Artist: ScholarMan

Album: Worth Fighting For

Kats and I have been building together via tracks for the past 3-4 years. We met through my homie Nathaniel, a mutual friend of ours who had a dope hip-hop blog, HipHopLinguistics.com. (We need you posting again Nat!) Kats has always been creative with his content and flow – he was the perfect addition to this track.

First verse:

Take a good look / every scar a tall tale / so far who came for the belt / they all failed / emcees packaged in bubble-rap / so frail / a bunch of glass jaws smashed / ball game! / so when the call came / I ain’t let it ring twice / I can spit a gutter ugly rap before i sing nice / my persona king sized / what you think holmes? / You won’t catch me with my mink on, fight night, ring side… / think twice / but blink once and miss the whole show / best approval ratings of my life is what the polls show / fo’ sho’ me and scholarman got the all pro / dope flow / got the crowd jumping like a pogo / plus the ice cream’s free and organic / we got joints in the vault so don’t panic / soganic music is known to all damnit / all around the globe and all planets

Second Verse:

I got tough alligator skin / haters been / steady trying to fade my kin / but we’re too great within….
so label him conscious rap / me? i’m that obnoxious cat / show up uninvited if i find out where your function’s at / so action-packed they say my catalog’s the cadillac of battle raps / and scholar swings a mean battle axe / I splatter tracks, matter of fact, examined closely or just at a glance /
ain’t another motherfucker bad as kats

Featured Lyrics by: JonBlaq

Artist: ScholarMan

Album: Worth Fighting For

I met JonBlaq via Silent War; a few conversations about future projects prompted War to recommend Blaq’s music – Im glad I checked him out. Just as War, Blaq is a dope lyricist with a new project out, “The Book of Jon.” Check out his lyrics from Search below.

I see you search / you lurkin to find fame /swerving inside of your lane / what I feel inside of my veins / its so significant / me and the mic are intimate / find the heartbeat of the track inside of my sentences living inside the booth / while your roaming around the premices /still admire my penmenship / waiting for me to finish it /ending it aint an option or even a possibility so toxic the opposite of a remedy /hoping you’ll see it visibly / dealing with opposition / rap is like a sport / one eye on the competition / God given wisdom / Im driven by his ambition /had to learn to listen and find out what I was missing / pride is like poison / I needed an intermission /thats why I write rhymes like Im holding an intervention / JonBlaq Im the leader of the resistance / still I gotta holla at Scholar to keep em guessing / yall just see the symptoms we dealing with the infection / this is old testament evidence of a bigger plan / I understand what I never knew I could comprehend / everything you hearing is something I probably bottled in

Featured Lyrics by: Silent War

Artist: ScholarMan

Album: Worth Fighting For

Today’s verse of the day is by my homie Silent War. War and I met via my Facebook page almost two years ago and have been building over tracks ever since. He was on my album ExiSTANCE and also worked with me on a couple of my free projects. As always, he dropped some ill poetics on this track.

I’m like Gator wit’ a new dance / 2 stepping to life / who ripping the mic tonight / WAR, Scholar, Blaq …the life / of the party / by Nature I’m Naughty / hardly your average MC / soul of a griot / story teller on beats / lyrically guided by the force / divorce childish ways / married to my manhood / I got a son to raise / I raise my feet to blaze the beat / I run lyrical marathons / inspiration’s my water, the strength to carry on / on deck is the resurgence of the lyricist / cause dudes is sounding real wrist bent like Deliverance / I’m a full grown man / with full grown plans / to disband the brand of the ignorant black man son / I’m like Coltrane with a gold chain / rap enthusiast / clap to the music / just…feel the vibe / and come alive like Lazarus / cause to your mental health / a lot of music is hazardous / I’d rather just sit back and listen to Sketches of Spain / Embrace Horizon / eyes is on the prize mayne / WAR…the artist currently known as unknown / so I grind hard / define God through poems and microphones…Yeah.

In May I will be dropping a new instrumental project with over 20 beats. From hip-hop to r&b, this project will have some of everything I have been cooking up over the past two years or so. Check out the clip below that contains two of the joints on the digital album. “I Got Plenty” & “The Lasting”

I Am Legend

I think it takes a great actor to hold down a movie (for the most part) by himself. In I Am Legend Smith embraces and embodies his character to the point where at times you actually forget it’s a movie! I found myself analyzing the situation as if I was in his shoes – playing out scenarios to see what I would do to survive a similar event. Great films make you think, and I think he delivered his best work with this one. The scene where he had to kill his dog after she was bitten by other virus-infected dogs showed enormous pain without him having to say a word. Where he had to reach within himself to pull out those tears and emotion must have been a dark place.

Enemy of the State

Enemy of the State is a dope all around movie. Conspiracy, murder, surveillance, survival, action, humor and great execution is what makes this Smith’s second best. With an all-star cast to support him (Gene Hackman, Jon Voight), Smith does well at playing a clueless father- husband and attorney at the wrong place at the wrong time. Once he is the target, its entertaining watching him escape by the hairs on his head from the villains.

Bad Boys

Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, what more can you about this movie? Just these names alone in the same sentence make you laugh and think about your favorite scenes from this film. The chemistry between the two funny-men was on point, enough to make this movie great both on the comedic level and action level.

Men In Black

Any movie that I can watch anytime it’s shown on FX or TBS to me is a favorite, and Men in Black is one of those movies. I don’t know if these networks bought the rights to the movie or what but it seems like it’s always on television when nothing else is on – but it never gets old. I can’t wait to the see the new one. Hopefully it tops the other two and they leave it there, with just three.

The Pursuit of Happyness

It was tough picking my 5th favorite as some of the honorable mentions below are just as good. With that said I had to go with The Pursuit of Happyness over Seven Pounds. Though Seven Pounds was unique in its own right and something a little different for Smith’s portfolio, I really found the movie depressing. I know all movies can’t have happy endings, but Seven Pounds just didn’t jump at me as something I would watch multiple times. Despite having a good story, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. The Pursuit of Happyness on the other hand was good from the aspect of motivating the audience to keep pushing and striving. I like stories like these – and because it was based off true events made me like it even more. Furthermore, acting alongside your son without it coming across corny or elitist was also an added bonus.

Honorable Mentions

I, Robot
Seven Pounds
Men in Black II
Six Degrees of Separation

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This paragraph is highlighted because Malcolm X is one of my favorite leaders of his time. I admire Malcolm for his transformation more than anything else. In regards to what Cleaver had to say about why Malcolm was great, I partially agree – but I also believe he was great for not just the truth he spoke but how he spoke it. Many leaders over time have spoken truth but people won’t adhere to what is being said if they can not relate to it. Malcolm made most of what he spoke relatable.