Of course, groups in hip-hop have been a mainstay since the music’s inception. “Rapper’s Delight,” often cited as the first ever rap song, was done by a trio, Sugarhill Gang. Thirty years after the single’s 1979 release, crews continue to be an integral part of the culture and genre and often mirror one another in many ways. That is, broken down into the simplest of terms, there are those like Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony that came out together; then, there are those like G-Unit, D12, and the St. Lunatics which see one member blow and then come back and scoop up his dudes that he had been rapping with before the overnight success. Usually, everyone in the latter category’s got some talent, but there’s a glaring weak link who is reaping the benefits of nepotism.

Comprised of Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, and Royce Da 5’9” Slaughterhouse is a different sort of beast, one without a weak link and with plenty to say. In an innovative move without much precedent, four dope MCs who have never seen the commercial or mainstream success that they rightfully deserve (although possibly don’t desire) decided to link up. After collaborating on Joe Budden’s “Slaughterhouse” of off his Halfway House mixtape, the quartet apparently felt that there was enough chemistry and respect to go around to give the group thing a try.

Listening to these four go bar for bar or verse for verse is a treat. It’s hard to argue against any fan’s individual favorite, because the lyrical abilities of Joey, Joell, Crooked, and Royce and all first-class within the game. Their ability to blend varied styles and backgrounds gives Slaughterhouse a sound that’s both unique and desirable. Hailing from both coasts as well as the Midwest, their geographic diversity adds to the excitement brought about from their undeniable cohesion.

It’s rare to get four truly gifted MCs on the same track, let alone in a group together. From reading interviews and watching clips of them, in addition to listening to any track that they bless together, it seems like each has an amicable vendetta against the others, and they all want to solve it on wax by laying the best verse. The end result benefits the listener, with the rewind factor usually floating somewhere around a ten out of ten.

An album isn’t scheduled for release until sometime in 2010, but if the current trend is any indication, the fellas will be dropping plenty of fire before then. If you’re looking for swag, well don’t ask Budden, cause he’ll “change the topics to lyrics and then brag, plus look at you like a fag.” Want someone to make it rain? Don’t look to Crooked, cause he’ll tell you “I ain’t Pacman Jones, balls and my word all a black man owns.” For blunts, bitches, and Benzes, look elsewhere. If you’re into something else, like punchlines that leave you wowing, witty sports and cultural references, metaphors that make you think, or an overall aura of realness not paralleled by many rappers regardless of content, then stay tuned.

You’ve heard it all before: the world at your fingertips, instant information, constant connection. However, its dangers have been similarly well documented, from being a forum for predators to a place to access potentially destructive knowledge like how to construct a bomb. Information exchange and discourse is always a plus, but unrestricted and unmonitored circulation of “facts” can quickly turn hazardous.

Crooked I is the latest victim of the web’s rumor mill. Over the weekend, thanks in part to Twitter and blogs, stories surfaced and spread about a shooting that Crooked was said to have been involved in. Much of the talk was that he had been shot, and there were even murmurs that he was dead. Luckily for any fan of hip-hop or humanity, the Long Beach MC is still breathing, as he assured the public through a phone interview with VladTV.

It’s still a bit unclear where the truth about the supposed incident lies. While Crooked confirmed that he was “physically” alright, he made no assurances whether or not he was actually shot. His seemingly calculated decision to only mention his physical wellbeing, rather than how he is doing overall or where he’s at mentally, leave a few uncertainties still afloat—uncertainties that I have no business speculating about.

The truth is, it’s a lack real facts and a product of speculation that got us to this point. Like sniffing glue instead of using it to paste, the internet’s typical wonder can turn harmful when misguided. Rumors spread more rapidly in the virtual world than they did in our high school realities, and they tend to share the same authenticity or lack thereof. That is, often times there’s a grain of truth in what we hear or read, but reality has been exaggerated.

Just a few weeks ago, DJ Khaled felt the need to make a video recording of himself to tell the folks at home that he was, in fact, not dead. The monologue came out a short while after a man who looked somewhat like Khaled was involved in a car chase in California and subsequently killed himself. That makes the count twice, in a matter of just weeks, that two men were wrongfully reported dead. Reported by whom?

Crooked I is doing fine after maybe or maybe not getting shot. Khaled is presumably chilling following his non-car chase. These rumors and misinformation are not only unfortunate but also irresponsible. In no way is this problem limited to the online world of hip-hop, as the worlds of news, entertainment, and sports surely see similar situations pop up every now and then. No matter the specific rumor, individual involved, or genre, this type of gossip should not go on. We owe it to these dudes and others like them, ourselves, and the concept of maturity to not allow such tales to run rampant without knowing the details.

Over the last few years, Lil’ Wayne has grown into not only a star, but an icon. People have varying opinions on the New Orleans native–some hate him, others love him, and it seems like relatively few fall into that middle ground. What most would have to agree upon, though, regardless of where they stand on Wayne and his music, is that he has become a sensation in the world of music–hip hop and otherwise–and a celeb whose reach stretches beyond merely that world. Of course, he is plastered all over the blogs, with a nice balance of ridicule and love, and he continues to grace the covers of magazines like XXL and Vibe. His persona has reached new levels in the last year or so, though. From articles in the New York Times to interviews with Katie Couric, Weezy is everywhere.

I remember buying Lil’ Wayne’s first album, The Block is Hot, when I was 11 years old. I’m pretty sure it was the first CD I ever bought or, in the very least, one of the first. This was back when all the Cash Money albums had the patented Cash Money album covers: fire, cars, block letters encrusted with diamonds–the whole nine. Why I bought the CD? I truly don’t know. I remember that I liked the title track before I made the purchase, which is probably what led me to get it, but I don’t know how I would have even heard it, because it definitely wasn’t on the radio. And that was the way that Weezy’s career went for a while.

It’s risky to look back at all of the transformations that he has gone through, since that horse has been beaten to a pulp, but the long and the short of it is that back when The Block is Hot came out in 1999, Weezy would have been blacklisted for calling himself “The Best Rapper Alive.” Years past and it was more of the same, until there was this moment. It’s hard to put a finger on this moment, but I’m comfortable saying that he started showing signs around Tha Carter and had turned the corner and arrived at his “I’m gonna call myself the best rapper and some people are gonna buy it” stage by The Carter II. His verse on “Soldier,” by Destiney’s Child, might be a good marker for when it really became hard to turn away. Subsequent pre Carter III mixtapes continued to enhance his persona and make his claim, especially Dedication 2 and Da Drought 3.

It was at this point that everyone wanted a Wayne feature and, even if you hated him, you knew that there was bound to be a line or two in most verses that was more clever than what most cats in the mainstream were spitting. To be honest, though, I don’t think there were that many haters of the new Lil’ Wayne (aka “Soldier” and not “Tha Block is Hot”) until everyone began slobbering over him and everyday saw the release of a new track. Some loved the fact that he was putting out music constantly, unlike some artists who, if we’re lucky, we hear from every few months. Others hated the regularity of the new releases because, with constant recording, there was bound to be some garbage and you as the listener were going to have to sift through it all. As the struggle within  hip hop fans and critics as to whether  you were with what he was doing or not began to take shape, the rest of the world simultaneously was taking notice of him.

All of a sudden, the momentum started around the release of “We Takin’ Over” and “Gimme That” had rich white girls from suburbs loving Weezy as much as someone with a 504 area code did. He was creative and lyrical, if that was your thing, and he was catchy, too, if that’s what you were into. Plus, hopping on R&B songs with the likes of Chris Brown and Lloyd is only bound to expand your fan base. And, listening back to those songs and others around the same time, there’s no denying that Wayne dropped a lot of hot verses. A lot of them.

Enter: T-Pain. Everyone seemed to think that it would be a good idea to use the T-Pain voice aka the vocoder for their own songs–so that they could sing–regardless of their lyrical talent as rappers. Wayne was a leader of the pack and, in doing so, created his biggest single to date in “Lollipop.” I may be wrong–and I’m one of those dudes who puts my nose to the sky and doesn’t like listening to the radio– but I’m pretty sure “Lollipop” was the first song on the airwaves that I heard that had Weezy as the main artist, not a feature. All of a sudden, everyone and their mother knew who this dude was, and most of them liked his music. Most of those who were only now being introduced to him, that is.

“Lollipop” is without question my least favorite track on Tha Carter III. I can find a pop song anywhere; I turn to Wayne for creativity, individuality, lyricism, and that rewind factor that leaves me acting like I was part of his “Last of a Dying Breed” verse, asking myself, “And now how did he thought of that? I mean how did he think of that? I mean how did I think of that? Now like a riddle bring it back.” “Lollipop” left me with no such feeling. Nor did “Can’t Believe It.”

I talked to fellow Young Money artist and Lil’ Wayne confidant Mack Maine a couple months ago and he told me that Wayne’s next album would be different–sort of like Kanye’s new stuff but not so much singing. Translation: some singing and a lot of vocoding. And then “Prom Queen” surfaced and I started to really get nervous. It’s the lead single off of his next album, Rebirth, and in it not only is there an auto-tune effect but you could also call it a rock song. Rumor has it, the album is set to be his rock debut.

Really? Now, I love all music , so I’m not upset just cause it’s a rock album. I’m upset cause it’s Lil’ Wayne’s rock album. I’m disappointed cause, if the lead single is any indication, there won’t be much rewinding when I cop the CD, but maybe some fast forwarding.

I’m comfortable calling Lil’ Wayne a comet, not just a star, so he’s liable to make whatever kind of music he wants. Truth is, even if he was neither a comet nor a star, props to him for doing what he wants. Even though I don’t care much for 808′s and Heartbreak, I respect Kanye for doing what he’s always done in that he’s creating art that pleases him and that he sees fit. I love The Love Below but would trade it in an instant for ATLiens. I fell in love with these dudes’ raps, so give me more, please.

There have been plenty of Weezy tracks that I’ve heard that have left me unimpressed. There are times that I click on a leak with high hopes and only end up feelings empty and somewhat confused, even as he flows rather than sings. My confusion and emptiness stem from what I’ve come to know during all those times that I click the leak and end up listening to it in my first sitting more times than I can count on one hand to try to make sure I don’t miss something. Those feelings stem from all the times I’m bumping something I’ve already played to death and hear it in a different way or understand something new.

I’m just being selfish, Wayne, but I always prefer playing one of your newly released tracks through zshare and letting it repeat to struggling through four minutes of vocoded mumbles. I’m not hating. On the contrary, your wit has left me with expectations. There are times when you meet them and times when you don’t, but give it a try is all I ask.