The 10 Best Subliminals of 2011 (So Far) #2 & #1

Ladies and gentlemen, KWT has arrived at the final installment of "The 10 Best Subliminals of 2011 (So Far)". The countdown to this moment has featured shots from underground kings, living legends, seasoned veterans, and some of rap's biggest and brightest stars. To cap it off, we present #2 & #1, the ultimate showdown. It's two icons of the rap game, and it just so happens they are the two responsible for the majority of the subliminals on this list.

Get caught up with #10 - #7 and #6 - #3, then hit the jump for the preamble, and #2 & #1. Everything that has a beginning, has an end.



Amidst all of this excellence, there has been the typical tension among rappers. It’s a competitive game, one where you’re trying to get as high as you can, while simultaneously attempting to stop your peers from doing so. However, this might be the least true it’s ever been, this year. It’s a world of cosigns and Pro Tools-enabled features, where a collaboration is just one click away. It’s all about visibility, about being accessible, so guys reach across subgenres and regional styles to try to find as many listeners as possible. Competition might actually be dying out. But it’s still got legs. This year, its biggest source has been two guys who decided to coronate themselves at the end of 2010 and in doing so pissed off a lot of people. This maneuver is responsible for a lot of the entries on our Top 10 list. 


It’s not a perfect list, because no list is. I’m sure you’ll disagree with it, and I’m also sure you’ll let me know how much you disagree with it. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. At KWT, we love creating discussion.  The Top 10 have been broken up, and the list will be unveiled over the next few days. Read along. It’ll be an enjoyable ride

Perpetrator: Jay-Z on "H.A.M"

Victim: Lil Wayne

Crime: "I'm like really half a billi nigga, really you got baby money, keep it real with niggas, niggas ain't got my lady's money,"

Reasoning: It's a sport, baby. 

At the top of the year, amid massive speculation and hype, Yeezy and Hov dropped off the premiere single off their collaborative effort, Watch The Throne. The reception was decidedly mixed. The beat was grandiose, bordering unlistenable and clearly from the early stages of the album's development (a stage Jay described as being a kind of music people didn't want to play in their house). Kanye sounded like he wanted us to forget how excellent MBDTF was. Jay came through spitting, but it was, without a doubt, not a hit. For many, expectations for WTT were tempered. Perhaps the two megastars couldn't co-exist enough to create an album. However, all the arguments over whether it was good or not were drowned out by discussion centering on a couple lines from Hov's verse. 

Allegedly, Jay was responding to a Birdman comment that no one makes more money than Wayne in the rap game. Instead of politely clarifying with a written note (that's what rich-ass motherfuckers do isn't it?), Jay chose to deliver his response on the song that shut down the Internet momentarily.  "Half a billi"? Damn, Jay, that's stunting. And after spitting in the face of the YMCMB squad, he backhanded them by pointing out Wayne couldn't even fuck with his chick financially. Classic Jay. Using facts to disembowel the enemy. It was a shot heard around the world. The question wasn't would Wayne respond, but rather what would he respond with.

Perpetrator: Lil Wayne on "It's Good"

Victim: Jay-Z

Crime: "Talking 'bout baby money? I got your baby money, kidnap your bitch get that how-much-you-love-your-lady money,"

Reasoning: Fire back, bitch. And let's sell some albums too. 

Yup. The response over the opening shot. The ref always calls the retaliation. 

Jay's attack was slick, cool as fuck. It was on the most-talked about album of the year, an album called "the most important album in hip-hop history" by RESPECT. It was factual, and badass, and you just knew it was going to set off a shitstorm. Wayne's shot is from an average verse, on a mediocre song, off a very poor album. Why the fuck isn't Jay number 1?

Maybe when we look back on this year, the top two will be switched. We'll know then how it all played out.  Maybe tension will have fizzled out, and these guys will be back making classics like "Swagga Like Us". Or, maybe we'll be drawing up timelines with both artists having released diss songs and shooting each other down in interviews and all the other typical shit that comes along with a beef. Maybe then Jay will be over Wayne. But right now, Wayne's shot is number 1.

Just like he did when he kissed Baby, Wayne owns up to the financial situation. He knows he can't "box with the king" on that matter, as he stated in an interview. After that comment, the beat falls away. The perfect silence brings out the menace in Wayne's voice. You can argue all you want about how tough Wayne is, and point out the unlikelihood of him actually kidnapping Bey, but the motherfucker threatened to kidnap Jay's wife. It puts Jay in a corner, where he has to respond or he looks like a bitch. Like every great Spiderman villain, he went after the loved ones. Prove a God can bleed, and he isn't much of a God anymore. 

After years of Wayne aspiring to Jay's position in the game, and expressing his respect for him, he came back with venom. Plus, you can't argue that all the buzz over the subliminal helped push Wayne to a milli in a week. In the end, Wayne won the battle. We'll see who wins the war.

It's over, KWTers. Just like that. Thanks for following along. How do you feel about the whole thing? Let us know.

Previous: "The 10 Best Subliminals of 2011 (So Far) #6 - #3"
Previous: "The 10 Best Subliminals of 2011 (So Far) #10 - #7"

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