"WORLD PREMIERE"

   Hip-Hop fans around the world had been impatiently anticipating the release of Kanye West's new album. There was months of speculation and rumors about the actual release date, the title, and the hype that surrounded it. That thirst was recently quenched via TIDAL, where "The Life Of Pablo" was finally made available to the masses. The buzz now has fresh legs as debates repeatedly hatch over social media based off of differing opinions. All the hoopla got me to thinking about some other notable "premieres" that range from the savvy to the exceptional. There have been quite a few but I must admit I'm sort of bias to two in perticular. One which deserves a standing ovation for showmanship and the second a simple salute to the growth, greatness, and elevation of ones stature to expand across multiples genres.  
    Before WorldStarHipHop became a major outlet and Twitter or InstaGram could catapult you into platinum status;  106 and Park held down center stage for musical talent looking to crack into the big time, cement themselves in the spotlight, or simply to extend their fifteen minutes of fame. 106 could literally make you or break you. No one capitalized on this more than 50 cent and Kanye West in the epic "Clash of the Titans." It all started when Kanye pushed his album date up to drop on the same day as Fifty's. Leave it to Kanye to always think of a way to cash in when it comes to publicity stunts, he has definitely mastered the art. Even though Ye's singles were actually doing better than 50 cent's on the charts, 50 cent felt he had a stronghold on the streets at the time and that this would propel him to the top when it really mattered. That sparked Fifty to issue a challenge stating that his album "CURTIS" would surpass Ye's album "GRADUATION" in first week sales. It quickly snowballed into much more as radio host, critics, cashiers, your next door neighbor, the guy at the bus stop all began to chime in with their prediction of the outcome. Even "Rolling Stone" came knocking, placing them on the cover, which only intensified the build up.

   






    The two eventually battled it out live on a special episode of 106, performing singles from their upcoming releases. Not to sound cliche but it was like the "Thrilla in Manila" for hip hop. The 106 and Park faithful, studio and TV audience alike, were literally keeping scorecards after each performance. Never mind who the victor was, this was HIP-HOP HISTORY...PERIOD. An extremely clever promotional scheme that not only captured the undivided attention of loyal fans but also caused the casual onlooker to tune in as well. You'd be hard pressed to find any moment in hip-hop that would rival this one in attention garnered.      
 
    This next one probably gets overlooked due to this individuals long list of accomplishments that only seem to get more astonishing by the year. I have a strong love for the hip-hop culture, in a close second is my love for sports. So whenever these two worlds find a way to come together I'm all smiles. Especially when it happens to involve one of my all time favorites. When Jay Z retired in 2003, I along with many others, had a strong feeling that it wasn't for good. When the hiatus ended in 2006 he really didn't have to do a single promo, he basically was his own publicity. Yet and still he went over and beyond to inform us of his return to the throne. The best example of this was debuting the video of the  first single "Show Me What U Got" off the "KINGDOM COME" album on the Lexus Halftime Show of Monday Night Football. Let that sink in for a minute. Do you understand the size of the audience that would be viewing this? It ranks among the top of all cable TV shows as far as ratings is concerned. Newsflash folks: most of those people don't even listen to rap!

  
   Think about what it takes to pull something like that off. Some artist have a hard time just getting spins on the radio. This is a multi-billion dollar industry we talking about here. Their not going to let just any artist DEBUT A VIDEO. Perform maybe, but not too much more than that. They have a world-wide brand to protect. So unless you appeal to a vast majority of their audience it's just not happening.  What does that tell you about Jay Z? His respect level is unmatched in the rap game. Anybody could have a hot track out and have the media in an uproar about appearances and exclusives. This wasn't any of that. This was an extremely lucrative corporation recognizing the greatness and the influence that this one individual has. The cherry on top is the fact of where he came from and the doors he's been able to walk through as if he always belonged right there. Inspirational to say the least. If that's not amazing to you then you're simply just hating.
    Call me old school but I never miss an opportunity to reflect on the paths in which hip-hop has taken. So many times it gets loss in the shuffle of the here and now and disregarded as valuable reference pieces. I just enjoy shining the light on these moments as a reminder to those of us with short memories. We are quick to throw MC's in the all-time great category, but let's make sure they've actually done something great first.
                                                M*R-PERIOD