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Hip Hop Gossip /
News |
11/29/04
 Jay-Z vs Nas 2005...
By : PåÇkªvêlº³
Today's "Super-Tuesday" releases see a battle brewing between Jay-Z and Nas which harkens back to the 2001 matchup in which the two fought a nasty brawl that ignited Hip-Hop fans everywhere. The New York rap kings traded lyrical barbs on track after track, officially ending in a vote that had the hip-hop community more divided than the red and blue states in the 2004 presidential election.
Tupac: Resurrection will be competing against documentaries like Super Size Me, Home of the Brave, Born into Brothels and The Ritchie Boys and seven others. The 12 films were chosen by the academy's documentary branch, which also will select the five nominees. The academy's full membership of about 5,800 is eligible to vote for the winner.Oscar nominations will be announced January 25th, 2005 at 5:30 a.m. PST.
In stores today, Jay-Z, assisted by Linkin Park, will release Collision Course, a CD/DVD set that bridges the rock and rap world. The "mash-up" sees Linkin Park providing the rough riffs and headbanging beats to Jay-Z's lyrics ripped from his latest, Black Album. The MTV-sponsored collaboration features five blended tracks such as "Dirt of Your Shoulder/Lying From You" along with a DVD with video of live performances, rehearsals and studio sessions.
In the other corner, Nas releases his highly anticipated double album, Street's Disciple. The album, Nas' first release since the December 2002 release of God's Son, sees the Queens rap icon paired with his jazzman father, Olu Dara, fiancé Kelis, Ludacris and Busta Rhymes with production by Salaam Remi and former Tribes-man, Q-Tip. On the discs, Nas goes at Kobe Bryant, shows love to his hood and serenades his bride-to-be with a feel many are calling a throwback to the 90s era.
Retailers are already showing signs of which way the battle will go. On Amazon.com, Nas' Street's Disciple is currently ranked at #266 while Collision Course is at #37. FYE.com saw Collision Course beating Street's Disciple by two positions last week in their "Top Pre-orders" ranking.
And history is also playing a role in predicting a probable win in Jay-Z's favor. With past trends indicating lower sales for double-albums, Nas double-disc may follow the same path. Jay-Z suffered this fate when his double-album Blueprint 2 only sold 1.5 million units compared to The Blueprint or The Black Album which each went 2x platinum.
Competition from other releases, including this week's Urban Legend from the south's T.I along with Eminem's monster, Encore, will also play a role in charting the winner. Early sales figures will be available this Thursday, but the final first week results won't be decided until after this busy holiday shopping weekend. |
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