Pissed at Nas, Odds 'N Ends

Let me start this off by saying I'm REAL FUCKIN' PISSED at Nas, that bitch! He was supposed to play a show in Allentown, PA on November 10th and my buddy and I bought tickets for $35 each pretty much the day they went on sale...we were fiending for this thing. Then I check on the venue's website the other day and the show is nowhere to be found. Instead of Nas, for 11/10 they have a show listed for the wack-ass Third Eye Blind. I called the venue all pissed off and they said Nas canceled on them three times. They said I couldn't get a refund from them but that Nas' management would have to give a mass credit refund to all the people that bought tickets. The show may be rescheduled for sometime in 2008 but that doesn't seem likely. And with Nas you never know. So now I have no clue what the hell is going on. Am I really going to get a credit for $70 on my next credit card statement from Nas? I doubt that, fucker. If nothing happens soon though I'm gonna start a revolution on this thing called the Internet and get my money back. I don't care if you're working on a new album right now, asshole.

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In other Nas-related news, it looks like the New York State Assembly has threatened to pull out $84 million in investments in the Universal Music group if they don't change Nas' planned album title, "Nigger." This new development could hold some serious weight in having Nas change the album title. If the Assembly is not just blowing smoke, Universal will probably give Nas an ultimatum to change the album title. Why? The music industry is so strapped for cash right now they would never in their right mind risk losing $84 mil in investments. Think about it.
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Jay-Z's "American Gangster" album has leaked. I'm not sure if it's the full album, but there's sure a hell of a lot of tracks. Even though I probably should listen to the songs to be able to "report" on them, I'd rather wait till the proper release comes.

Also, Jay-Z is doing a short tour where he'll be performing tracks from the new album. He is coming to Philly on November 12th which I was real psyched about, but then I saw the tickets were $125. For other dates, the prices range from $100-150. The hell is that? I love the dude, but does he seriously have to charge that much? The show in Philly is already sold out and I don't blame people for going, but that is way too much money for a hip-hop show. He shouldn't be charging U2 or Rolling Stones type of numbers. But hey, he's Jay-Z, he can do whatever the hell he wants, right?
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Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III: The Leak" is now coming out on December 18th, with the LP version coming out on February 12th. What's the difference? "The Leak" is all the songs that have leaked on the Internet so far, and the LP coming out in February will be all brand new tracks that are still under wraps. I respect the guy for beating the bootleggers, but let's be serious: by January the songs for the official LP will probably have leaked, and Wayne would have to put out another version of the leak. Shit, a thing like this could go on ad nauseam for years. Good luck Lil man.

A wax statue of Notorious BIG was just unveiled in New York. It looks frighteningly real. That shit would freak me out if I was walking down the street and saw that. For other pictures of it check here.

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Rakim did a really great interview with Pitchfork Media about his new album "The Seventh Seal" and his upcoming tour with Brother Ali and Ghostface Killah (I'm seeing that tour on November 21st, yea yea!). Along with KRS, he's one of the few dudes still giving us quality interviews about rap music and the state of it today. He's been around so long that he should know best anyway. Definitely a must-read.

Don't have much else to report, but I have the Cypress Hill show coming up tomorrow so expect a review of that. I'm going to try and hit ya'll with as much as I can before the second half of this week, when I'll be out of town for a few days. I'll try and review the album by Somobe, "The Great Communication," which sounds real dope, and something else I'm cooking up. So stay tuned ya'll!

And I'll leave you with this...Sports Illustrated just put up one of their photo gallery features, this one on the Top 10 Cities in a Sports Slump. Before I even clicked on it I knew my hometown of Philadelphia had to be #1 on it. If it wasn't that would be an insult to us. Sure enough, they were #1 and I wasn't surprised. As they say, no other four-professional-team city has gone so long as Philly without winning a championship (24 years and counting). I don't see this changing anytime soon. The Phillies made it to the post-season for the first time this year since 1993, The Eagles are sucking worse than Monica Lewinsky, The Sixers, who are MY team, have no real hope of anything right now, especially with the Boston Celtics becoming such a powerhouse over night, and The Flyers...well who really cares about hockey?

Damn, after Nas' cancellation and now this shit, I think I need a drink.