Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning beautiful people!! Today's post is a double-header of inspirational quotes. 

Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience. -Hyman Rickover
 
Great champions have an enormous sense of pride. The people who excel are those who are driven to show the world and prove to themselves just how good they are. -Nancy Lopez 


What drives you? Are you motivated by the possibility that you can prove others wrong? Is it a fear of failure? Is it because you have something to prove to yourself? Go back in time and reminisce for a minute. Do you remember the day you decided to start following your dreams? If that day hasn't come for you yet, think about the day you decided to become successful. You may not remember the date but you should be able to remember the way you felt. You can remember that "fire" in your belly. Go back to the time when you were so hungry for success you could barely sleep. The time before you were in the "real world" and tainted by people who want you to operate within their boundaries. All you ever wanted to talk about was getting *there.* Go back to the time when you were constantly brainstormed new ways to make an impact in your field. You couldn't get a good night's rest because you were so hungry for another opportunity to get closer to greatness. You dreamed about the day you could take your bosses job. Get back to that time. Your possibilities were endless and your cup of motivation was bottomless. You were so sure of your purpose in life you never doubted yourself. Take some time to get in touch with your spirit so you can rediscover your true purpose. Become driven to live out your purpose and don't be satisfied with anything less. Give the world the gift of YOU. 


Today's Song Choice: Jay-Z 99 Problems. WHY? Because its Monday and I KNOW I'm gonna have 99 problems this week. 

NEW MUSIC: Jay-Z & Kanye West Release "Otis"

Hov & 'Ye fans are in a frenzy over the recent release of "Otis," the first track released off of their highly anticipated Watch the Throne collabo album. The track features the soulful voice of Otis Redding, the soul legend who became popular in the '60s. "Otis" follows the first major collab between the two self-proclaimed Kings, H.A.M (Hard as a Mothaf*cka). Watch The Throne,” drops digitally August 1st and in physical form August 5th. 



Better listen quickly, its likely to be yanked soon.
Peep the lyrics:
[Jay-Z]
Sounds so soulful don’t you agree?
I invented swag
Poppin bottles putting supermodels in the cab
Proof
I guess I got my swagger back
Truth: new watch alert, Hublot’s
Or the big face Rollie I got two of those
Arm out the window through the city I’m a
Cock back, snap back
See my gut through the holes


[Kanye West]
Damn Yeezy and Hov,
Where ya been?
Talkin real reckless stuntman
I adopted these b!tches
Now I’m bout to make them tuck they whole summer in
They say I’m crazy but I’m bout to go dumb again
They aint see me cause I pulled up in my other Benz
Last week I was in my other other Benz
Throw your diamonds up cause we in this b!tch and up again


[Jay-Z]
Photo shoot fresh
Looking like wealth
I’m about to call the paparazzi on myself
Uh, live form the Mercer, run up on Yeezy the wrong way
I might murk ya
Flee in the G450 I might surface
Politically refugee asylum can be purchased
Uh, everythings for sale, I got 5 passports
I’m never going to jail


[Kanye West]
I made Jesus walks so never going to hell
Couture level flow is never going on sale
Luxury rap, the Hermes of verses
Sophisticated ignorance
Write my curses in cursive
I get it custom
You a customer
You aint accustomed to going through customs
You aint been nowhere huh?
And all the ladies in the house got them showing off
I’m done I hit ya up, manana!


[Jay-Z]
Welcome to Havanna
Smoking Cubana’s with Castro and Cabanna’s
Viva Mexico, Cubana, Dominicano
All the lcubs that I know
Driving Benz’s, With no benefits
Not bad huh, for some immigrants?
Build your fences, we diggin’ tunnels
Can’t you see we gettin money up under you


[Kanye]
Can’t you see the private jets flying over you?
Maybach bumping ?
What would Hova do?
Jay is chillin, 'Ye is chillin
What more can I say?
We killin’ ‘em
Hold up before we in this campaign
As you can see we bodied the damn lames
Lord please let them accept the things they cant change
And pray that all of their pain be champagne

Source. 

I know this will give you Illuminati conspirators something else to discuss. *giggles* Color me excited for the release of the album. You feelin it? 


BONUS! Below is another song rumored to have made it on the album. *giggity*


...and for you Kanye West fans, here's an oldie but goodie you may not have heard yet. Its called The Joy and it samples Curtis Mayfield's The Makings. 

"In the mirror is where I see my only enemy. Your life's cursed? Well mine's an obscenity."

African American Music Appreciation Month 2011

I could not celebrate and highlight the great things about African American music without paying homage to two of the greatest rappers of all time. If you ask me (and I know you didn't but I'm telling you my opinion anyway) these two produced some of their best verses when they bumped heads in early 2000. Their battle emerged in the aftermath of the great East Coast vs. West Coast rap war that led to the premature and untimely death of rappers Notorious B.I.G & Tupac Shakur. The two used their quick-witted verses and thought-provoking schematics to take verbal shots at each other in what turned out to be a battle between lyrical giants. 

Rap historians say the beef between Jay-Z and Nas boiled under the surface for years with both rappers choosing to avoid an actual conflict. The avoidance came to a halt when Jay-Z fired the first lyrical shots against Nas during Hot 97's Summer Jam hip hop festival in 2001. Reciting the opening verse to the first single for his album The Blueprint, Takeover, a diss to Nas and Mobb Deep, which ended with the line, "Ask Nas, he don't want it with Hov. No!" 

Nas responded with an attack on Jay-Z during a radio freestyle over Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full" beat, dissing most of the R.O.C. members — specifically Jay-Z, Freeway, Memphis Bleek, and Beanie Sigel. Initially, the freestyle was untitled but was it was later called "Stillmatic" (which also became the title of Nas' next album) or "H To The Omo" (a direct reference to Jay-Z's song "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)")...and the rap beef was born. 

Nas fired the hardest round of shots when he released Ether! Yea, I said it! 

 In 2005, Jay-Z headlined the Power 105.1 "Powerhouse 2005: Operation Takeover" show at the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey, dubbing his portion of the gig "I Declare War." But instead of blasting his rival as expected — and as he did four years earlier at a Hot 97 concert that kicked off his beef with Nas — Jigga announced, "All that beef sh-- is done, we had our fun... let's get this money," and called Nas onstage to perform with him.

The feud was put to a formal end in 2006, when Nas signed with Def Jam, of which Jay-Z was still President at the time. Nas and Jay-Z toured, recorded and appeared on television and radio together throughout 2006; the artists collaborated on Nas' Def Jam debut, Hip Hop is Dead, on the song "Black Republican"; Nas returned the favor by appearing on Jay-Z's 2007 album, American Gangster on the song "Success." They also collaborated on "I Do it For Hip-Hop," a song from Def Jam artist Ludacris' album Theater of the Mind.

No disrespect to Biggie vs Pac, LL Cool J vs. Canibus or 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule and you can disagree if you want but the Jay-Z/Nas beef is the greatest rap beef ever. Why? Because although the two threatened violent retaliation, it turned out to be more like a rap verion of the Cold War. Before anyone was seriously injured, the two came to their senses and squashed the beef but not before they both made hip hop history. Why do rappers beef? I'm not sure but I'm glad these two did!