1) T. Howard's accent was very Southern, like if your name was Jim Bob or Bubba, not Junebug or Peanut. (i.e. it was hella white, like on some Toby Keith, Tim McGraw whiteness)

2) His accent played into his rapping - which was akin to your white bread 4th grade teacher Mr. Corley trying to stay relevant while he teaches you the difference between a numerator and a demoninator.
"this number goes on top...
and you don't stop..."

3) The mechanics of the rhymes - (i'm not talking about content, yet) - This is a taboo subject on the Lesson, cause it requires folks to put aside their hate for black folks, ignorance, the south, rap in general - But when you really start looking @ the rhyme schemes, the # of syllables in 1 line as compared to the next, and the use of the same word to rhyme with the same word (sometimes it's blatant, other times it's diff word same word in line A, and diff word same word in line B) - You start to see a good # of breaks from the traditional rhyme rules in hip hop. The South has always played fast and loose with those traditional rhyme rules...

Eg - the Infamous South Park Mexican Freestyle

"I got a freestyle for y'all
I make the cat go woof woof
and the dog go Meow"

Where done with the correct Houstonian/South Park/Latino accent, it's not only funny (cause as a G he was subtlely clowning the whole traditional hip hop scene in Housotn), funny on the literal level, but y'all and Meow rhyme in this accent.

So throughout the flick, the diff mechanics in the Memphis steez sound extra awkward coming out of Terrence's mouth.

4) Whoop Dat Trick - Honestly, of all the Southern mc's in the mix, I don't know why they got ol boy from 3-6. (prolly cause Brewer is from Memphis and it takes place im Memphis)...But MJG or 8-Ball was too busy doing something to come in as technical consultants?

It's like folks here on okp, love Paul Wall, but have no idea that in H-Town within Paul Wall's scene - there are much better lyricists. (I won't even speak on the underground split in Houston, cause that's too much for this)

Regardless - the actual content of the rhymes - fitting of the *stereotype* of what crunk is and is about.

Indeed, I think in terms of the rhymes - in trying to discuss the pain and hard times that the mc has to go through - you're not supposed to day, "i've had pain and hard times" - All the best Southern joints on the "ghetto desperation" theme don't flat out tell you, "this is a song about ghetto desperation". Good songs don't use the Spike Lee approach when it comes to messages.

5) The reaction to whoop dat trick. Perhaps Craig was trying to comment, or maybe not. But 2 scenes in my mind stand out.

- Anthony Anderson's wife shows up to the studio - not really looking like the hip hop fan - hears the music and isn't immediately appalled. (She was on some Cosby steez)

- @ the end of the flick - Baby Mama prostitute is singing whoop dat trick to her infant baby girl.

I don't know where you stand on the issue, but the "disturbing" content of the lyrics is *not* an issue in the film. At no point does Djay and company have to justify or explain the music to people who are not sympathetic.

Does the film need this for it to work within the story? Maybe, maybe not.

But thinking worst case scenario, Those Sundance mf'ers as well as the cosbyites on GD and throughout the world - were thinking that when they saw the film. One thing to be in the cipher, or at the studio going "whoop dat trick", whole nother thing

As a director/writer the question I wonder, "If I know the audience is going to be thinking something, something that will take away from my film, should I address that in the film?"

6) The production. - Yeah dawg, just hook up your MPC, grab a drum machine, and in all of 20 seconds you've got a tight ass beat coming together.

6. a) - Dj Qualls aka Shelby. - His connecting the blues with Southern hip hop....umm no. I'll leave it at that.

7) Motivation - What's interesting to me about this flick, but something i used to see fairly regularly in the real world, is that there is no love for *rapping* in this movie. Most rappers are motivated to rap because they like rap. Either they like the act itself, or they like what rapping brings.

I don't think this is a real abstract or intellectual point, but it *used* to be that the typical rapper - was also a fan of rap music. They'd listen to rap, they'd bust flows with the fellas @ at the lunch tables. No matter what side of the game they were on, the national/traditional/east coast style, or the local/gangsta/west coast style - there was a love for the music. The people were going from fans of rap to makers of rap music.

So in the South, a cat like Slim Thug had listened to the geto boys and tupac, and jammed their music coming up. Prolly around 12-13 they picked up a pen and decided they were going to become a rapper. Or the alternative press release story, is that even when they was moving weight and before they got shot and made a life change they would bust the occassional flow for the homiez.

In this flick, you get the idea that one day Djay gets fed up with his life, inspired by the operatic gospel, gets a casio and decides to become an mc after seemingly neglecting it for what would prolly be a decade. You don't see him rolling his Box Chevy with 12"s in the back bumping some old school Project Pat. The radio isn't stuck on the black radio station.

In essence when he decides to drop ho's and pick up flows, it really is his hustle.

Ice T said it best in Pimps Up, Ho's Down "I really can't act. Hell I really can't rap....This is my hustle".

The pic kinda tells us that this was an artist trapped by his life choices and circumstance, and finally one day he decides he's gonna go for it...try and make something of himself. Anderson's character says it, and it's later repeated in one of the songs, "This ain't it for me"

But coming at it from the view point where I know hella cats been scratching and scraping for years, putting out tapes, doing demos and talent shows, busting freestyles in ciphers, entering flow contests held @ the beginning of many a concert - this film does not even try to touch on that reality.

Well, they try to, and they explain the indy route via Skinny Black selling out his trunk...But that's kinda the extent of it.
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It could be that Craig needed to cut the realistic aspects of hip hop out to convey his message, "everybody has the right to contribute 1 verse"....But I think had he left some of the realism in, it would have made for a stronger flick.