OK, so you meet a new person that happens to be a “Hip-Hop Head (HHH)”, right? You’re talking about what’s in each other’s playlist and all that. The energy is building, the lyrics are spewing, you’re adlibbing and the vibe is top of the crust. Eventually, it will happen. Somebody will either make or break the mood by asking, “So who is in your Top 5?”

Clearly, we’re not talking about a feature in your phone service. We are talking about the most important question that any fan of Rap music will have to answer. The weight of your reputation rests on your Top 5 emcees. And you better have a Top 5, because if you don’t, nothing that you say about music to this person will ever matter again!

So I wanted to give a few examples of what your Top 5 emcee’s of all-time says about you, since you will be remembered for all eternity because of it.

1. Your choices will tell your age bracket. I don’t know if I could still do it, but I was once able to tell a person’s age by the answers given about their favorite artists. For example, people often slip in an artist which they admired (during their teenaged years). And by gauging when that artist was at its best, you could make a good guess at the person’s age.
2. Your choices will tell your personal preferences. Are you a ‘Conscious’, ‘Southern’, ‘Gangster’, or ‘Shiny Suit’ fan, for example. It is not often that you’ll hear someone say that Mos Def and Snoop Dogg are in their Top 5. Mos Def and Snoop Dogg are far too spread apart on the lyrical and content spectrum to be on the same list.
3. Your choices will tell people whether you currently listen to today’s music. If your Top 5 ends with the most current career being Big Pun, you’re most likely listening to Rap from that time, nothing afterwards. Even if you’ve chosen Jay-Z (a Top 5 of many), but your favorite album was the Blueprint, the evaluation is the same.

There isn’t a debate that comes close to the “Top 5, Dead or Alive” discussion. People debate about who is the best ever, but that could be a similar debate to the greatest NFL Quarterback ever. Just think about it, people debate having the most Superbowl wins. But Ben Roethlisberger has one more Superbowl ring than Peyton Manning. There is no way in the world you’re going to tell me that Ben is a better quarterback than Peyton because of that. See, a fight would break out over that in a snap (pun intended). However, you telling me your Top 5 shows me who you are, compared to who you admire.

So in closing, I give to you my Top 5 emcees. Hopefully, you’ll let me know yours. And in no particular order:

1. Chuck D
2. Nas
3. Tupac Shakur
4. DMX
5. Eminem

September 11, 2011 will mark the ten year anniversary of when the United States of America was attacked. Thousands died, the financial district was hobbled, war was struck, and the roots were laid for what we now see as a global recession. Hundreds of thousands will see this day as a moment of remembrance. We’ll be looking back on a time when our country came together to support one another and allow for our Patriotic spirit to ring loudly around the world. Others just might see this as the day Jay-Z released, “The Blueprint.”

My apologies to those that feel some type of way that I connected the two. However, Hip-Hop will see this day as the 10 year anniversary of Jay-Z releasing his sixth studio album; and the first of three installments in “The Blueprint” series. This album was heralded as a classic contribution to Hip-Hop. In the coming months after the release, every car that drove by was pumping the sultry blend of timeless R&B samples with heavy hitting percussions that painted the perfect ambience for which HOVA nuzzled finely tuned wordplay, industry knowledge and perfectly scripted concepts in lyrical form.

Almost 10 years and two more installments later, Jay-Z’s peers and those that entered the industry after this release, missed the memo. Shawn Carter is a genius at his craft. Looking back on his career, there wasn’t one move he made on his way to the top that wasn’t planned out; calculated. Even his marriage to Beyonce was a calculated measure. She was clearly associated with him in front of everybody faces beginning with her appearance in the ‘Izzo (HOVA)’ video. In that very song, “The Industry is shady and needs to be taken over,” and Jay-Z did that when he became President of DEF JAM. But here is the kicker. His lyrics from ‘Renegade’ states, “Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?” It is clear that these fools did both.

“The Blueprint” isn’t just music. These three installments is what a person nicknamed HOVA, might call the Holy Grail of Hip-Hop. A carefully designed plan, if you go beyond the music, the formula to becoming a success in Rap is plain as day (not guaranteed though, but you’ll have the best chance). Fellow Brooklynite, Fabolous scored his biggest mainstream hit by following the Blueprint. The bonus track on “The Blueprint” called ‘Breathe Easy’ inspired Funeral Fab’s hit, ‘Breath’. All this time, Jay-Z has been releasing the secrets on how to maximize your recording career. Now, I’ll just make it a little easier on you skimmers.

Each installment of “The Blueprint” runs the same formula:

1. Releasing singles in the proper order
2. Must have concept record geared towards relationships
3. Must have a city acknowledgement record
4. Songs that compliment one another

OK, since I don’t have all day, I’ll give you the abbreviated rundown.

The proper order of releasing your singles is paramount. For Jay-Z, he doesn’t recreate the wheel. Each Blueprint followed the same formula. Always lead off your album with a statement record. This single leading up to the album must send shockwaves. These shockwaves get the media talking, the bloggers talking, the fans talking. “Did you hear what he said on that record,” people would ask. “The Blueprint” had ‘Izzo’ as its statement record. “The Blueprint 2” led with ’03 Bonnie and Clyde. “The Blueprint 3” led with ‘D.O.A.’. In many ways that are all the same record from setting the tone to shock wave value. The single that follows is the deal closer. Now that interests have been peaked, the deal closer (normally released when the album drops) is the song that will have the most dollars backing it. For Blueprint 3, D.O.A. was the statement record; while ‘Run This Town’ was the deal closer (they compliment one another). Venus vs. Mars should’ve been the “Girls, Girls, Girls” of BP3, but it went over a lot of people’s heads (both relationship concept records). “Empire State of Mind” came along at the right time. On the Blueprint, Jay-Z talked about how there wasn’t any love in the ‘Heart of the City’ (both city acknowledgment records). In 2009, there was so much love that the Yankee’s road ‘Empire State of Mind” to a World Series Championship. Yes, I said it. The Yankee’s won the championship because of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Every hero needs theme music, right?

As a matter of fact, you couldn’t turn to a sporting event without hearing a Jay-Z record, either during the game or going into commercial break. That’s right, commercial. Jay-Z is the most bankable commercial artist today. And remarkably, his street credibility hasn’t been question; it’s set in stone. His music is perfectly scripted mood music. ‘Run This Town’ was used for everything from Monday Night Football to Award show openers. ‘On to the Next One’ was a no brainer for the NCAA Tournaments.

Ultimately, it helps to be in the position that Jay-Z is in. He is the face of Rap Music. When now President Obama, needed to ignite the Hip-Hop vote, he texted Jay-Z. To be honest, Jay-Z is a mainstream magnet. All mainstream endorsements go through him and his crew. As long as he is Hip-Hop, Rap music wins. The suffering comes with artists that haven’t built similar contacts, which feel that Jay-Z is keeping all the opportunity to himself. Shawn Carter is on lyrical record for saying that he’ll show others how he do what he does. Follow his formula, his Blueprint, and you just might go places.

A few months ago, KRS-ONE, surrounded by New York media, went on an all-out rant during the Grand Opening of the first Hip-Hop Museum. He spewed on a long list of topics, from what he proclaimed as lack of “Founding Father” support to the museum as well as these same architects being left out of any moneys made by the museum. The reviews to his statements were mixed. While there were some people in attendance that agreed with his philosophies, others felt that KRS-ONE was way off track, along with choosing the wrong time to express his aggressive thought patterns.

Days later, I sat down for dinner with a friend of mine and we talked about the incident. We were floored by KRS-ONE taking this moment as his own, when he was approached about the opening of the museum six months before. We picked his entire message apart and a conversation from the past struck us: what if Hip-Hop was governed? The connection was made with thoughts of the first generation of emcee’s which are left out of this billion dollar industry, and out of the hearts and minds of Rap lovers around the globe.

What if Hip-Hop was governed? If it was, it would be the spitting image of modern day politics. No more debates about who is the best emcee in your state. An emcee would have to run for office (his or her position in Hip-Hop). If Fabolous wanted to represent Brooklyn, NY… he would need the support of its people to vote him into position as their representative. And here’s the kicker… he’ll need to be married with a family, just like any other politician, to be credible enough for office. Of course there’d be competition from other artists. But if Fabolous wins, he is rewarded as the face of that cities music, while being funded from the Hip-Hop Government. Only a person in office can release an official album. Losers would have to wait until the next election. That’s right, we’ve just solved the issue of an overpopulated field of emcee’s.

Ok, Fabolous is the “Mayor” of Brooklyn. So who would be Governor of New York? Let’s say that Jay-Z is Governor. He is in charge of New York’s Hip-Hop budget. Did I forget to bring up the Rap tax? How else would Hip-Hop be funded? Music purchases, concert ticket purchases, all products under the umbrella of Hip-Hop would be taxable. Yes, if you starred in a movie while in office, your paycheck would be taxable. On the other end of this spectrum, Rap music would be defined as a service. Artists would be more visible in their communities. Suddenly, celebrity has been removed from Hip-Hop.

The Senator position would be eligible to people with more than 15 years experience in any office. Two seats, per state. The position of Senator would go to people like Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes, Scarface, Uncle Luke, etc. Do you see where I’m getting at? We use the word “politics” in Rap, all the time. We complain about government whether it’s too much or too little. However, the one thing that government has that Rap music doesn’t have is structure. A Rap tax could very well take care of Hip-Hops’ Founding Fathers in the form of a pension. As a matter of fact, similar to how our government works, if you hold a seat for 4 years, you are entitled to a pension for the rest of your life. You’ll never hear about another Platinum selling rapper sleeping on his grandmother’s sofa.

What if Hip-Hop was governed? I’ll tell you one thing; it would be as structured as corrupted. The President of Hip-Hop would have a lot of work to do in maintaining order between Mainstream and Conscious emcees (the two political parties). One thing I do know for sure: Hip-Hop would be for the people again.

On the road to riches and diamond rings, urban artists often lose their way from the media which helped to propel them there. Notice, I’m getting right to the heart of this edition. Because I know that “they” don’t care about “us” anymore; they’ve made it now. You see, every artist enters the game, green. Or so it seems. They have the music, and we as media have the platform to expand their brand. But once we grow the grass and groom the lawn, “they” dissert “us” for greener pastures.

Who are “they”? “They” are the artists that once were on the cover of urban magazines, in the offices of urban media hustling their groundwork along. “They” are the artists which appeared in every urban radio market for interviews and stuck around for meet & greets. “They” are the ones that cherished their first awards from us, when the mainstream hadn’t a clue of who “they” were.

But once “they” receive a taste of mainstream media attention, suddenly, urban media becomes next-to-none as a priority. Suddenly, a new album or movie is set for release, and unless you are “cream of the crop” urban media, you will learn your position when you don’t have access to the talent. Yes, the same talent that once camped out in front of your building for a feature. That one. “Us” becomes old news, unprofessional news; beneath them.

The brighter their star becomes, the more likely that their publicist will not take your calls. Then you must wonder, “Is it his or her publicist that don’t want the hit from your media outlet, or is it the artist that has better things to do with their time?” All I must say is this: if that artist really cared about their media roots, they’d make time for “us”. “They” just don’t want to. So “they” slowly cut their appearances to urban events and award shows; “they” don’t do any favors to get “us” access to their concerts; “they” look at “us” like third world countries on red carpets. THIS IS REAL.

Why are “they” through with “us” once “they” get their first taste of stardom? Because who knows them better than “us”? We know their true origins, their hustle, when they had nothing and possibly if they still have nothing. “They” want to move forward from “us” to control their media. However, “they” need our continued support even if they could care less about our need to cover our talent. So “they” throw bones at us, knowing that we must cover the story to appease to our fans. Isn’t that a b*tch…

Nowadays, the chosen few are more advanced, early on in their career, gaining urban media coverage like badges on Foursquare in order to build their interviewing experience for mainstream outlets. They don’t really care about us…

Mainstream hip-hop artist are now taking it to Twitter to gain more control over their media. Urban media bites on it and retweet these messages, almost desperate to have anything to do with this artist.

And don’t let their star fall… once their star falls, guess who comes running back to the people that made them. And guess who will leave for mainstream pastures after we lift that ingrate back up? They don’t really care about us… and they show it every day, blatantly in your face and you take it. It hurts to see…

And this is just one of the reasons why I made the decision to walk away from all this. I love the Hip-Hop Culture… it is the greatest and most influential movement on the planet. Yet, there is no “we” – there is “they” and “us”… there is no loyalty to the platform that has placed food on many of tables over the past 30 years. The “every man for himself” mentality has torn “us” apart. Where is the fight?! There is none. So when I say that they don’t really care about us… that “they” has become “us”.