Haven’t made one of these posts in a while (and many of you are probably just fine with that). But I’ve been doing rather well at this hip hop emceeing game over the past few weeks and thought I’d share some of my highlights.
Let’s start off with a Kanye track that I’ve managed to hold the top spot for over 3 weeks now. I recently improved my world record with as close to a flawless performance that I could muster (attaining 99% on BOTH lyrics and timing on EXPERT level), besting my previous record by over 10,000 pts. And I now feel somewhat secure that my top spot is nearly untouchable (considering the seizable gap between 1st and 2nd place). Stronger than ever! No rest for the wicked (on the mic), though.
Over a week ago, the aptly named “Backpack pack” showed up on the PlayStation Network as RAPSTAR DLC, which contained IMO the highest quality of joints to be released for the game to date: Mos Def’s Ms. Fat Booty, Talib Kweli’s Get By and Common’s The Light (which I had suggested to the RAPSTAR twitter a while back and am glad they listened to me as well as other fans of the superb track). The Light is my favourite joint in the game so far as well as my personal favourite to perform. It involves Common (in his prime) flowing lovingly and skillfully over one of J Dilla’s finest beats (from the Soulquarian produced LP, 2000’s timeless Like Water For Chocolate). This is the late and legendary Jay Dee’s monumental first appearance in the game (not to mention Lonnie Lynn Jr.’s as well) and the song selection is perfect. Oh yes, that’s me (the magical Juan, Carddeck_P) at the top of the charts, nearly mastering the joint in a little under a week (but there’s always room for improvement, especially as other players continue to fine-tune their top score). Edit: Updated pic. My old score was (temporarily) toppled, which inspired me to return the favour to my competitor and land squarely back on top (besting my previous score by 12,000+). No doubt, I will try my damnedest to proudly hold the world champion spot in this, one of the most beautiful rhyming/singing compositions you will ever hear (and I mean it).
If you’ve played this classic Eric B. & Rakim joint, you’ll know that it isn’t very long (lyrically) as it’s composed of just one Rakim verse (although it’s one revolutionary verse, for sure). And because of that, there’s little room for error if you wish to rank highly…actually, there is ZERO room for error (the player has to be absolutely perfect). So in the process of learning/performing this track to a painstakingly precise level of detail, I achieved what I previously thought was a myth: attaining 100% in one of the evaluation criteria (in this case, the ever-crucial timing). I’ve scored 99% timing a few times in this track as well as others. So nailing technically perfect timing while rhyming the lines of what many rappers consider to be the greatest MC of all-time (simply known as “The God”) was an awesome surprise. And for my troubles, I garnered the top score in the world…by a mere 28 points (precise, indeed). Edit: Updated pic. This time I earned 95% on lyrics and another perfect 100% in timing, while setting a new high score (adding a valuable 355 pts to my previous record) and further distancing myself from the incredibly tight competition. More Rakim joints on RAPSTAR, please!
Been trying to nail down a Neptunes joint (there are 3 of them on RAPSTAR) for a while now. Currently 4th on Busta’s Pass the Courvoisier Part II (don’t know the lyrics off by heart yet) and got as high as 2nd on Grindin’ by the Clipse (which I know well, but others know just a little better). However LL’s silky smooth Luv U Better (featuring far more easier wordplay than the aforementioned 2 joints, not to mention some nice crooning) will do just fine. TUNES, y’all!
Scenario has been considered hip hop’s greatest posse cut (sure, the remix is arguably even better, but the landmark original came first). And to say the least, it’s quite the challenge for one person to do the job of 5 explosive MCs (the Tip/Busta back and forth home stretch is especially jarring for your breath control). For the longest time, I was stuck in 13th-14th place (767,000+ pts) on this mad hyped track. Until recently, when I (clearly) stepped my game up, nailed some timely 8X multiplier exclamation points and jumped all the way to the #1 spot while besting the previous top score by almost 10,000 pts. There *I* go, yo!
Whether you love him or hate him, Kanye West is without a doubt the most recognizable personality in hip hop (and arguably all of music, in terms of current stars) today. And contrary to the majority of popular “artists” out there, dude wasn’t simply fabricated by the generic star-making machine (which we have to blame for many of the marginally talented chart toppers currently) but rather was a legitimately talented and passionate student of many of the greatest hip hop producers of the 1990’s (legends I grew up admiring as well, and many of whom I am certain are still unfamiliar to Yeezy’s massive pop radio audience). In light of all that, Kanye’s 4 RAPSTAR tracks (the most available for play by a single artist) are IMO the biggest fishes to fry. And for what seems like an eternity in the ever-changing RAPSTAR world (where every record can fall at a moments notice), I had managed to hold the top spot on 3 out of the 4 Yeezy tracks (Stronger, Can’t Tell Me Nothing and Gold Digger, all attained in that order). That is until last week, when I finally broke away from #3 on the Jesus Walks chart (the track out of the quartet that was giving me the most trouble) and scored a new world record, thereby attaining what I have deemed the unprecedented “Kanye Slam” (4 for 4, baby!). Took me about 3 months to accomplish (it was a fun challenge, no doubt). In terms of MBDTF, I would love to see Power or All Of The Lights available for DLC (both mad hyped joints that are suitable for the game’s performance-heavy feel IMO) and hopefully continue my Yeezy domination.
I know it seems like I’m bragging (no wait, I AM bragging). But I am damn proud of my standings/scores, which I’ve spent an insane amount of time practicing/achieving/fine-tuning, more so than any other game (passionate hip hop obsession is putting it lightly). And considering that any of my records can be broken at ANY time (peeps worldwide are playing RAPSTAR right now trying to take me out, I’m sure), these lengthy vanity posts are my way of preserving the moment. I’ve also learned that the only way to truly excel at this game (which, to me, isn’t simply a game anymore) is to practice the joints constantly, either through the practice mode (which is best for nailing any tricky timing sequences or pitches you have to hit) or via actual counted performance, until the joint becomes second nature (vocal/muscle memory). Also, make sure that your mic is properly registering every word and vocal nuance (otherwise cop a new one because you’re wasting your breath…literally).
One of my preferred training exercises is to loop an entire track (or particular section I’m having trouble with) on practice mode and rap along (while sometimes walking around the vicinity doing other things) until I feel I can do the joint on EXPERT mode (which blocks out the lyrics). I used to do this a lot as a teen (as we all do with our favourite songs), but more so on a casual level and not the dedicated/serious level I’m on now (hey, when world bragging rights are at stake, only the strongest survive). Memorizing the insane amount of hip hop lyrics (ranging from 300-500 words per minute) is rather difficult if you’re not the one who wrote them (it’s hard enough to learn the words/timing, I can’t imagine having to create the structure). But now I truly understand how all of those amazing emcees know thousands of lyrics (both theirs and others) so well, with Black Thought being the ultimate lyrical beast. Speaking of which, still waiting for ANY tracks by The Roots to show up in the game; I wasn’t lying when I said that my brain is a Black Thought lyrics encyclopedia (and I’m ready to prove that to the RAPSTAR world). All hail (IMO) the G.O.A.T. music game!
