A couple of weeks ago Jay-Z released an excerpt from a
freestyle during one of his recent concerts. During Hova's off the top rant, he happened to mention "Game" by name, a shout out that the Compton MC took great offense to. Since being "called out" the Game has gone on a tirade from igniting his crowd at one of his concert in to a "Fuck Jay-Z" chant to recording a
diss track. He even had some word's for Jay's famed wife Beyonce...
"I know y'all been hearing about the controversy between with me and Jay-Z, right," Game asked a crowd in Spain. "So I'ma start it off like this, f*ck Jay-Z! That's how Pac felt. That's how Nas felt at one time and that's how I feel...This ain't about B/This ain't about Destiny...You got a bad b*tch, word, ain't no p*ssy like hers/Just ask the Mavericks, Cowboys and the Spurs/I mean, my b*tch don't sling p*ssy like that/My b*tch sling p*ssy on a n*gga from the back, back, back/Black Wall Street, that's the game I bang/And I'm in Mahdrid, Spain..."(From TayDoeTV) (Woah, did he just get at his wifee like that?)
To be fair, all Jay really said in his freestyle was "I ain't talkin bout Game", something that probably wouldn't have bothered me. The fact of the matter is that Jay's venom was really aimed at his former mentor Jaz-o who he clowns later on in the track. (He's still gettin at Jaz-0?)
This situation had me thinking,(a rarity in Hip Hop these days) when is it ok to speak another nigga's name on a verse? I constantly hear about these rap cats sweating bravado whenever another rapper speaks their name; unless one of these cats is singing their praises, it aint cool. I understand the whole "keep my name out your mouth" code, but hasn't this gone a little to far? Now cats are making whole diss tracks when they just hear their names. On the other hand, there has always been suspected tension between the two Rappers from the opposite coast since Game licked some underlying shots at the self proclaimed "King of New York".
Well at least the Game is getting some attention in between albums, and the recipe for success since 50 dissed every nigga in the game is to stir the pot with some of that good ol' beef. Problem is that I'm hungry for some real music and the beef seems a little spoiled.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Clippers have turned their attention to more of a traditional point guard, Ramon Sessions, to add their Baron Davis and Eric Gordon rotation. If anyone was paying attention to the Clippers last year, Eric Gordon really started to pick up his game towards the end of the season after being inserted into the starting line up. He ended up averaging 16 ppg while shooting a very respectable 39% from three point range. That is very impressive, especially for a rookie. The interest in Iverson never made much sense to me, especially when you consider Gordon's contributions, Baron Davis' style of play, and rookie sensation Blake Griffin.(Let's not forget about coaching dud Mike Dunlevy) Although Iverson thrives while playing along side bigger point guards that can defend the 2 spot, the pairing with B. Diddy would be a failure. Baron is not enough of a consistent play maker to play along a player like Iverson. Its' bad enough Griffin was cursed before playing his first NBA game by being drafted by the Clippers, no need to add fuel to the fire. (Still love ya though Ivo) 
Utah has matched the contract offer from Portland for Paul Milsap, something that everyone expected. This signifies the end of the Boozer era in Utah and they will actively pursue a trade. Word on the street is that Miami is looking to facilitate a trade for Boozer while trying to sign Odom as well. If the Heat are able to pull that off, they would put a very competitive team on the floor and give Wade more of incentive to sign the extension. But are they championship material?----I would say no, but on the other hand, if Boozer doesn't pan out, he would be a free agent next year as well as Jermaine O'neal. That would give the Heat more than enough cap space to sign a big fish in 2010 (Bosh, Stoudemire?)
The Lamar Odom saga continues and I have to admit as a Laker fan I am scared as hell. Talks are still stalled while a plethora of rumors float over message boards and fan sites. Inconsistent contract offers between 3 and 4 years with ranges of 7-9 million per have left fans confused about what's really going on. The bottom line is that the Lakers need Odom and Odom needs the Lakers. If Odom signs with Miami (his preferred destination outside the Lakers) he would be making less money will lose his shot at competing for a ring. The Lakers on the other hand would lose out on a player that is irreplaceable. What makes it so difficult is that Odom is one of those rare players that is capable of starting anywhere else but has sacraficed and accepted the role of sixth man a la Manu Ginobilli and Jason Terry. No one else would be able to replicate his production of the bench, nor do the Lakers have the money to even come close to a fill in.
