Joell Ortiz

I’m a proud Joell Ortiz supporter. So when his Slaughterhouse (the rap group comprised of JO, Joe Budden, Crooked I and Royce Da 5’9”) debut drops on August 11th, I’ll actually buy the compact disc…f**k a digital download. Ortiz shared his thoughts on being a Latino MC with me a few weeks back. With all the contributions nuestra gente have given hip-hop culture, it’s a damn shame that we still have to justify ourselves when we’re on the mic.

The late great Tupac Amaru Shakur was born today and his legacy still lives on in every rapper from Joell Ortiz to Bow Wow (gag). Tupac, who was named after the last Incan leader (do your Latin American research, kids), was a walking contradiction as an artist and a man. One minute he was toting guns and the other he was dedicating a song to his momma. In either case, as is often the case, great artists are troubled people (see Mile Davis). Anyway, I was digging through the Sí TV crates and found a gem of a video.

Blogger’s Note: Joell Ortiz, one of rap’s most talented MCs, takes over Jesús Talks today to share his views on NYC’s Puerto Rican Day Parade. Enjoy his guest blog. Wepa!

Simple and straight to the point Joell Ortiz is that dude! He’s a regular guy who just happens to possess an incredible rapping ability. He’s also a regular ass dude who loves the same hip-hop I grew up on (Native Tongue, Cypress, Slick Rick, etc.). Well, if you dig Joell and love some old school rap then here’s a treat bigger than Iris Chacon’s nalgas…hbagsdguy…sorry about that the drool messed up my keyboard for a bit.

Based on talent alone (which is what every artist should be measured by) Joell Ortiz should have Lil Wayne's status. Alas, the music industry (or any entertainment field) doesn’t work that way. So JO is regulated to being a beast on the mic for crowds at indie spots like NYC’s S.O.B.’s instead of Madison Square Garden. Below is a good clip from PowerPlayed.com where Joell expounds on this crappy music industry. See the video here.

Below are two quotes which stuck in my head:

Two of my favorite MCs dropped some new heat recently. First up is Termanology; the Puerto Rock with the silky flow has a Statik Selektah-produced track on the soundtrack to GTA IV: The Lost and Damned. It’s called “Here in Liberty City” and it’s straight manteca. Also, he released the video for the J Dilla-produced “Circulate (100 Bars)”. Check it below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZzihOZ8fXk

I’ve been a strong advocate of Massachusetts MC Termanology. I’m definitely not alone.  The half-bori was recently interviewed by Talib Kweli on his site (check here). Talib has some experience as a pen-pusher (he interviewed 50 Cent a few years back) and turns out a good read. Below are some highlights.

The Elephant in the Room: Daddy Yankee endorsed John McCain for U.S. president and simultaneously lost his barrio cred. Not only did Cangri fans have a WTF moment but MCs such as Pitbull and Fat Joe labeled him a “sellout.” Pit called it a “failed publicity stunt” and Joey Crack challenged DY to a debate. Thank God for all our brain cells it never came to fruition but DY’s image became as tarnished as an Illinois governor.