Hey!!!

[Jayspee]

Aug 31, 2008 16:11:17 GMT -5 absinthe` said:

TNSMC was 14 songs if you remove the interludes
TSC was 13 songs if you remove the interludes
Listen was 11 songs
Paradise was 12 songs

do people really want the interludes that bad?....

I do like the interludes but i think its a bit outdated in todays music scene so i think thats why T's stopped doin it. "u wanna get some weed or you wanna get some a$s..."

On a completely different topic, i've got VIP tickets to see Stevie Wonder next week...i'm a lil bit excited.

[Stunna]

nope we don't need anny interludes

[Bennett]

I think the interludes tie the whole album together, TNSMC & TSC were both alomst like full stories (if you count the FULL version of TSC).

But Paradise & Listen didnt need them, they were fantastic albums in their own right.

[TQ]

Much love 4 that y'all! Thanx!

[Bishop]

being the one who put the scathing review of paradise up which i guess T is talking about, i'll address some things.

first up, respect to TQ for actually listening and taking comments on board. a lot of artists are too caught up in the fame and sh*t to actually take a step back and consider the actual quality of the music they're making, versus how good their ego thinks it is. maybe T would have ended up like that if he'd stayed on a major, so perhaps it's good that he went the independent route, even if we've only had 1 TQ quality album since he left his major (Listen).
damn, i thought the 3 years i waited for Listen was a long time, at least then we had all kinds of TQ sh*t still coming out, like extra tracks to TSC (hard life, dirty, anna maria, that sampler mixtape etc.) and even things like gimme some, mr do right kept me going.

now it's been pretty much exactly 4 years since Listen and i just feel like musically it is over, i explained in my original review of paradise, that it felt like there had been so many songs made, not just by TQ, that it is so hard to make a melody that is nothing like anything done before. paradise sounds like a load of recycled and forced melodies, with unoriginal lyrics. i'm not the type of 'fan' to simply go crazy over anything TQ does just because of his name as TQ. i'm sure he doesn't want people kissing his a$s because of that either. all i can do is offer my genuine respect and congratulations for the art he has made in TNSMC, TSC and Listen. in the same spirit of being genuine, i have to be honest and say that TQ, i know you made the music but man, paradise is not your best album, it's not better than Listen, it's not better than TSC, it's not better than TNSMC. your first 3 albums are in a different league to paradise/gemini. i appreciate what you said about there not being another TNSMC, and you're right. there won't be. but i accepted that long ago. it wasn't about that. when you came out with daily in 2000, hell yeah it was different from westside, but i was MORE than happy with it. i thought the song was something very different, smooth as hell and the video has to be one of the most beautiful i've ever seen. one advantage of being on a major i suppose. again, i was MORE than happy with TSC. i actually think people on here underrate it - it's a pity it didn't come out worldwide, and that it was messed up, because if you actually include all the tracks that were taken out, hell even the f*ked up version, it is still one of the top 5 r&b albums i've ever heard.


your story was an inspiring one, from all the sh*t you could have got into at home, moving out to the country and singing, and eventually culminating in They Never Saw Me Coming, it's nothing but positive and somehow...it came out in your music. you might have been singing about death or drugs or guns in some songs, but you were in the studio making a song, not doing it yourself. i don't think i've ever heard a song with such subject matter sound so f*king pleasant: one more lick..............it seemed that you really had SO much to sing about, that the songs - the melodies and lyrics - just came from you naturally. paradise - lyrically and melodically - sounds forced, generic and bland. of course mauz and Q will never say a bad word but i can't believe how anyone can claim to be a fan of TQ and still love songs like in my lap, sexy, i don't know etc. i know what you're saying about giving to the ladies and all that, but it's 2008, the era of the kind of guys you talked about in 'Used To' - i really don't think it would help you to be on a major, or to cater for anyone but your SELF in your music. that means, no record execs, no women, just write the melodies and songs that come from your heart. you think i always want songs like The Comeback, about revenge and general violent sh*t? hell no - Gone But Not Forgotten blew me away the first time i heard it. it seems to me that whenever you write a song for yourself, stop worrying about studio time or how much money it costs to make it (i know, easier said than done), stop worrying about who to cater for in your songs, and just write with your soul, that's when your talent comes through clear as day in your songs. f*k that if the millions buying lil wayne's new lp don't realise your talent, music these days is mostly marketing, they will be missing out.

when i saw the vid for keep it on the low, i was disappointed. i thought you went down the path that everyone did. then out of f*kng nowhere i heard you'd left cash money and came out with Right On, LOL that sounds like something i would do. left that big time sh*t to stay true to yourself, i had nothing but respect for that. i don't mean to be hard about paradise but that's seriously the truth, i don't believe it's a true representation of what you can do because at the end of the day you were catering for somebody other than yourself, i'm not saying be pissed off like you were sometimes on TNSMC, just do whatever you feel and be TQ, and the rest will fall into place. props for reading if you got this far and i have to take this opportunity to thank you for giving me many hours of joy (no homo) with They Never Saw Me Coming, The Second Coming and Listen - they're all special to me in their different ways. peace and love.

[Bennett]

Sept 9, 2008 22:54:14 GMT -5 Bishop said:

of course mauz and Q will never say a bad word but i can't believe how anyone can claim to be a fan of TQ and still love songs like in my lap, sexy, i don't know etc. i know what you're saying about giving to the ladies and all that, but it's 2008, the era of the kind of guys you talked about in 'Used To' - i really don't think it would help you to be on a major, or to cater for anyone but your SELF in your music.

What do you mean there by anyone claiming to be a TQ fan cant like songs like In My Lap, SEXY, i dont know...

Other people have different tastes than you mate, and are still MAJOR TQ FANS

[Akkadian]

LOL. Man this is obviously your opinion (and everyone has a right to theirs)... but you keep trying to make these posts about Paradise and certain songs over and over like they are fact statements...

The general consensus is that Paradise is better than Listen and maybe better than TSC. If you read through 90% of the reviews on this board and other boards or website reviews you will see peoples preferences.

Based on the 100's of reviews you can find on the web, These are facts: Most people believe TNSMC is the best album. Most people believe either TSC or Paradise is his second best album and most people believe Listen is better than Gemini.

Everyones taste is different. What you have to comprehend is whether or not your tastes are similar to the majority of your peers or if yours is unique. If yours is unique, that doesn't mean you should get emotional and type up many large posts expressing your opinion over and over. Because, no matter how many explanations you come up with... at the end of the day it's still your opinion...

...and I think the reason you keep on keepin on about this album and certain songs is because you actually see the majority of people disagreeing with your opinions and you're trying to persuade them to change...

Mauz and Q say whats up to TQ, but they dont make it a point to express their individual opinions over and over on the board... being it's just their opinions and they're not trying to persuade others.

[Bennett]

Couldnt of been said any better!

[b1shop]

I understand what you guys are saying about fact vs opinion - I'm not trying to convince or persuade anyone, just be real and upfront about what I think. TQ has acknowledged himself that Paradise was more for the Ladies.

What I don't understand is how most people can think Paradise is better than Listen - I know it's my opinion but come on, compare In My Lap or I Don't Know to Gone But Not Forgotten... you guys are trippin ;P

Whatever the case about what people think/don't think, Listen and TSC still rank as two of the best R&B albums I've got, and that will not change regardless. I have nothing but love for TQ, even if he never makes another album like his old ones again. That's ok. I will be starved (LOL) but times change, people change.

[Bennett]

You cant really compare anything to Gone But Not Forgotten, that song is a dedication to all the Fallen legends of music, but songs like Aint the Same, Soulja, & A Little bit of Love are all great in their own way/style

[TQ]

Well now we gotta address a serious matter. I've never given a fu?k about peoples opinions about my music. U can't please everyone. As long as I can go to my hood, pop in my new joints and everybody asks for copies I'm pretty much satisfied. I'm not made 4 the ma$ses and I never have been. I'm the only critic of my music as far as I'm concerned... Me and Compton. Everybody else's position will always be non-critical to me. In other words, If they don't like it, they can go listen to Jahiem or somebody. AKA Kick rox ya dig? Seems like my soul is being questioned tho... That I do not like. When I first went solo, I had a story to tell. I had a calculated theme that I covered over the course of 2 albums. I agree! It was a damn good movie... So good that the trilogy would be overkill. After that my fans started talking to me. I talked back. We built a relationship. Over the course of time, I took over my business and found out that there is a fine line between fame and fortune. Better read ALL that fan mail buddy... They're telling u what they want!!! Sure enuff they did... This site is a major piece of that word "they"... Over the years this site more than any other has given me the model of what my REAL fans think and want. Y'all fu?k with me because we can relate to each other. Most of y'all have had an issue at some time or another that my music has helped u get thru. Most of u have at some point helped me get thru some sh!t too, whether u know it or not. We have our own opinions. We use this board to express them. The best part about it for me is the variety of different opinions. See an opinion is a 2 way street. I need yours for mine to mean anything ya dig? Thaz the way opinions work.

Some sh!t is fact tho. Fact is I write about the things that happen to me in my life. Fact is I take my experiences and turn them into song in hopes that u guys can take a piece of it and apply/relate it to ur own experiences.
Fact is, I write great songs because I write them from my heart. Always have and always will. Writing songs is a part of me. It's inside of me. Take out ur liver and see what happens. It's a wrap. It's a wrap because u need your liver to live. Get it? I have to write songs. Period. If I'm drunk and I just left the strip club and I wanna write about strippin' then I can damn well do that. If I'm horny and I just got off the phone with my chick and her last 2 words were "Call Me", I may happen to write a song and call it "Call Me". Why? Because these are the events that are going on in my life. No different from my homeboy's fiance' gettin' blasted while she's pregnant with his twins. Or my "Best Friend" ODin' on some sh!t that I gave her to slang. This is my life and I share it with u thru song because that's what I'm best at.

Every song on "Paradise" is directly related events in my life. I wrote "I Don't Know" about my ex girlfriend that shook my a$s and had me stressed the fu?k out! "Ain't the Same" is about the same broad... I wrote "Proud Mary" cuz I was mad at the music business one day, smoked a fat blunt with my homegirl "Maria", and got over it. Get it? "Proud Mary"!!! It's that simple peepz... Not rocket science... I hate my song "Daily". So much that I RARELY perform it, but it was one of the most true to life pieces that I've ever written. This thing is beyond me and my personal opinion. I need urs for mine to mean anything... Feel me?

Bottom line is this. I will always write from my soul. I will always apply it to what feedback u guys give to me. I will never please all of u at the same time. The ladies wanted to hear about another side of my life for once. I gave it to them and it was as true to life as TNSMC. If u don't like it, u just don't like it. Ur entitled. Don't question my soul tho... That u are not entitled to do. I said from the beginning "Till I Die" and ain't sh!t changed...

Much love to all of u! Much love to u Bishop for sticking with me regardless. Thaz as real as it gets.

I love Thugpoetry.

WESTSIDE4LIFE!!!!!!

[squeezeme2tq]

hey T! how many kids do you have??? 2?

[Bennett]

That should sort everyones opinions out!!!

[Bennett]

TQ has always said his lyrics are from his heart, & you can tell in every song he sings he puts his soul into it, it aint all about the $$$ for him.

Every lyric you listen to of his has been put together right, they aint just a bunch of words & sentences bundled together because they rhyme, its all calculated.

[Tqslittlelady]

Sept 15, 2008 12:55:33 GMT -5 TQ said:

Well now we gotta address a serious matter. I've never given a fu©k about peoples opinions about my music. U can't please everyone. As long as I can go to my hood, pop in my new joints and everybody asks for copies I'm pretty much satisfied. I'm not made 4 the ma$ses and I never have been. I'm the only critic of my music as far as I'm concerned... Me and Compton. Everybody else's position will always be non-critical to me. In other words, If they don't like it, they can go listen to Jahiem or somebody. AKA Kick rox ya dig? Seems like my soul is being questioned tho... That I do not like. When I first went solo, I had a story to tell. I had a calculated theme that I covered over the course of 2 albums. I agree! It was a damn good movie... So good that the trilogy would be overkill. After that my fans started talking to me. I talked back. We built a relationship. Over the course of time, I took over my business and found out that there is a fine line between fame and fortune. Better read ALL that fan mail buddy... They're telling u what they want!!! Sure enuff they did... This site is a major piece of that word "they"... Over the years this site more than any other has given me the model of what my REAL fans think and want. Y'all fu©k with me because we can relate to each other. Most of y'all have had an issue at some time or another that my music has helped u get thru. Most of u have at some point helped me get thru some sh!t too, whether u know it or not. We have our own opinions. We use this board to express them. The best part about it for me is the variety of different opinions. See an opinion is a 2 way street. I need yours for mine to mean anything ya dig? Thaz the way opinions work.

Some sh!t is fact tho. Fact is I write about the things that happen to me in my life. Fact is I take my experiences and turn them into song in hopes that u guys can take a piece of it and apply/relate it to ur own experiences.
Fact is, I write great songs because I write them from my heart. Always have and always will. Writing songs is a part of me. It's inside of me. Take out ur liver and see what happens. It's a wrap. It's a wrap because u need your liver to live. Get it? I have to write songs. Period. If I'm drunk and I just left the strip club and I wanna write about strippin' then I can damn well do that. If I'm horny and I just got off the phone with my chick and her last 2 words were "Call Me", I may happen to write a song and call it "Call Me". Why? Because these are the events that are going on in my life. No different from my homeboy's fiance' gettin' blasted while she's pregnant with his twins. Or my "Best Friend" ODin' on some sh!t that I gave her to slang. This is my life and I share it with u thru song because that's what I'm best at.

Every song on "Paradise" is directly related events in my life. I wrote "I Don't Know" about my ex girlfriend that shook my a$s and had me stressed the fu©k out! "Ain't the Same" is about the same broad... I wrote "Proud Mary" cuz I was mad at the music business one day, smoked a fat blunt with my homegirl "Maria", and got over it. Get it? "Proud Mary"!!! It's that simple peepz... Not rocket science... I hate my song "Daily". So much that I RARELY perform it, but it was one of the most true to life pieces that I've ever written. This thing is beyond me and my personal opinion. I need urs for mine to mean anything... Feel me?

Bottom line is this. I will always write from my soul. I will always apply it to what feedback u guys give to me. I will never please all of u at the same time. The ladies wanted to hear about another side of my life for once. I gave it to them and it was as true to life as TNSMC. If u don't like it, u just don't like it. Ur entitled. Don't question my soul tho... That u are not entitled to do. I said from the beginning "Till I Die" and ain't sh!t changed...

Much love to all of u! Much love to u Bishop for sticking with me regardless. Thaz as real as it gets.

I love Thugpoetry.

WESTSIDE4LIFE!!!!!!

nuff said!