I don’t see why that’s so hard to believe. I already said I lived abroad. It’s not like rappers are on TV all the time in the Middle East.

It just so happened that a new friend of mine had just come back from the U.S. and mentioned that he was listening to some dude named Mase who had just come out with Harlem World. This was like ‘97. and I said, aight, lemme hear.

It’s not about who you discover first in rap – it’s about where you go from there. Whether or not you do your homework and find out what the really good shit is.

Why are you bringing up radio play? It’s an almost irrelevant argument.

Bottom line: Meth/Red/Busta are legends because they released legendary material that still holds up on a musical level. ITS NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY GOT SERIOUS AIRPLAY. So stop bringing up radio like that was the major factor that made them legends.

Why do you think Meth/Red/Bus can tour around the world? Do you really think fans were listening to North American radio and being ‘brainwashed’ or bandwagoned? Half the time, people were seeing music videos or hearing through word of mouth that so-and-so was nice, and then they got into the artist.

Personally, I lived abroad during the 90s. I know what it was like to listen to artists without even knowing what they looked like. I bought Redman’s “Docs Da Name” without even knowing who the hell he was, and I found that I loved “I’ll Bee Dat” as well as his other stuff on there. A friend of mine at the time recommended Mase to me when I didn’t even know who BIG or Puffy was.

Good music stands the test of time. PERIOD. Artists like Joe Budden should stop bitching and start producing it. Budden isn’t overlooked or anything; he just makes boring ass music. You fans get tunnel vision and just look at the lines he spits. Which isn’t bad in itself, but to everyone else, the song as a whole is simply lacking. Which explains his lack of success even among hip hop fans. I know a lot of hip hop heads who simply don’t like joe Budden’s music or wont go out of their way to listen to it. Budden needs to learn how to craft SONGS instead of being MR PUNCHLINE, something that Meth/Red/Bus understood way back then and are now reaping the fruits of that labor.

Shadowboxin is a perfect example. That’s a SONG. You can’t seperate Mef’s verse from the illness of RZA’s beat – the two of them just go perfect. When Method started spitting, it just made sense. Is it the most lyrical verse ever? Hell no. But is it memorable as f*ck? ABSOLUTELY. Mef’s flow and vocals are IMPECCABLE and the rhymes are extremely simple and witty (usually the best kind, instead of punchliney, unfocused and stale).

You can’t beat simple yet profoundly intelligent and poetic lyrics. Ask Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, James Brown, etc.

Song craftmanship is something that newer emcees are having such a difficult time with. Then they complain that we don’t give them the time of day, when they haven’t taken the time to learn their craft.

could Joe Budden beat Mef in a freestyle battle? Maybe. But do I care? Not really. Especially after seeing what Saigon did to him.

…i.e. …rapper get past they prime. lol