This year the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will induct rappers Jay Z and LL Cool J along with several other groups and solo acts. They will respectively become the 8th and 9th hip-hop artists or groups to be honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is an honor, and while it may not be a focal point for some artists to achieve, it’s one that’s only given to hip-hop royalty. 

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New York has returned to it's rightful place, at the forefront of hip-hop lately. The resurgence, is a much needed one. In the era of hot beats, repetitive hooks, and mumble rap, lyricism tends to get lost in the shuffle. Subject matter still exists, but they are usually pretty basic. I don't want to sound like a hip-hop purist, and I know that party and "turn up" music has its place in the culture. It just seems like it's taken over, and due to this some of the best artist and their work gets overlooked. Even in the somewhat absence of New York rap artists, a few "Kings of New York," have remained relevant in their own right. From Hov, to Cam and even Ma$e, it's been a real blast from the past. Not to mention Dave East bringing the heat for the new school.

Recently, a pair of kings decided to join forces for an album. Fabolous and Jadakiss, finally got it done after a year and a half of anticipation. The microwave era is responsible for the nullification of the phrase "highly anticipated" when it comes to music. They expect artists to put out new material way more frequently than the generations prior. This puts so much pressure on artists to put out albums, EP's, and mixtapes sooner than they would like, when they should really let the pot simmer for a bit. Well Jadakiss and Fabolous have had this joint project boiling for quite a while. I know the microwave generation expected it to happen as quick as the Future and Drake collab, but trust, the wait was worth every minute!

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