thought i would cut and paste this one for yall since it's not the usual article from allhiphop that everyone should have read on their own anyway . . .
A Memo Of Advice For President Carter
http://www.streetandindustry.com/InsideAndInsight.phtml?ins=7
January 22, 2006
Dear President Shawn Carter,
I want to share with you an analogy.
It occurred to me last Thursday as I walked from a meeting with an entertainment lawyer and a friend of yours, down to the studios of New York's Power 105.1 to interview the station's popular drive-time host Ed Lover.
I ran what I was thinking by my business partners. And the more I articulated it, the more it seemed as clear as day to me. 'Gotta Love It', the seven-and-a-half minute Cam'ron dis track directed at you, that I had heard all day on New York and Philly radio, was potentially the beginning of the equivalent of the first fight between Roy Jones, Jr. and Antonio Tarver. That fight, more than any other, began to expose the vulnerability of the 'most gifted fighter of his generation' (as HBO fight commentator Jim Lampley describes Roy Jones, Jr.)
When I got to Power 105 and began my interview with Ed Lover, I raised the analogy between Cam'ron and you; and Tarver and Jones. He seemed to be impressed by the logic in it, telling me he had not thought about it. Then, he gave me his insightful opinion on it. You can listen to Ed Lover and I discussing all of this at:
http://www.streetandindustry.com/interviews/edlover_Stnindustry_pt1.mp3
and
http://www.streetandindustry.com/interviews/edlover_Stnindustry_pt2.mp3
The next morning, while listening to Cam'ron being interviewed by Star on the Star and Buc Wild morning show, Cam quickly made reference to the same analogy, 'This is a Tarver-Jones thing. Can't lose,' he said.
I don't believe that you in any way have been defeated, or knocked out, by 'Gotta Love it' or the follow-up track, 'Swagger Jacker.' Perhaps you may have not even been hurt. But I feel pretty confident that you know that you have been exposed a bit. You are vulnerable.
But this should not come as news to you.
Any 'god' knows every square inch of what they own. And the most essential knowledge for any person to have is the knowledge of self. You obviously study yourself and know what your strengths and weaknesses are. You could not have been as successful as you are if you hadn't. To me, your success has more to do with how you think, than how you rap. You are a strategist as much as you are a great talent.
And it is out of recognition of this reality that I am writing you.
In between last Wednesday night, when we first heard 'Gotta Love It' and Thursday afternoon I spent hours in a record store, walking the streets, and listening to radio - especially Power 105.1 Ed Lover's Thursday program. You can listen to Ed Lover discussing the situation with Bow Wow and Busta' Rhymes here:
http://www.streetandindustry.com/interviews/Ed_Lover_show_artist_comments_on_beef.mp3
And naturally, as a partner in StreetandIndustry.com (http://www.streetandindustry.com), I spent a lot of time on the Internet.
What I heard and read was consistent, and aside from the die-hard Dipset and Roc-A-Fella fans, whose opinions have value but who are usually deaf to any form of criticism – what I heard was very revealing. Among those in 'the impartial middle,' – folks who like you and Cam, or respect you both or could care less about either of you – among other things, you could hear the opinion that you are probably weaker now, more than ever, and ripe for an 'upset' or stunning defeat.
You have already read my Tarver-Jones analogy so you know I accept that opinion as both plausible and possible. Below are some reasons why, followed by some advice on how you can properly 'respond' to Cam - and in a way that does not further expose you.
I hope you see this situation as much as an opportunity as it is a risk. You have as much to gain from this as you do to lose. But you have to be clear that the path to victory is not as much about making a hot rebuttal dis track, as it is about balancing the block and the boardroom. You have to 'win' in both arenas as a result of how you handle this.
I think only a small part of your legacy as a rapper will be affected by how you fare in this. But even more of your reputation and potential success or failure as an executive might be hanging in the balance. So, here is the problem, followed by advice toward a solution, free-of-charge:
The Problem(s).
Cam Has Inside Information. He was signed to your label, and he is tight and from the same hood as your close former business partner. The harder you go at him, potentially, the nastier it could get. He knows this and so do you and he wants to see how this will affect you. You should recognize this tactic because you used it in your battle with Nas. You remember, the classic 'you know who did you know what, with you know who, but let's keep that between me and you, for now…' Cam, as the master student with street wisdom has placed you in the same position you had Nas, in 2001. As we all know, it probably caused Nas to come back more vicious than anyone expected in "Ether." And remember you felt that 'Ether' violated certain rules of conduct on the street. But did you ever ask yourself if your hinting to expose your relationship with the mother of his daughter in any way contributed to Nas' violation of the street code? Inside information is a problem. And the man who has it, and a microphone has to be respected.
Your Image Since The Black Album. If you listened to (get the tapes if you haven't) any of the New York City drive-time radio call-in shows after the mixtape was released, you heard a common theme. 'Jay ain't untouchable.' It was repeated again and again, by many. What used to be a nagging criticism and thought about you among the 'player haters' is spreading and gaining traction among a significant part of the New York City Hip-Hop core and beyond. There is a sentiment and perception that you have become so elitist and distant in attitude that you now border on not being rich and famous but bourgeois and famous. You put out artists that speak to the streets and come from it, but your media image over the last two years is that not only do you proudly no longer dress like you are from the block anymore (which is what Cam is exposing in his line about you wearing open toe sandals while wearing jeans), but that maybe, you take the streets for granted. That you prefer high society parties to walking the block. While you have been 'away' from the streets, Dipset has been flooding the block with mixtapes and DVDs capturing a younger audience which you might have unknowingly offended or turned off. And even if you did not offend them, while Roc-A-Fella was going through changes, you were seen at Def Jam spending 2006 putting out marginal female artists and promoting a rapper (Young Jeezey) who is not from New York City - leaving the core of young male NYC Hip-Hop fans unattended. It was not a big deal, only a perception except Cam and Dipset have recognized this, sense weakness and are now going to exploit it. You are more vulnerable now than ever because you are developing a track record as a CEO, and in addition to being responsible for the bottom line of a label, you have to conduct yourself like an executive in order to do business in a corporation. That conduct, at times, makes you appear as leaving your base behind.
The Dipset As A Movement. I lived in Harlem for two years and go back on the regular. I'm impressed. The love and respect for the Diplomats is strong in their home borough. Not only that, the popularity of the Dipset among the young 16 to 22 year old audience is also serious. I haven't seen anything quite like it in the Northeast (D-Block and Mobb Deep are the closest). Through the mixtapes, their various member artists and street organization affiliation, the Harlem Diplomats have a fan base that supports them and rides with them in a unique way. They also have a unique appeal among older women who have a more hardcore disposition - ladies that never fully rode with you or Roc-A-Fella. So, don't make the mistake of thinking this is Nas all over again. Nas had widespread respect and a larger commercial market than Cam but he did not have a base as intense as Dipset. They are strategically placed in your own backyard to be the gift that keeps on giving… you problems.
A Memo Of Advice For President Carter
http://www.streetandindustry.com/InsideAndInsight.phtml?ins=7
January 22, 2006
Dear President Shawn Carter,
I want to share with you an analogy.
It occurred to me last Thursday as I walked from a meeting with an entertainment lawyer and a friend of yours, down to the studios of New York's Power 105.1 to interview the station's popular drive-time host Ed Lover.
I ran what I was thinking by my business partners. And the more I articulated it, the more it seemed as clear as day to me. 'Gotta Love It', the seven-and-a-half minute Cam'ron dis track directed at you, that I had heard all day on New York and Philly radio, was potentially the beginning of the equivalent of the first fight between Roy Jones, Jr. and Antonio Tarver. That fight, more than any other, began to expose the vulnerability of the 'most gifted fighter of his generation' (as HBO fight commentator Jim Lampley describes Roy Jones, Jr.)
When I got to Power 105 and began my interview with Ed Lover, I raised the analogy between Cam'ron and you; and Tarver and Jones. He seemed to be impressed by the logic in it, telling me he had not thought about it. Then, he gave me his insightful opinion on it. You can listen to Ed Lover and I discussing all of this at:
http://www.streetandindustry.com/interviews/edlover_Stnindustry_pt1.mp3
and
http://www.streetandindustry.com/interviews/edlover_Stnindustry_pt2.mp3
The next morning, while listening to Cam'ron being interviewed by Star on the Star and Buc Wild morning show, Cam quickly made reference to the same analogy, 'This is a Tarver-Jones thing. Can't lose,' he said.
I don't believe that you in any way have been defeated, or knocked out, by 'Gotta Love it' or the follow-up track, 'Swagger Jacker.' Perhaps you may have not even been hurt. But I feel pretty confident that you know that you have been exposed a bit. You are vulnerable.
But this should not come as news to you.
Any 'god' knows every square inch of what they own. And the most essential knowledge for any person to have is the knowledge of self. You obviously study yourself and know what your strengths and weaknesses are. You could not have been as successful as you are if you hadn't. To me, your success has more to do with how you think, than how you rap. You are a strategist as much as you are a great talent.
And it is out of recognition of this reality that I am writing you.
In between last Wednesday night, when we first heard 'Gotta Love It' and Thursday afternoon I spent hours in a record store, walking the streets, and listening to radio - especially Power 105.1 Ed Lover's Thursday program. You can listen to Ed Lover discussing the situation with Bow Wow and Busta' Rhymes here:
http://www.streetandindustry.com/interviews/Ed_Lover_show_artist_comments_on_beef.mp3
And naturally, as a partner in StreetandIndustry.com (http://www.streetandindustry.com), I spent a lot of time on the Internet.
What I heard and read was consistent, and aside from the die-hard Dipset and Roc-A-Fella fans, whose opinions have value but who are usually deaf to any form of criticism – what I heard was very revealing. Among those in 'the impartial middle,' – folks who like you and Cam, or respect you both or could care less about either of you – among other things, you could hear the opinion that you are probably weaker now, more than ever, and ripe for an 'upset' or stunning defeat.
You have already read my Tarver-Jones analogy so you know I accept that opinion as both plausible and possible. Below are some reasons why, followed by some advice on how you can properly 'respond' to Cam - and in a way that does not further expose you.
I hope you see this situation as much as an opportunity as it is a risk. You have as much to gain from this as you do to lose. But you have to be clear that the path to victory is not as much about making a hot rebuttal dis track, as it is about balancing the block and the boardroom. You have to 'win' in both arenas as a result of how you handle this.
I think only a small part of your legacy as a rapper will be affected by how you fare in this. But even more of your reputation and potential success or failure as an executive might be hanging in the balance. So, here is the problem, followed by advice toward a solution, free-of-charge:
The Problem(s).
Cam Has Inside Information. He was signed to your label, and he is tight and from the same hood as your close former business partner. The harder you go at him, potentially, the nastier it could get. He knows this and so do you and he wants to see how this will affect you. You should recognize this tactic because you used it in your battle with Nas. You remember, the classic 'you know who did you know what, with you know who, but let's keep that between me and you, for now…' Cam, as the master student with street wisdom has placed you in the same position you had Nas, in 2001. As we all know, it probably caused Nas to come back more vicious than anyone expected in "Ether." And remember you felt that 'Ether' violated certain rules of conduct on the street. But did you ever ask yourself if your hinting to expose your relationship with the mother of his daughter in any way contributed to Nas' violation of the street code? Inside information is a problem. And the man who has it, and a microphone has to be respected.
Your Image Since The Black Album. If you listened to (get the tapes if you haven't) any of the New York City drive-time radio call-in shows after the mixtape was released, you heard a common theme. 'Jay ain't untouchable.' It was repeated again and again, by many. What used to be a nagging criticism and thought about you among the 'player haters' is spreading and gaining traction among a significant part of the New York City Hip-Hop core and beyond. There is a sentiment and perception that you have become so elitist and distant in attitude that you now border on not being rich and famous but bourgeois and famous. You put out artists that speak to the streets and come from it, but your media image over the last two years is that not only do you proudly no longer dress like you are from the block anymore (which is what Cam is exposing in his line about you wearing open toe sandals while wearing jeans), but that maybe, you take the streets for granted. That you prefer high society parties to walking the block. While you have been 'away' from the streets, Dipset has been flooding the block with mixtapes and DVDs capturing a younger audience which you might have unknowingly offended or turned off. And even if you did not offend them, while Roc-A-Fella was going through changes, you were seen at Def Jam spending 2006 putting out marginal female artists and promoting a rapper (Young Jeezey) who is not from New York City - leaving the core of young male NYC Hip-Hop fans unattended. It was not a big deal, only a perception except Cam and Dipset have recognized this, sense weakness and are now going to exploit it. You are more vulnerable now than ever because you are developing a track record as a CEO, and in addition to being responsible for the bottom line of a label, you have to conduct yourself like an executive in order to do business in a corporation. That conduct, at times, makes you appear as leaving your base behind.
The Dipset As A Movement. I lived in Harlem for two years and go back on the regular. I'm impressed. The love and respect for the Diplomats is strong in their home borough. Not only that, the popularity of the Dipset among the young 16 to 22 year old audience is also serious. I haven't seen anything quite like it in the Northeast (D-Block and Mobb Deep are the closest). Through the mixtapes, their various member artists and street organization affiliation, the Harlem Diplomats have a fan base that supports them and rides with them in a unique way. They also have a unique appeal among older women who have a more hardcore disposition - ladies that never fully rode with you or Roc-A-Fella. So, don't make the mistake of thinking this is Nas all over again. Nas had widespread respect and a larger commercial market than Cam but he did not have a base as intense as Dipset. They are strategically placed in your own backyard to be the gift that keeps on giving… you problems.
