The Billiken's Bluff

"Why" is the lead single off of Jadakiss' latest album Kiss of Death. It is a lackluster song, as is most of the Hip Hop being music being churned out for such media outlets as Hot 97.1 and 106 & Park. "Why" is a series of questions spanning the spectrum from the mildly inquisitive to the ridiculous (such as Why they didn't make the CL6 wit a clutch). I wasn't very impressed with the orginal. The most controversial line was-

Why did Bush knock down the Towers?

Jadakiss explains why he sounded like he had been hanging out with Michael Moore-

I tried to make a song that could appeal to a broader audience. That's a song that's saying a lot of things people don't get to say.

Jada also offered another reason for making the song, he said-

Controversy sells, politics sell, all that type of stuff sells.



Not very noteworthy, not very profound, and certainly not a good track. However, surprisingly, the remix is excellent. I really like this song, it breathes some life into hip hop, which is certainly in need of some resuscitation.
Nas and Common join Jadakiss on the track for an extended question without answer session.

Nas ponders-

-Why do schools care more about your son's braids / Then they do for his grades?

Jadakiss questions-

-Why does Team USA keep getting blown out?
-Why did Gov. McGreevey get caught?
-Why didn't the country flip out after Bush stole the 2000 election?

Common inquires-

-Why they keep hyping Britney Spears up when they know she can't sing?
-Why did Justin sell out Janet and go to the Grammy's?
-Why haven't we found Osama?
-Why don't we impeach the president and elect Obama (Barack).?

While "Why", is no Lennon's Imagine, it does act as kind of a record of all the insanity that has been taking place the last 4 years, both politically and in the pop culture sphere. The song really surprised me because you don't normally find references to news events that are that currrent, at least not in the music medium. The "Why" remix surfaced about 2 weeks ago, the same time as Team USA was getting blown out in the Olympics, and the same time as the McGreevey scandal was unfolding. Add to this Common referencing Democratic Illnois Senate candidate Barack Obama, and, well... it's completely unexpected.



These are the topics you find in daily newspapers, and most importantly the type of material you find in such outstanding blogs as The Billiken's Bluff, and AWood's House of Thuggin'.

In fact, if I didn't know better, I would say that these three MCs read our blogs and wrote a song about them. It's like The Billiken's Theme Song. Well guys, keep up the good work, keep asking the important questions, and tapping into the pulse of our times. Also make sure to check out our new home at HalfPriceSushi.com.

And N. Dot I appreciate your concern about the progress of Half Price Sushi. Like any masterful Maki roll, Half Price Sushi is taking a while to prepare. The site is currently under construction, but you can check out the beta version of it here and here.