(J)ournal (O)f (K)1ng (E)ljay – “The Evolution Of…”

"Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin like a fool with your pants on the ground..."
Sometimes, there are things that I just don’t understand.
I know that when there’s something you just can’t understand or come to terms with then you have to be comfortable enough with yourself to look away and not let it bother you, but it’s definitely something of a different circumstance watching this situation develop.
In short, it seems like ignorance is evolving. Maybe it’ll change for the better, but right now, it seems like it is in more places than normal, and embodied by more people than normal. The best examples of this all lie in the now-rotating rap music on the radio. Read more…
(J)ournal (O)f (K)1ng (E)ljay – “Untitled: So Disrespectful”
I said I wasn’t going to do it, but if you’ve been watching all of this happen on Twitter, you’d understand this is the ONLY exception. I’m not doing this to summarize the arguments between Lupe Fiasco and his ex-producer Prolyfic, or to tell you who I think are right or wrong, or even take a side in this whole situation. I know a lot of people expect me to side with a particular side because of the history of recent posts that date back to early this year. I’m not going to do that.
They both have tumbled so far down my list of respectable people it’s sad. It takes a lot to make me completely not want anything to do with someone, but BOTH of them are getting ridiculously close. But enough about my personal feelings on them, because everyone pretty much knows my “potty-or-get-off-the-toilet” stance on Lupe and his musical endeavors.
But this…
How far exactly have we fallen as a society to the point people feel like its okay to not address problems head-on? I’ve been watching this situation, and these two people were FRIENDS. They worked together, and they know each other, so you can’t tell me that Twitter was the only way for them to handle their personal issues. Even if they did lose each other’s numbers, you seriously expect me to believe they fell out to the point where their friend circle split in half and they couldn’t secure a number from someone else?
Let’s go further. Even if that was the case, you still expect me to believe this was the best way to handle the situation? On Twitter, in front of the remaining fan base you have left (for both parties involved, not just Lupe)? Because you couldn’t Direct Message each other all of that, right? Because tweeting about someone but not “at” them (we call that #subtweeting, the art of tweeting subliminally about someone, but not mentioning them by their Twitter name) is a good look, right? Because suddenly showing your anger to the world is a good look, right?
Because having that one moment where you contradict EVERYTHING your fan base believes is worth it, right?
Love Always Shines Everytime. Remember to Smile. Lasers.
Those tweets from earlier Lupe sent at ____ are direct contradictions to that motto he’s been pushing like crazy. Isn’t it funny how some people can seem so conscious but then when pushed, revert 15 years to when they were a kid and immature… but I digress…
You should be able to talk to someone about a situation, regardless of if it’s about money, or music, or just a difference of opinion. Perfect example; one of the last Lupe posts I put up didn’t sit too well with some of his fans. One particular fan (@Koko_Koture, formerly known as @Mean_Vicious) went on to say that they hated me and now every single time I try to ask this person why, I get no response. If it’s ever to the point where a person’s unable to handle or discuss the situation head-on and the reasoning isn’t motivated by fear, then that shows a critical character flaw that needs to be addressed, quickly.
The bottom line is that this situation was handled completely wrong. Yes, I feel as if Prolyfic was a little wrong for how he just decided to open a can on Lupe (as a sidenote, maybe he thought that was the only way to reach him was to call him out in public?), but it’s even more wrong for Lupe to respond the way he did to Pro and to NahRight.com for supposedly “banning” him from the site (which they DIDN’T; someone gave homie bad intel). So now Lupe has to deal with the fallout that he’s about to feel from this situation…
All of this could’ve been avoided if they would’ve just talked it out, out of view of the public eye. If they would’ve just handled it face to face, or even over the phone, the outcome would’ve been better and 15,000 + fans (the source being @RichAzure’s petition) wouldn’t have to suddenly wonder about the integrity of the artist they’ve thrown their support behind.
At the end of the day, there are no winners behind this. Forget whatever Rule of Power you want to apply and forget whatever semi-dope lyric Lupe might say to try and make this not a big deal; they both could’ve saved face by just addressing the situation head on. Not in slick lyrics, not on Twitter, but in voice-to-voice conversation. They should’ve handled it like grown-ups, not in the disrespectful way it was handled…
I guess there’s a reason his rap name’s “Fiasco?” And I thought the Lil’ Kim / Nicki Minaj catfight was bad; this whole situation is just….
Wow.
(J)ournal (O)f (K)1ng (E)ljay – “The Last Call”
You’ve seen everything else people have posted about you Lupe, so I really hope you get to see this too. (Note: this JOKE is longer than normal, my apologies).
So a couple of days ago, I got to see the birth of the Lasers Petition that’s now being circulated around the internet. The purpose of the petition is supposedly to present the signatures to Atlantic Records to force them to release Lupe Fiasco’s third studio album, which has supposedly been done for a very long time.
Regardless of what Law of Power I saw used to make this thing spawn (ha. Inside info for the win), or how many times the originator could self-inflict his cause by trying to take down the first petition due to typographical errors and poor wording, and then decide to run with the original petition by saying other people wrote it, and then decide to finally just take all the credit for it (the back-and-forth wasn’t a good look), the momentum still somewhat stayed. It was enough to make Elliott Wilson take notice enough to comment via Twitter and to make The Big Homie (pause) post it on RapRadar.com.
Someone even told me it was posted at The Source’s website as well, but no one really reads The Source right now because of the fallout from the Benzino incident. Such a shame, but I digress…
This whole petition started by Rich (@RichAzure) has garnered a lot of reaction from several different groups of people. The Stans are saying it’s a bad idea because “Lupe SAYS to be patient.” The people who don’t really care are laughing and saying that Lupe’s fanbase is getting carried away.
Then there’s the group that want to see this thing gain steam to see the truth about what’s going on. Everything concerning this done album has been veiled and concealed to the point NO ONE can confirm if this album is even done except Lupe and Atlantic Records (which is rumored that he had to redo it twice because of the material).
To top ALL of this off, Lupe’s [ex]producer Prolyfic FINALLY opens up and completely rips him to shreds on Twitter (linked here) about his priorities and his way of handling things.
All of this proves to me a few things…
Firstly…
His fans have NO reason to support him at the moment because of his past actions. Read more…
An Open Letter: From Prolyfic to Lupe Fiasco

Here's to hoping some of these words from his friend will finally register home with Lupe...
Here we go again. It’s not me this time… it’s his producer. Recently, Prolyfic finally opened up and thoroughly went in on Lupe Fiasco about every problem he’s had over the last couple of years. Here’s his words, unedited and uncensored from his Twitter account at Twitter.com/Prolyfthegift...
~~~
- RT @TheLupENDBlog #WeWantLasers Petition to Atlantic Records http://bit.ly/9JOyOf < REALLY!?!?!? that’s what we on now @LupeFiasco?
- Some folks might want to turn their head, bcuz I have some choice words for this whole #WeWantLazers “movement” & @LupeFiasco as an artist about 2 hours ago via web
- Ok FIRST off I really like @LupeFiasco as an artist.. I enjoy listenin to his music.. when it’s available to listen to… that being said… about 2 hours ago via web
- This nigga @LupeFiasco really be on some scared of failure as shit… He is his own worst enemy… and he’s fucking up ROYALLY about 2 hours ago via web
- I mean where do I begin? how does Such a talented individual like @LupeFiasco become such a utter disappointment? And it’s his own doing about 2 hours ago via web
- 1st u penalize ur fans for WANTING ur music..u make a short mixtape.. then when ur material gets leaked u throw a temper tantrum @LupeFiasco about 2 hours ago via web
- What kind of artist PENALIZES fans for someone leaking they music?!?! you should be happy people WANT your music @LupeFiasco about 2 hours ago via web
- In a state where everyone is rising to success by giving away free music (Drake, Wayne, Gucci Etc.) @LupeFiasco chooses to hoard his music about 2 hours ago via web
- Which results in what? People forgetting about you! which is why @LupeFiasco did not make ANY lists of ANYTHING! When he should be top 3 about 2 hours ago via web
- Ain’t no release date on #WeWantLazers cuz ain’t NO FUCKING HITS on it! cuz @LupeFiasco REFUSES to makes hits.. not that he cant.. he wont! about 2 hours ago via web
- it’s like u forgot what got u here in the first damn place! u was set up to be “The One” not a reflection of what ur name means @LupeFiasco about 2 hours ago via web
- There is NO reason why u shouldn’t be mentioned in the same conversations as Drake or wayne etc… Ppl say “who?” when u mention @LupeFiasco about 2 hours ago via web
- & why do they do that? cuz @LupeFiasco is to damn scared to fail! he lacks the HEART to take a risk! So he’s had a careeer of playin it safe about 2 hours ago via web
- So @LupeFiasco figure he’ll appease this crowd.. u know that crowd over there.. they’ll ALWAYS love him, and he won’t have to feel pressured about 2 hours ago via web
- A fan of @LupeFiasco’s says: “if he really got w/some great songwriters, producers, & explored all his options he could make a dope album about 2 hours ago via web
- But @LupeFiasco is not gonna do that… he’d rather throw temper tantrums and toss complaints about making “what the industry wants” about 2 hours ago via web
- But @LupeFiasco’s fans DO NOT want to hear all that crap man.. all they want is the music.. fuck what you talkin bout dude.. do yo job about 2 hours ago via web
- Jim Johnson didn’t want to waste a HIT on @LupeFiasco bcuz he INTENTIONALLY associates himself wit Losin..I mean Lazing..Loser Lazer #Shrugs about 2 hours ago via web
- An to be truthfully honest.. If @LupeFiasco every made the “Great American Rap Album” or whatever, it will probably be his best album ever! about 2 hours ago via web
– As a old former friend.. I’m disappointed.. as a current fan.. i’m disappointed.. enuff is enuff.. get off the bullshit @LupeFiasco about 2 hours ago via web
- I knew the moment @LupeFiasco let them ppl over at #OKP embrace him.. I knew it was over..his music changed & he placed a ceiling on himself about 2 hours ago via web
- All that Japanese Cartoon shit is cool or whatever but DAWG that’s not what Chilly put you here to do @LupeFiasco And you KNOW that! about 2 hours ago via web
- How you go from being endorsed by Jay-z, to basically no public affiliation whatsoever?!?!? @LupeFiasco You spose to be killin it G about 1 hour ago via web Read more…
“The Running Journal” (7.21.10)
For those unfamiliar, this is the informal weekly recap of all the things that stuck out to me the last week. Here we go.
Why Change A Good Thing?
A lot of times, I believe that people have the tendency to try to fix something that wasn’t necessarily broken. I think it happened with the Detroit Pistons with trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson. I believe it’s happening right now with the advertisements for 3D-TV (because HD-TV is awesome, seriously). Then, of course, there’s the FreeCreditReport.com band search.
I personally like the first band. I don’t mean the first band in the competition, I mean the original band that I can quote songs from, because they made new commercials every few weeks. They were consistent, and consistently funny and clever, so it wasn’t a problem for me to sometimes want to quote them.
Remember that last line. I’m coming back to that.
I just think the first band deserves their spot, and every other band that I’ve seen so far looks lame. I don’t see why they can’t let the other band just do their thing. Sometimes, it’s better enough to just leave well alone.

I had a quick cameo in the movie after the credits, during the theater clean-up. Be on the lookout for that.
The Beginning…
I don’t really know how to start this one, so I’ll just say it. Inception was one of the best movies I’ve seen in the last few years, and arguably, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. That last statement is pending until I see it again and/or buy the DVD the day of release. It takes a lot to break into the “Epic Movie” category that I have set up, which includes “Coming to America” and “The Dark Knight” and a couple of other movies as well. If Christopher Nolan keeps delivering like this, it’s reasonable to see him becoming one of the “Legendary” movie producers of our generation.
His movies are so deep, thoughtful, and thought-provoking at times, to the point it just screams “Quotable!” without actually getting on Twitter and saying “Quote me.”
Remember that last line. I’m coming back to that, too.
I’m excited to see what’s next for Nolan. He’s going to win my money for the next two movies he releases based on his name alone. Truthfully.
Archive of Ether…
Ok, another tape came out of Mel Gibson over the last week, bringing the total up to six damaging tapes against him. As BAD as the other tapes were (I only listened through two of them, admittedly), this one seems to be the worst. If you don’t know, there’s a custody battle for Mel Gibson and Oksana ‘s daughter, and on this sixth tape, it seems like Mel admits to hitting both her and his daughter, stating “No one will believe you, so f**k you.”
Oh boy.
I seriously didn’t think it could get any worse. This is the only thing that could knock Justin Bieber off the trending topics of Twitter for two weeks. This story’s beginning to spiral FURTHER south than most people thought possible. I don’t think there’s no coming back now for Mel, and it’s completely his fault.
Wow, man. Just…wow.
Quotables…
First and foremost, I’m a fan. I don’t care if you don’t believe me, but I can show you a twitpic of both album covers in my cd wallet in my car, because I thoroughly enjoy the man’s music. It would be unlike me however to hold my tongue on a topic because I was scared of what people might say, or even because of who that person is. So I’m not going to. I believe people should be held accountable for their actions. It’s only fair.
If you follow me on Twitter, you’d know I have this love/hate relationship with a lot of different hip-hop artists. Well, last night, one of these artists decided to initiate a barrage of his quotes after DJ Busy quoted an old NBA Live song with his lyrics in it (“Catch my I’m ballin, catch me like Spalding”). Of course, then my timeline filled with all these different people quoting songs from his first two CDs that he’s dropped.
This wouldn’t be an issue, but it’s the same quotes that were initiated about a week ago with the same results. And also, the week before that.
Ok, so here’s my thing about that. I’m not going to go the route of saying he’s urging his fans to quote him in order to make his head bigger, because I can’t back that up completely.Truthfully, I think quoting your favorite artist is dope…but I think it’s even doper if the artists act like they appreciated it. You have other artists that retweet comments and show love to a higher percentage of fans than this particular person, and because of the fact they actually seem to appreciate it, the fans show more love. It’s like a cycle.
I feel that if you want to be a leader of a movement, or a trendsetter, or whatever other superlative, you have to learn to give respect when it’s due. You also have to learn to be consistent with whatever service it is you give to the entertainment industry, whether it’s movies, credit commercials, or music-filled albums of the same caliber as your previous work, and not a rock alternative with one good song on it.
I’m just tired of people stringing other people along. You can’t hold a fan responsible for not being loyal if you’re not loyal with the release of your music, whether it’s free or not. The album might be out of your hands, but how many times have we seen other artists make a couple of songs just to keep their fans anxious for more? If Lupe can make a mixtape in a day, then I know this is a possibility. Just something to prove that he actually does care about his fans.
Then maybe more fans would get on board with pressuring his record company…
That’s just my opinion on it.
That’s it for this week.
K1ng Eljay
PropaYne – “Ode To Ye”
For those that are interested, propaYne was cool enough to let me post the unreleased edited version of his “Ode To Ye” project, so check it out below.
Here’s the review and interview again if you missed them the first time.
“Round Table Conversations: PropaYne“
K1ng Eljay
5 Reasons To See “Inception” (Movie Review)
I recently got the chance to see the new Christopher Nolan directed epic film, “Inception.” It took the director over ten years (allegedly) to write, and I decided to check it out. Here’s five reasons I think you should check it too.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio Doesn’t Use an Accent
If you’re familiar with Leo’s last handful of films, you’d know that he’s never been a great one with accents. Case in point; in “Blood Diamond” (another GREAT film, if you haven’t seen it) he’s an African, but his accent’s Australian. It threw me off at first. Then people died (a lot), and I forgot about it, but I digress.
In this movie however, the fact that there’s not a crappy accent… It’s amazing. I didn’t expect to make it throughout the whole movie without hearing Leonardo forget where he was and flip into one, but somehow he was able to do it, and his acting during the movie completely reeled me in.
Actually, everyone’s acting was superb. Usually, there’s one weak actor in every movie, but here with “Inception”, there was no glaring flaw. Each character had their moment which made you smile and realize they belonged in this movie. Each person played their part well. Each person made this movie what it is; which is essentially a movie with no bad accents from DiCaprio.
2. Things Explode
For a thriller/drama, this movie had a lot of action in it. The movie’s high points were long, sustained, and so thoroughly well-done (thank you for not saying ‘That’s what she said’) to the point after the scene ended you realized you were just caught in an action scene. This effectively happens at the beginning of the movie, and the intense, engaging moments never really stop. At the very least, it had at least three times more action than “The Last Airbender.”
As a sidenote, I believe this movie holds the record for longest slow-motion car accident.
Ever. Read more…
Round Table Conversations: An Interview with… PropaYne
“Round Table Conversations” is the interviewing section of K1ngEljay.com. Basically put, when I interview people, it will be labeled as this. There’s another dimension to this idea, but that will be revealed a little later. I don’t plan on doing this weekly, but as the opportunity arises, I plan to do more and more…
It’s rare when you’re able to talk to a musician and get inside their head to see what they’re thinking, and I had a chance to shoot some questions at PropaYne concerning his last project, “Ode To Ye”, his relationship with a few people instrumental in his musical/personal life, and his reaction to Kanye’s stage crashing of Taylor Swift. I had to ask, lol.
Check out the interview, and follow Pro at Twitter.com/SirPeezy.
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For the people that don’t know, explain your name and the whole Echelon Republic movement.
Well, my name is propaYne. I came up with it when I was around thirteen years old regrettably. Echelon Republic is the group of artists (of any kind) producers, management, etc. I guess you can say it’s a young production team but it’s basically a family trying to make some beautiful music, haha.
How long have you been rapping?
I have been rapping since I was seven years old in the second grade.
What made you decide that rapping was the job you wanted to pursue?
When I met my manager Dino (Rhymestyle) I really decided I didn’t want to do anything else. It all of the sudden seemed possible you know?
How’d you meet Rhymestyle? How important is that relationship to your music?
Back in like February of 2008 I dropped my first ever mixtape, “The Arrival” when I was still in a group with a couple of my best friends and Rhymestyle actually found me. I remember he kept emailing me and IM’ing me about wanting to work with me and manage me but I kept ignoring him for some odd reason that I can’t remember (laughs). Read more…
PropaYne – “Ode to Ye” (Mixtape Review)
The ideas separately are ingenious. On one end, you have the Vitamin String Quartet remixing assorted Kanye West productions with string instrumentals. On the other end, you have this young, lyrically gifted MC. Put them together, and in theory, you have a knockout of a project in the making right? Well, PropaYne’s prepared a nice mixtape/EP to honor one of his favorite rappers and to announce that he does this way better than some people might give him credit for.
Myself included.
The Good:
There is something soothing about the sound of the Vitamin String Quartet remixing these instrumentals (to the point that if you have the chance to get it, I’d highly recommend it), but it’s even more amazing how confident Pro is when he raps over each one. The lyrical content is there, and it’s more interesting because of how takes on what he calls a “first person narrative” to allow him to be himself in his lyrics, whether that was politically correct or not. All jokes aside, you learn a lot about PropaYne in a little amount of time, which is always a good thing if it’s pulled off correctly. Lucky for us, he pulls this off without never sacrificing lyrics or confidence.
There’s also times where he’d finish his rhymes and just let the instrumental ride…which I’ve always personally been a fan of on songs. Read more…
“The Running Journal” (7.14.10)
There’s been a LOT to happen within the last week, so I guess I need to get started, right? Fair warning; this one is longer than normal. Also, @KyleDraws is DOPE with the artistry…
Cleveland Rocks!
When it rains, it definitely pours, and since LeBron jilted the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, the drama has been almost non-stop and instantaneous. As soon as LeBron made his decision (via “The Decision”, his one hour TV drama that was one of the highest-viewed cable event of the year with right under 10 million viewers behind an episode of iCarly…I swear I didn’t make that up), Dan Gilbert lashed out with a letter that a lot of Cleveland fans supported, but really just showed how immature he was. The letter couldn’t speak for itself, however, because for some reason Jesse Jackson felt like he needed to speak on the situation…
The Rev’s stepped in and offered his comments on the situation, saying that Dan and Cleveland are treating LeBron as if he’s a runaway slave. He probably said more too, but I stopped reading because two things instantly come to mind, although Cleveland are all acting way to emotional over being rejected by LeBron (seriously. We burnin’ jerseys now? We’re KKK-influenced? Cleveland’s way too emotional).
Firstly, I’m pretty sure there’s some other things Jesse could be focusing on, like the whole Oscar Grant situation that’s going on right now. Secondly, it doesn’t matter if Jesse’s right or wrong, because most black people are irritated with him in general because for SOME REASON, media thinks that when he or Al Sharpton speak, they represent all Black people, and that’s just not the case at all.
It sucks that Jesse said that, but if you actually look at the analogy, he might’ve been on to something. If he views LeBron as a cash cow, and his cash cow just left him, then technically speaking, that analogy could have more truth in it than it seems, as politically incorrect and out of line as it was to say. Even if he was on to something, he could’ve illustrated his point without reverting back to slavery lingo. The delivery is just as important as the message. Read more…







