Feast of Failure

Another fact about me is that I am a huge hip-hop fan.  Not just any hip-hip, I'm talking about HIP-HOP.  I consider myself a purist.  None of that "shake your leg, rub your tummy, and left hand red" dance stuff for me, I need lyrics...substance.  I stay loyal to the artists that stay loyal to me, and am always looking for new artists with something of relevance to share with the world.  Two artists that I follow are Jay-Z and Kanye West (look past his antics and listen to his music, the world forgave R. Kelly didn't they?).  When I heard they were collaborating to release an EP together, to say the least I was a little giddy.  Then, they gave notice that the first single, "H.A.M.", was to be released on 1/11/11, I marked it on my calendar and did a little happy dance when my wife wasn't looking.  Tuesday was 1/11/11, I went to my favorite music blog (2DopeBoyz) to download and listen to it, and I couldn't even listen to it all the way through...it was that bad.  What happened?  This was supposed to be colossal, monumental. It was supposed to be like getting to see Muhammad Ali circa 1968 box Mike Tyson circa 1987, or Michael Jordan in his prime play one-on-one against LeBron in his prime.  It was more like going to a supposed All-Stars of Comedy showcase and finding out the headliners were Carrot Top, Gallagher, and Dane Cook...disappointing. 

Maybe I didn't give it a chance, so I listened to it again with an open mind, I was able to find some good qualities within it, but it still seemed forced.  Maybe they tried too hard.  Jay and 'Ye have worked together several times before and it was magical.  A few months back they released "The Joy" produced by the legendary Pete Rock...that's what a Jay-Z/Kanye West collabo is supposed to sound like.  Maybe its just me, but just in case its not, take a listen for yourself and tell me what you think.


Kanye West & Jay-Z - "H.A.M."