It's amazing how things shift. I think Nas summed it up best, "A thug changes and love changes and best friends become strangers." For the record, looking back on this, though it's benign, I'm not convinced it's better. I'm more Hawaiian Sophie.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
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There was a good chance I would have lived the rest of my life without remembering the Hawaiian Sophie video again (it's been 20 years)-- but after two seconds the whole thing flooded back. What a cheesy Fresh Prince vibe that song has.
I'm impressed by the technical skills on display here. And 1990 is pretty early to be packing in that many syllables. Two years before Das Efx! Not a bad track either.
Kane used to flip that fast syllable style of spittin' too.
Not as hardcore as Jay and Jaz but it was floating in the ether...
This brings back so many memories: single-track cassette tapes (of which, Hawaiian Sophie was one of the few I owned), 'Set it Off' by BDK and HATING my time at Minot AFB, Minot, N.D.. :)
Thanks for reaching back..
"Your single was 99 cents, mine was four bucks!"
"Ain't nothin changed but the players, the game remains the same
I had a ten-year run, hey, I can't complain"
That sum's it up pretty good to...i've forgot about this tune though...thanx tnc!
Call me a hater but if you close your eyes you can't tell the difference between Jaz and Jay. Every evolution of the man, even going back to ancient times is a rip on whoever was hot at the time. I've said it before and I'll say it again JayZ is Pac Man.
For me whats interesting is how secular and commercial (in terms of his rap image being the Ultimate Capitalist) Jay-Z is now, vs then when he was basically an apprentice for the Ansaar / Nubian Nation / Holy Tabernacle Ministries / Dr. Yorkites' most well-known rapper. Which means he was down with "the Black Man is God, Aliens Will Come Save Us From This Evil New World Order, Numerology is Truth, Whites are Amorites," etc. rhetoric.
He can front like it was a phase, but when he calls himself Jay-Hova the God MC, I always have to wonder if some of it stuck...
I was just watching this vid the other day. It's always been my joint, and I recall when I first came to New York in 1995 you could still hear DJs throw it down during a set. But damn dog "Hawaiian Sophie"? Can't really agree. "Originators" has aged a lot better IMO. A couple other cuts on the album itself - To The Soul I think it was called? - also feature Jay, and he's killing it as usual. Funny how a lot of us didn't really see the talent then (although by the time of "Can I Get Open", I was definitely that).
I too marvel at Jay's initial affiliation with the Ansaars, but hey - it was Brooklyn, in 1990. It is what it is. If a lot of these rappers were making records back then, there might've been some interesting looks for them too.
For some REALLY ancient Jigga, try looking around for "H.P. Gets Busy", by the group High Potent - this was Jay's first group, and that record dropped in 1986 (!). I think Hov had to be like 16.
BAM! Youtube, son!! Its nothing... lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7y65QJ6Obc
Which reminds me...
"Youve been in this game for ten / Ive been in it five / I can divide..."
Oh really Jay? Looks to me like you had been in the game 15, not five. You can divide but can you add?
Haha, true indeed. That Jay never got called on that is a testament to his ability. He just slid that in there, as if it was true, and everyone just believed him because the record itself was so convincing. God, I remember the first time I listened to Blueprint, and "Takeover" came on, and... just sat there, stunned, smh-ing for the poor souls on the other end of Jay's barbs.