Diss Bliss

Skillz is rap's unnofficial punchline champ. Though he said he'd had it with his yearly rap ups, he came out with another joint. Some of the meatier lines:

Mase came back too, did y'all peep it?
What's funny is he prolly made more money preachin'.

And then Shaq came at me, but I ain't sure why
But I crushed the dude
The day he beats me?
That'd be the day he won't mumble in his interviews.

For a minute though, votin' was fly
And everybody had a shirt that said Vote or Die.
Seen on everybody from 50 to Jigga.
Newsflash to Puff--shirts didn't work nigga!

In a nutshell, i'mma make it clear
Ron Artest spent 5 mil on a cup of beer.

Click to hear the '04 Rap Up from Allhiphop.com.

So Fresh, So Clean

Ignore the P. Diddy inspired reflections behind him because Raheem DeVaughn is just an earnest soulster looking for love. In fact, the guy doesn't even like to curse.

Caught a sold out 9:30 Club gig the other day and the kid has some passionate and powerful pipes. Like a pint-sized D'Angelo, only without the keyboard wizardry or mug shots.

Here's what went down.

A few more details: He's a Maryland bred crooner and was one of URB's next 100 of '04. Watch the Billboard chart for him. He's a comin'.

Weezy's Emmy

Despite Nas's claims otherwise, Isabel Sanford did grab an Emmy in 1981 for Best Lead Actress In A Comedy Series.

Nas in "These Are Our Heroes (aka Coon Picnic)":

Let's hear it, one for the coons on UPN 9 and WB
Who 'Yes Massa' on TV. What ever happened to Weezy? The Redd Foxx's?
Never got Emmy's but were real to me.

Story Credit: Morris W. O'Kelley at AllHipHop.Com via EURWEB
Still a dope song Mr. Jones. But did you have to toss darts at my man Taye Diggs? After all, he held it down in Brown Sugar.

Nowhere as Deep as Tupac

Keeping the Nas theme, check out some insightful quotes from his recent Associated Press interview.

On Puffy's Vote Or Die campaign: "I think I wasn't a part of Vote or Die because I'm not a registered voter and I don't agree with voting because of the examples out there, the thievery of an election, the so-called thievery. I can't tell people to stand on line to vote and they're still going to be found in jail tomorrow."

On Tupac: "I'm nowhere near the mind state he was. The stuff that he wrote, he was 21 years old and here I am 31 years old, and I'm still nowhere as deep as Tupac."

Magnificently humble.