and you could see the results of that in the series against Denver and OKC) AND still managed to alienate and misuse Pau Gasol. Look, if Kobe is fine with playing off the ball more and letting Nash run the show, then the Lakers have a shot at winning a ring. A Kobe who shoots 16 times a game at a ~47% rate (vs. the 23 shots a game at ~43% last year) is exponentially better for the Lakers. Getting Bynum 16 shots instead of 13 makes for a more offensively productive Bynum, and probably a more defensively engaged Bynum. Both of those are GREAT things for the Lakers. Take into account that having Nash there gives them an assertive voice outside of Kobe (and presumably one with his respect...unlike Bynum) and you might even get a Gasol who is engaged and shows up in the playoffs.
What the fuck....
Despite the Lakers losing in 5 to Oklahoma City, the series was indeed closer than it looked. If not for the team's poor 4th quarter performance in one game, and a team collapse culminating in a Gasol turnover in another, that series may have gone 7 games, which was more than most of us anticipated after Denver took the Lakers to 7. They're not a bad team; Bynum is the 2nd best center in the league. Gasol is arguably the most talented big in the league. Kobe Bryant, volume scorer that he is, is still probably the 2nd best SG in the league. Nash, for all of his 38 years of age, is still a top 3 "pure" PG (I'd argue he's behind CP3 and Rondo at this point), and is one of the smartest players in the league. That's 4 top tier players, and we all know that they're going to get Dwight Howard for Bynum (I fucking hate the Lakers). To argue that they have NO chance to defeat OKC 4 times is foolish at this point. OKC really doesn't have anyone who can stop Andrew Bynum when he's mentally engaged. It could really go either way, and yet again, I think it's on Kobe. I understand that Kobe wanted Nash. I understand that if anyone knows what Steve Nash can do, it's Kobe. At the end of the day though, I've got to actually see that team work, with Nash having no shooters around him, with Kobe being a ball-dominant player, and with Mike Brown showing no discernible aptitude for developing an actual offense.
HOPEFULLY I'M RIGHT BECAUSE I WILL ALWAYS HATE THE FUCKING LAKERS FUCK THEM THEY'D BETTER NOT WIN ANOTHER FUCKING TITLE FOR LIKE ANOTHER 10 YEARS
A common theme in manga/anime is that neither the "good" nor "evil" side is truly right. In Gundam especially, that's typically how the series ends. Naruto is appearing to reach a semblance of this, with Sasuke seeming to not desire to fight alongside Naruto's group or Madara's group. Interestingly enough, this "third way" seems to involve Orochimaru, who we've seen be sealed within Itachi's Totsuka no Tsurugi. Since Orochimaru's chakra was present in Anko, and is in Kabuto as well, I'm curious as to how Sasuke will encounter Orochimaru. Even when we were shown the 1 little snake escaping from the Yamata no Orochi, that snake got burned by the Amaterasu wave later...so just how did Orochimaru survive, if indeed he did?
Snake's burned, bruh
Moving from that point to the rest of the chapter, we continue to experience Madara's arrogance. This guy...rather than simply kill the Gokage, he decided that fighting them was a waste of time, and that he'd rather just seize the Kyuubi. Maybe it's because they haven't been able to do anything to him, and yea, that's true, but...are you serious? You kill your enemies. Period. So when Madara inevitably loses, I'm sure that it will be related to the fact that he didn't kill the Gokage when he had the chance. Cocky fuck.
Suigetsu and Juugo continue to be a couple of the few characters who remember that they're in a ninja story. I remember hearing from other people that they should be pissed that Sasuke abandoned them...they knew what they were getting into at the Gokage Summit. Why the hell would they be mad that Sasuke pursued...you know...THEIR GOAL (Danzou) instead of staying behind while they got captured? It's suddenly his fault that they couldn't handle the battle? The only person with a valid grief there is Karin, since...Sasuke kinda did this:
Stabbin Danzou, stabbin Karin at the SAME DAMN TIME
So yea, she can be mad. Them other niggas need to just get over it (which they did). I'm still curious about what is actually in the scroll, and hopefully we get to see that next chapter.
Then we get to Jesus Naruto, Kakashi, Guy, and Killer Bee fighting with Tobi. How the hell can Naruto use Kyuubi mode again when he had supposedly exhausted himself deflecting...you know...FIVE FUCKING BIJUUDAMA. I can't deal with Naruto sometimes...people bitch about Uchiha hax, but I think we've seen Naruto be exhausted for more than 1 chapter...maybe once. I can't even remember seeing that shit. But yea, that fight is still going on, and it's still mostly boring. Now, it seems like Tobi is bored with it as well, and he might be summoning the Juubi? I don't know if he's aware of what's going on with Madara, but him trying to use the bijuu power he has while Madara is showing up to take the Kyuubi might turn out TERRIBLY for everyone involved.
Basically though, the only thing I'm worried about is what Sasuke will do. I want the Sasuke vs. Naruto fight to happen. I want Sasuke vs. Madara to happen. I dunno, I want everything that I've been promised, to happen, hahahaha....no more of this boring bullshit. Bad enough that I got cheated out of my 7 Shinobi Swordsmen fights.
