Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Hot Take Tuesday 6/12/2018

Another week, another batch of hot takes fresh out the oven.  Let's get right into this.



1) The Drake-Pusha T Beef Will Have No Effect on Scorpion

2018 was shaping up to be the year of Drake until his beef with Pusha T kicked off in June.  "The Story of Addidon" was a diss track that showed absolutely no mercy and revealed what we didn't know about Aubrey Graham.  While the image of Drake has been tainted following the release of the diss track, that doesn't mean that his upcoming album is going to flop.  His singles are still kicking it in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and many people, including myself, are still fans of Drake even though we now know that he's a deadbeat father.  His album is still going to sell at least half a million copies first week.  He will still chart every song.  Drake will still be one of the biggest figures in music, even with the embarrassment of this diss track.  2018 will still be a great year for Drake, but there will always be the low point where he got exposed for who he truly was.  Not every year can be perfect, right?



2) Future Will Be Remembered As an All-Time Great

I could make this argument for many different modern rappers for how much they pushed the boundaries of the genre, but I wanted to make this argument for Future because I just heard about him losing his 3-year streak of appearing on the Billboard Hot 100.  Future is one of the pioneers of modern trap music and is the first thing you think of when you hear someone say the term "mumble rap" (I'll talk about how much I dislike that term during a different week).  You can't deny that he's influential and gave many young artists a platform.  Sure, you can trace back the use of autotune and pitch correction to artists like Cher and T-Pain, but Future popularized that style and made it his own.  The people who listen to Future will always know what to expect.  He's one of the most consistent artists in music right now and has made many hits using his signature formula.  Love or hate Future all you want, but you can't deny that he is one of the most unique artists of our time and has helped an entire subgenre of hip-hop take off.


I couldn't think of a third take related to hip-hop, but I do have something to say about a different subject.  You see, I also love watching basketball.  I'm just as passionate about talking ball as I am about rap.  And you know what, I'm not going to hide how I truly feel about a certain touchy subject among fans.


3) LeBron James Is the Greatest Basketball Player of All Time

Yes, I do think that LeBron is a much better player than Michael Jordan.  I've been on the fence about this subject for a long time and it has taken years of convincing and witnessing to admit this.  No matter how many losses this man takes to the absolute juggernaut that is the Golden State Warriors, I will always hold him in this status.  LeBron has surpassed Jordan in playoff statistics and longevity.  Doubters will say that LeBron needed help from Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Kyrie Irving to win championships, but Jordan also needed help from Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.  But the thing is, Jordan never lost in any of the finals he appeared in because he had the help he needed for every one of them.  In four of his six finals losses, LeBron had to carry teams that had no business being on the biggest stage in basketball.  This past Cavs team was the worst squad that LeBron has ever taken to the finals because there were barely any players besides an inconsistent Kevin Love that were worth a damn.  If Michael Jordan didn't have a gambling problem or desire to try baseball that kept him out of the NBA for six years, this wouldn't be a discussion.  LeBron is still playing basketball at a high level even at the age of 33.  It's been a pretty long peak and I don't see him slowing down anytime soon.  I could see him playing into his 40s.  We have never seen a player like LeBron James, and I believe that he is the greatest player to ever step foot on a basketball court, point blank period.


I'll be back tomorrow with a ranking of Drake's discography.

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