VOICE OF REASON: PACINO718
No wonder the magazine industry is in the toilet.
XXL magazine has been trash for some time now. 60% of the Earth is covered with water but 90% of XXL is covered with advertisements. The remaining 10% is as boring and predictable as Jay Leno.
I stopped reading it a while ago, but faced with a long train ride from BX to BK, I pissed away five bucks on the latest issue. What a huge mistake that was. After flipping through a chapter of ads, the bullshit began immediately.
Before we discuss why they should drive a Katana blade through their gut, check out this clip from the new XXL…
This column, if you can even call it that, is titled “Greater Than.” Click the pic, enlarge it and soak it in.
No… your eyes aren’t deceiving you. XXL actually published this foolishness.
“10th Anniversary of Supreme Clientele > 10th Anniversary of Big Pun’s Death”
Huh?!
What the fuck does that mean? What are they trying to say? Who’s writing this dumb shit?
Even if XXL didn’t care about offending Big Pun’s family and friends, the above statement is poorly-executed and hollow. Besides taking place in the same year, what do the two events have in common?
Absolutely fuckin’ nothing.
Comparing an album release date to a tragic death? No thought whatsoever went into “Greater Than” and I bet Ghostface Killah himself won’t co-sign this bullshit. This falls on the shoulders of the editorial staff. Maybe they’re too busy sifting through the mail, handpicking fan-letters that aren’t critical of XXL. The “First of the Month” column was once a democracy where readers could gripe about previous issues if they wanted; now those pages are more lopsided than FOX News, all in favor of the magazine.
But that’s a portion of XXL’s fuckery. In an article called “Penitentiary Chances,” which re-hashes the same old shit about rappers going to jail (yawn), the writer shows how little he knows with the following statement…
“The first rapper to have his legend enhanced by jail time was Tupac.”
Whoaaaaa… slow down, buddy.
I say that title goes to Slick Rick.
Not to glorify The Ruler’s 1990 shootout and high-speed chase, but his was the first big case where the media drew a parallel between a rapper’s lyrics and exploits. Tupac’s case happened four years later. Rick’s incident mirrored his classic, criminal-minded song “A Children’s Story.” This was long before jail-bound rappers were the norm and Rick was also threatened with deportation, sparking a “Free Slick Rick” campaign. In May 23rd 2008, New York’s Governor David Patterson pardoned Rick for his attempted murder charges.
My homie pointed out the original “Hip-Hop Gangster” Just-Ice and his criminal record. But we both agree that although Just is a respected street nigga, his exploits were mostly urban legend and not sensationalized by the media (America’s Most Wanted appearance notwithstanding).
Maybe XXL is hiring younger writers and I don’t knock anyone getting a shot. It’s good to keep the talent pool fresh; Lord knows the magazine industry recycles writing staffs the way the NFL does with coaches. But these niggas need to get their facts right. More than any other genre of music, rap is obsessed with the present… therefore it is also the most detached from its past. From the fans to the artists, everyone has the attention span of a goldfish.
If the “Penitentiary” writer is over 30, he should thrust a pen into his abdomen. Maybe the editors themselves have no sense of Hip-Hop history and the blind is leading the blind. Scratch, a deejay/producer magazine also published by Harris Publications, got the axe although it was much better than XXL. Indeed the ad money is rollin’ in and XXL is one of the last print magazines standing, so they deserve props. But for letting the content of a once-great mag turn into doo-doo on their watch, the editorial staff should grab their Katanas and do the honorable thing…
COMMIT HARAKIRI!
All I can say is wow!
Cool. I dig folks who make their point with minimal words.
“C4 to ya’ door, no beef no more…”
XXL should move to NJ
And be forced to attend every Nets home game.
I think Harakiri is much more humane.
how can they compare a wack album to a great lyricist???
i remember what happened with slick rick they wanted to deport him for that…. if XXl needs a hip hip hisstorian i’m available you can always be the contributing author…
oh yeah!!!!!!! before i forget
you act like going to every nets home game is a bad thing @pacino!!!!!
@cloudz please dont send them here we dont want them in jersey!!!
LMAO!!
The Nets ain’t a pretty sight right now, Ruby. Any team worse than the Knicks must be torture to watch. The Nets do have some entertainment value, though… I’m kinda curious to see if they set the record for fewest wins. They’re 4-46 now… I think they’re on their way.
But I gotta disagree with you on Supreme Clientele, sweetie. To each their own but I think it’s an excellent album. My thing is, it just doesn’t make sense to compare it to Big Pun’s death.
But you’re right, Pun was one of the greatest lyricists of all-time & he doesn’t get the props he deserves. Also, I have a feeling that XXL wouldn’t make a stupid comparison like this with B.I.G. or Tupac’s deaths.
Pacino! I loved this post man..
But don’t make excuses for whoever wrote that article… I’m 20, and i wouldn’t have made that mistake.. Age isn’t an excuse when you write for a nationally distributed magazine..
Blogs>Mags.. It’s official.
Most def, I know you wouldn’t make that error. In fact, I mentioned it on Facebook: “The young writers at TSS know their stuff unlike so many others.” You’re lightyears ahead, K1ng. That’s why you’re superior to these clowns.
And you’re right, age ain’t nuthin but a number in journalism, it’s all about having straight facts & a tight pen game.
Maybe the quality of “hip-hop journalism” fell off along with the music.
I am not sure what to say to that. That’s not even uncouth, it’s straight up flagrant. I don’t care how old or young the person who made that Pun comparison is. That muthafucka could be 16 or 46 for all I care! It goes back to what you mention above: “Comparing an album release date to a tragic death?” Really, XXL? Is that what is popping off in the journalism game? And we wonder why readership has dropped?
That is just distasteful. Forget Harakiri, let’s get one of Cheney’s boys out here and get some chinese waterboarding going on in this piece.
When the mag first started it was a breath of fresh air in a time when The Source was beginning to act suspect and the other mags just offered posters (Except Vibe). I can even remember a time when I would pick issues up because Kris Ex aka exo had the best articles this side of Toure. Then, every cover would have either Jeezy, Weezy, Jay-Z or T.I. But content was still acceptable (Exo’s write ups were well worth it).
Now, I don’t even remember the last time I bought an issue, or even picked one up in Barnes just to read while wifey shops for books.
Is that the result of YN being fired? I mean what editor would allow something like that to be sent to the printer? Is it because true heads don’t read that shit anymore? I NEED ANSWERS! Please, make me understand.
“Forget Harakiri, let’s get one of Cheney’s boys out here and get some chinese waterboarding going on in this piece.”
LOL! Word. Cheney shoulda been on that “Torture” skit from Wu’s 1st album. He woulda prolly shocked Rae & Meth with his torture methods LOL
Yeah, I agree. XXL was a great magazine with a ton of potential. I still have the 1st issue with Jay-Z on the cover, though it ain’t in the best of condition. Still, it was witty. It had flavor. They even had a story about a crew of Black & Latino bounty hunters with biblical names & a strict code. Shit was ill.
That’s why XXL is so painful to read now. Maybe if I hadn’t experienced all those great issues, I’d dig it. Even the XXL website is wack… Bol is pretty much the only reason I check it now.
I used to read his blog all the time back when he was on typepad. LOL Yeah, that dude keeps it gully and witty!
Every “shock blogger” wants to be like Bol but they don’t have his wit or writing talent. Nor do they show their faces. They just talk shit about rappers from a distance & hide their identities, which makes them even cornier.
XXL online is suffering from the same syndrome as Allhiphop, Sohh & other McDonalized sites: Lack of creativity, skill & fresh ideas. No matter how many flashing lights they have to distract ppl, eventually the lack of soul is exposed. I scroll thru the comment boxes at these spots & ppl are complaining that the sites have fallen off. Even Illseed seems bored with his own rumors column (he’s even said it) & ppl are only coming to the comment boxes to kick it, not cuz they give a damn what’s posted. Allhiphop is sloppy & terribly edited. These big sites upgraded their looks but not their content.
Hahaha I got season tickets to the NETS.
Well I decided to not buy the XXL or the Source Magazine. I will just check out my man right here on the Spizzy Blog. So I can find out whats going on in the world of Rap and Hip /hop. Oh yeah check out some hot boobies while I scroll down the blog. So I thank you BP.
No doubt, homie. Mi casa es su casa, or sumthin’ like that.
Don’t get me started on The Source, they’re way worse than XXL. I read old issues of The Source the way I listen to old rap songs, with nostalgia. Like, “Damn… the magazine game was good back in the 90′s.” With that said, I stress my theory that when rap turned to shit, so did the mags. Scoop Jackson, now the editor of SLAM magazine, said it best: “Hip-hop no longer warrants great journalism.” That’s why he left for a sports magazine & never came back.
You’re a Nets season-ticket holder? *sigh* You have my condolences. Hold your head, my friend.