Ran'dem Rhymes vol.#13 - Ain't What it Used to Be

By Ruhudeen Ali
March 9th, 2010

*With a special dedication to the late, great MC Guru of Gangstarr. He was among the pioneers of hiphop and helped lay its foundation on the Eastcoast and worldwide. His death is a huge loss to the hiphop community. RIP 'King of Monotone,' you will be missed. (July 17th 1966 - April 19th 2010)

Now let this be your rap manual n' syllabus

I'm teachin fake emcees its my impetus

why? cuz I'm thoroughbred to be intelligent

and you know I get that thorough bread ladies n' gentlemen

my rhymes be on another level some whole different s***

spoken on the speakers of the world man sorta ubiquitous

matter of fact I'm sick with it

now to show you a bit of this on how I flip a script

"I can't write a phat line to demonstrate"

- now hold up, wait for it

cuz what I just did made me a hypocrite

you see the content is lyrical, delivery is critical

it can make your skills imminent

if its done wrong it can make a rhyme impotent

like turning an Eminem into a simpleton

follow these rules you'll serve madd crews like in Wimbledon

if not, then you'll end up permanently feminine

or tied up whimperin' in some disheveled tenement

whatever the case may be I just poured you some gravy

showin yall how to achieve in great degrees

hiphop was my main squeeze

til she started hangin out with lame emcees

cuz the game just aint what it used to be, now its lame

they opened up the lane to the ignorant n profane

you see hip hop used to be a treasure

worth more than diamonds n' pearls

the sky was the limit, the world was yours

then it sold out to commercial rap

had a gold mine but gave over half,

conscientious MCs no longer rhymin for free

sold out to big labels for stacks of G's

claiming to be real G's spending lavishly

but instead of being real

they pushed an image that was primitive n' savagely

rap then sold out to parties & clubs

became all about hoes, bacardi's & dubs

no longer about the struggle,

what happened to the love?

its value further diminished

prompting us to say "what the fffu-

forget about it when you're upset about it

there's still some talent in these streets man

no doubt about it

bring it back to good lyrics & slammin beats

bring a smile to the hood cynics &  jammin geeks

rockin dreads, hop in jeeps bumpin beats

bobbin heads n' stompin feet

but reminiscing about the golden era wont bring it back

we're not even close to a silver era, its beyond whack

let's find n' sign those with craft

those with talent who rhyme with a knack

to put a phat track on wax instead of supporting crap

cuz back in the day whole armies defended hiphop

had its gems locked up in treasuries

not on cheap displays in shops

but nowadays if rap was a currency

its only got a dollar left expecting more theft

now its got no army left

aint no time to toy around let's repent

cuz all we got now is just a Soulja Boy and 50 cent

Becoming, Together (One Day)

"Becoming, Together (One Day)"

By Ruhudeen Ali

3/16/10

Tired with oars in hands

I row in these murky waters of self-doubt 

toward the shores of authenticity's sands

and though its waves crash up against my fragile boat of mind 

I am encouraged by the call of friends on the other side 

who themselves have nothing to hide nor a reason to chide 

for I once saw them live lies 

and they once saw the world through my eyes

when they too, were on this quest of mine

I know not when I will reach your place

mustering enough will, knowing in me you place great faith

for traveling the path I would have otherwise not known

together we have mutually grown

upon the windy brooks of cobblestones

in a place I used to call 'home'

amidst days long since gone

Now with those memories placed upon a throne

along with the medals and plaques we earned 

at a time when the wheels of time forgot to turn

allowing us to roam for all its concern

I look to this solemn day and I burn

over why we couldn't together traverse this storm
as I can only paddle so far alone

But happy am I to see you all on the shore

I knew that one day I would reach you for sure

to cast off the shackles that made me sore
and celebrate the days of joy with you, as we did before
And now, together, we finally share the core

of all emotions galore, and peace, is forevermore.

Rafi - Duniya na Bhaye Mohe ab toh Bulaley

duniya na bhaaye mohe ab to bulaa le (2)
charanon mein (2) tere charanon mein

duniya na bhaaye mohe ab to bulaa le (2)
charanon mein (2) tere 
charanon mein (2)

mere geet mere sang sahaare (2)
koyi na mera sansaar mein (2)
dil ke tukde (2) kaise bech doon
duniya ke baazaar mein (2)
mann ke yeh moti rakhiyo tu sambhaale (2)
charanon mein (2) tere 
charanon mein (2)

saat suron ke saato saagar (2)
mann ki umangon se jaage (2)
tu hi bataa (2) main kaise gaau
behri duniya ke aage (2)
teri yeh beena ab tere hawaale (2)
charanon mein (2) tere 
charanon mein (2)

(maine tujhe koyi sukh na diya 
toone daya lootayi dono haathon se) (2)
tere pyaar ki yaad jo aaye (2)
dard chhalak jaaye aankhon se (2)
jeena nahin aaya mohe ab to bula le (2)
charanon mein (2) tere 
charanon mein (2)

duniya na bhaaye mohe ab to bulaa le (2)

charanon mein (2) tere

charanon mein (2)

Castlevania: Lords of Win

Homie don't play, 2010 is a serious year for games (okay I didn't mean that, homie I'm telling you, you gotta play! Bad joke.) Anyway, you probably thought I was gonna sit here and list a bunch of big releases - nah! go do your own research. But what took me by surprise last year was the announcement of a new Castlevania game in the works with Kojima Productions (YES you heard right - 'Kojima EPIC Productions',) Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for a next-gen release sometime in 2010, and it's shaping up to be totally awesome! Check out the trailer below:



they're saying that it will take the series in a new [ehem God of War-type cough cough] direction. Not that I mind it really, its about time that Konami changes the formula a little to keep things exciting like they did with Symphony of the Night. And speaking of which, they're saying this Castlevania will feature the return of everybody's favorite half-man, half-vampire - Alucard! Well, so far the story revolves around Gabriel Belmont and his quest to revive his deceased wife (man the womenfolk of the Belmont clan have been having a rough few centuries haven't they?) Anyways, we wouldn't have it any other way because that usually translates into badass, pissed-off protagonists who do lots of cool things with a whip (no, not of that nature, but of the 'Vampire Killer' kind.) And if that doesn't really convey the science of win to you then who cares. This is Castlevania, and it's just an awesome series so stay tuned for this one kiddies. Who knows, they might even win over some Twilight fangirls with this one!

Ryu Ga Gotoku (Like A Dragon)/Yakuza Series

Let's face it, many fans of the series are disappointed fans of the Shenmue series, not because Shenmue wasn't a great game [it's quite the awesome series!] rather, that they never gave the fans what they wanted - a 3rd installment! For those of us who are fans of both Shenmue and Yakuza (who many claim to be the spiritual successor to Shenmue) we want to send Sega a clear message this time around: "Please don't disappoint us again. We love your games! Send them here too, we promise to support them!!!" "Here" of course, meaning the U.S, Europe, and Canada and "support" means buying the damn things. Now that's not to say that we only care about Yakuza because of Shenmue, not at all. In fact, they are as different as night and day, both excellent games and storytelling in their own right. But the style, the drama, the story-telling, the action; although totally different, one can clearly see they are blood-related.

That said, Yakuza 4 (Ryu Ga Gotoku 4) looks amazing! It's scheduled for release in Japan around mid-March while the week prior the U.S will finally see the release of Yakuza 3. I request all those in the video game community and fans of the series to please support the release of Yakuza 3 on March 9th so that Sega will release the 4th ed. here too!! Incase you're new to the series, its basically the Japanese counterpart to GTA but with a very different flair to it. It's an action-adventure crime story and drama revolving around Japan's underground mafia or "yakuza." The story's protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, feared and respected as "The Dragon of the Dojima Clan," is an ex-Yakuza who seeks to rid himself of his past criminal life and start anew. However, his former allies and enemies somehow manage to drag him back into the underworld which he seeks to get away from. If you're a fan of anything remotely close to Grand Theft Auto, or crime stories, you will love this series! It's really awesome, trust me! Check out the trailers.



Kazuma kicking ass, as usual


Here's a snippet at Yakuza 4: