roc-a-fella (69)

Since he first dropped his debut album in 1996, Jay-Z became an instant classic on the hip-hop scene. Now that he is about to drop his 11th album The Blueprint 3, MTV News takes a look back at the history of one of the greatest artists in rap history with "The J to Z of Jay-Z." For years, Jay-Z has been a heavily sought-after collaborator and power broker, the kind of guy who can turn a simply good song into a smash with a 16-bar freestyle and a quick endorsement. So, it's strange to think that there was a time when Jigga was just another kid trying to score a record deal, and fighting an uphill battle to do so. "I went to every single record label, and they was like, 'This guy is terrible. He's nothing,' " Jay told MTV News prior to the release of The Blueprint in 2001. "I had to put [Reasonable Doubt] out myself, because nobody would sign me." That was back in 1996, when Roc-A-Fella records was born, not out of entrepreneurial expansion but, as Hova made clear, out of necessity. "I would press up singles and go to the record stores myself, collect $100, $200, come back, give them some more records," he recalled. "It started like that." Jay wasn't embittered by his struggle, though. If anything, it gave him a sharper perspective on the music business. "It made me appreciate it so much more," he said. "No one gave me anything. They didn't give me a record deal. I really just took my time and grew it step by step by step by step. I could have easily been like, 'Maybe what I'm talking about ain't right! Nobody wants to sign me!' That would have stopped the suffering. But I didn't." He was right to stick to his guns, as the self-released Reasonable Doubt became an instant classic and earned him a much-deserved distribution deal with Def Jam in 1997, followed by a steady stream of hits, milestones and a place in history. Source
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HipHopWired Reports Much of the landscape of Roc-A-Fella has changed dramatically since they were running the rap game early in 2000. The dramatic change is that it no longer exists as Jay-Z not only left Def Jam, but has also been building on Roc Nation with artists by the likes of Wale and J. Cole, but it has been rumored that he still has Young Chris on the ride with him. Beanie Sigel, who was one of the first to start running with Jigga, and was there when the label exploded with fame will be releasing The Broad Street Bully on September 1. As of late, the Philly rapper has been making his rounds on the mixtape circuit working with the likes of Gillie the Kid, Black DeNiro and even members of his State Property crew making it seem as though Sigel was cooking something up behind closed doors. Once deemed as Jay-Z protégé, Sigel seemed to be building his steam slowly but surely as his albums built up to the formation of State Property with the rapper leading the pack having his own gang to run beside his mentor. Things slowly changed however between The B. Coming and The Solution. 2007 saw the release of two of the premier artists drop their albums and it was apparent that the touch of Jay was absent. In the case of Freeway, the project was very well put together, but it was promoted very poorly which only made it collect dust in the CD shelves as most people were unaware of it. In the case of Sigel, Jay was featured on the track “Gutted,” but it wasn't the hard-hitting soulful material that fans have come to know the Philly native for. Hell, maybe it was because his first single was with R. Kelly on “All the Above” with subpar production from The Runners. Hopefully with his upcoming project that was originally titled The Focus, the fat will be trimmed and he will continue his climb that he was at with The B. Coming. Features are limited to Freeway and Young Chris and as Chris is seen as being little Jay, there might be a chance for Sigel to lead the charge to help resurge State Property at least. Time will only tell where business ties till go as far as him and Hov, but the world needs classic material such as “Still Got Love For You.”

Tracklist for Broad Street Bully: 1. Broad Street Bully 2. All In 3. Shot Em Up 4. Death Follows Me 5. Phili (w/ Freeway & Young Chris) 6. Ready For War (w/ Freeway & Young Chris) 7. Point The Finger (w/ Young Chris) 8. Get Back To Rap (w/ Young Neef) 9. I'm Sicker (w/ Freeway) 10. What Are We Doing Here 11. Going Through The Emotions 12. You Over Did It 13. Why Should'nt I
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Jay-Z may be the king of rap, but when it comes to hip-hop rivalries, Game claims he's the king of battles. Taking a break from his promotional tour in Amsterdam, the Game spoke with "The Boodah Brothers Show" on Norfolk, Virginia's 103 Jamz, responding to Jay's recent radio interview with the U.K.'s Tim Westwood. "I ain't lost a rap beef to date, and when I say rap beef, I mean rap beef," Game said. "I ain't talking about no guns or shoot-outs or fighting. I'm just saying, this is hip-hop. It's a competition. We men. It's like football or basketball. It's competitive." After countless verses name-dropping Mr. Carter, Game engaged Jay-Z in a full-on battle. The war of words was ignited when Jay mentioned Game's name, along with Jim Jones and Dame Dash, in a freestyle during the launch of his Blueprint 3 tour. Game immediately responded, going as far as dissing Beyoncé, questioning Jay's ability to father children and attacking the rapper's age. Speaking out for the first time, Jay said his verse wasn't a dis but couldn't care less how it's perceived. "If that's a dis, then wear that," Jay told Westwood. "Tell groupie to get over it." The Game, however, had a different perspective on Jay's bars: "What better way to talk about somebody than to not talk about 'em? Why you gotta say you're not talking about 'em? If you're not talking about them, then you just don't talk about 'em. He's slick, man. You gotta watch that cat, man. I'm probably the only rapper in this world besides Nas that's really not scared to go at this dude's neck. He knows if he goes to war with me, then it's going to be never-ending, man." As was the case in his previous disses, the Game continued throwing darts at Jay-Z and his age, suggesting he move aside and let the new guys eat. "Jay's problem is that some people just don't want to get old," Game said. "He got a problem like my dad got that problem. My dad, he just still trying to be young, like, rockin' fitted caps, and I'm like, 'Pops, you 60. You gotta chill.' Jay got that problem. He don't want to get old. It's cool to get old. But a lot of people have that problem, especially when they don't have children. But he don't got no children. I don't know what's up with that. Maybe he ain't fertile." Recently, Jay touched on the harsh criticism he's received over the years regarding his age and being at the forefront of hip-hop music. "I hear it all the time — 'Yo, he should let the young guys, the new generation of guys, come in,' " Jay told Reuters. "But you don't become the front-runner in music because someone lets you. You have to claim your shoes. ... If you grow up listening to hip-hop, you love hip-hop, and that's the end of it. But if you're a 30-year-old rapper still trying to make music like you're 15, then you're making it narrow. At my age, I can't relate to a 15-year-old. I deal with mature and relevant topics for my age group — it has to all be based on true emotions. The more diversity and the more mature we make hip-hop, the bigger the net you cast. ... Kanye is really the father to the next generation — he's from the school of Q-Tip, and now Drake and Kid Cudi are from the school of 'Ye. And, when you look at Kanye, you have to look at Lil Wayne. I think they're like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James." As for the Game, he says you can expect another dis record — but only if Jay responds on wax, which is unlikely. "If and when he does [respond], just be looking out for 400 bars," Game said. "It's not gonna be a joke. I'mma really put my pen down on a paper and really strike a match." Source : MTVNEWS
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