It’s a central concept on one spectrum of the ideology that is gender studies, an explanation for why the humans that carry they Y chromosome act as they do. It’s been overanalyzed and oversimplified to the point where it is almost cliché, but it remains as prevalent as ever in our society and burns the brightest in the hip-hop community. It is the idea that men don’t cry, that men don’t talk about their feelings. We instead shoot guns, talk about football, cook only things that end in “Helper” and tell women we love them only when the door to the bedroom is shut tight and the lights are off. Even though this is very much an 18th century ideology laying out a blueprint for how men should act, it has snuck its way into the 19th century. It’s baffling, really. 80′s rock bands made a living crooning about their feelings and one of the most popular modern artists of today, John Mayer, is signing about exploring women’s bodies and feeling perfectly lonely. But hip-hop finds itself stuck in quicksand, a third-world country compared to other genres of music that have stopped trying to dictate what a man can or cannot sing about. Hip-hop birthed a cesspool of emcees who spoke about guns, drugs, their lack of love for women and whole lot else that never actually played a part in their lives. It was a never ending play, a fantasy world starring the Waka Flakas and Gucci Manes of the world. And while I despise what these fictitious rappers stand for, I almost cannot blame them. It’s the culture that hip-hop created, the idea that if you aren’t hard you don’t belong in the game. It’s dissipated some with the emergence of people like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and other rappers who have no fear of describing themselves as they really are, but the walls still stand strong.

Sigh…Self Made Volume 1 in stores now.

I know I’m wrong as 2 left shoes for this post on a Sunday morning, but DAMN!!! 18 YEARS OR OLDER FOR THIS ONE.

UPDATE: The visuals had such a profound effect on me, I had to post the MP3 to this.

Download: Sean Garrett – In Da Box Feat. Rick Ross (MP3)

Follow me on Twitter @clevezirm

It is a strange, but maybe common practice I divulge in. When I think about different parts of my life, I can’t help but think about the music I was listening to at the time. Play me any song from Love Below/Speakerboxx and my mind will drift off to the snow-splashed hills of Banff, Canada, where I went on a luxurious ski-trip with my family in high school. Each morning the voice of one of the members of Outkast would pulsate through my headphones as I sat in the front seat of our rental car, taking in the gigantic mountains that snarled back at me through the window during our half hour drive from the hotel to the resort each morning. Turn up a track from Kanye West’s The College Dropout and I’ll picture myself sitting in the Philadelphia airport, patiently waiting out a seven-hour layover to return home to Cleveland after visiting France for a week as a freshman. But this story isn’t about Big Boi and fluffy white ski trails or Kanye and oversized baguettes. It’s about a dorm room, a Roots CD, and Wale.

I always tell people my discovery of The Roots spurred my love of hip-hop. My infatuation with the legendary group is a tale for another day, but their CD, Rising Down, which I received in the mail packaged with a t-shirt engraved with that same title, is important. I was a freshman in college and hip-hop was still relatively new to me. I had dabbled in some weird shit, mostly Vinnie Paz from Jedi Mind Tricks rap about murdering Christians, but from the moment I sat down to listen to the dark masterpiece that was The Roots seventh album, I knew I wanted more of whatever it was that resonated so deeply inside of me. As I looked for ways to branch out and and consume more music, I was particularly drawn to a young, dread-locked fellow by the name of Wale who appeared on the finale of the album, a song entitled “Rising Up.” I was particularly tickled by his line “so good rappers ain’t eatin’ they Olsen-twinning.” I wanted Wale to be my gateway drug into rap, so I immediately began searching for his music anywhere I could find it. I stumbled upon “Nike Boots,” still my favorite Wale song to this day. I scoured the internet for his mixtapes and I downloaded them all. It was like I started on weed and had moved on to cocaine the very next day. Wale was just so different than anyone I had heard before. His District of Columbia roots gave him a distinct accent which made it hard for me to understand his lyrics at times, but I liked that. His cadence was distinct, non-traditional and at times off beat, but I liked that too. Most of all, I loved his obscure references. He would evoke the names of people I had never heard of and compare things to them. Wale taught me who Mills Lane and Glass Joe were. He made me chuckle when he said “I never back up like Cleo Lemon on myself.” I mean, who uses a former backup quarterback for the Miami Dolphins in a rhyme? Wale does, that’s who. I loved how his mixtapes had a theme to them. His love for Seinfeld birthed A Mixtape About Nothing, his best and most acclaimed work. The irony was that the songs on that tape were far from meaningless, as Wale had a dialogue with his listeners about the N-word, the true meaning of success and countless other social issues. Wale Folarin wasn’t rapping about nothing, he was speaking on parts of his life that were just cloaked in incredible lyricism.

Kinda late…but here it is.  Wasn’t Watch the Throne supposed to drop by now?  Oh well, I agree with T Marko’s sentiment that Bad Meets Evil will be better anyway.

Alright 5star fam, here’s the deal. With summer rapidly approaching, radio stations around the country are going to be searching for the next hits to dominate the airwaves from May – August. Thus, artists are going to be putting out dumbed down records with catchy, hip-pop hooks to attract the attention of the mainstream media.

So what I’ve done (to the best of my ability) is create a list of the songs which are bound to turn into the next big thing on the radio. Check them out, and hit the comment section to let me know what you think/critique my selections/berate and question my sexuality. Go!

Diggy Simmons – Click Clack Away f. Bruno Mars

• Do I even have to write anything for this one? I feel like this is literally the epitome of everything I just described in the opening paragraph… Lovey-dovey lyrics, a catchy hook sang by the pharaoh of hip-pop, and hard hitting drums. Instant hit.

READ ON TO FIND OUT THE REST OF THE SUMMER RADIO PLAYLIST

My Initial Thoughts: Oh snap! This track has an insane line-up! I’m stoked to hear this joint!

Thoughts after First Play Through (By Artist): DJ Khaled - Good job not opening your mouth too much. Props.

Drake - Ugh. I wish the Comeback Season Drake were here…

Rick Ross – I just really don’t understand what makes you so appealing. I dislike you.

Lil Wayne – If you can’t do drugs or drink anymore (as per court orders), then why do you always sound high???

Thoughts after Second Play Through: DJ Khaled - As you were.

Drake – Fine. Your verses were actually kinda good, and since the sing/rap thing reminds me of So Far Gone, you are slowly growing on me when it comes to this record. But you still have a LONG way to go before you reclaim the heralded status you once held.

Rick Ross – Live Fast, Die Young was the only record I liked you on. I’ll let your presence slide on this record, but I’m still not a fan.

Lil Wayne – I swear you are on some sort of drug… But you aren’t stupid enough to break your parole and PUBLICIZE IT on a song that could potentially see radio play…are you?

Download: DJ Khaled – I’m On One f. Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne (MP3)

Currently the most active label in the industry, the Maybach Music Group collective drops off this new track, full of ignorance. Brilliant, brilliant ignorance.

Download: Wale – By Any Means f. Rick Ross, Meek Mill & Pill (MP3)

Riding off the fame that comes with Tupac‘s name…Damn. Anyway, I was checking my uploads and apparently I missed uploading this song on Monday, so here it is.

Download: Meek Mill – Tupac Back f. Rick Ross (MP3)

Rick Ross and the Maybach Music Group continue their trend of re-releasing the same song over and over with different lyrics as we roll right into the third day of Ross’ self-proclaimed Maybach Music Group Week.

Download: Pill – PacMan f. Rick Ross (MP3)

Thought I Uploaded This Yesterday, Guess Not: Wale – 600 Benz f. Rick Ross & Jadakiss

Is it bad that I am more interested in the beat than the actual song? Doesn’t matter.

DOWNLOAD: Rick Ross – 9 Piece ft. Lil Wayne (Remix) (Radio Rip) (MP3)

Rick Ross is like an annoying fly. He gets into EVERYTHING, and refuses to go away. And he sounds annoying. And he’s fat. And grunts a lot.

Download: Rick Ross – RetroSuperFuture II f. Wale & Wiz Khalifa (MP3)