The Ringer: All Posts by Donnie Kwak2019-12-11T21:26:22-05:00https://www.theringer.com/authors/donnie-kwak/rss2019-12-11T21:26:22-05:002019-12-11T21:26:22-05:00Is Pep Guardiola on His Way Out?
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<img alt="Dinamo Zagreb v Manchester City: Group C - UEFA Champions League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5PvN-f-m2_JkFLb7570xnKdU8ZA=/388x0:3495x2330/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65881283/1193337485.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Could the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager be looking for a new job soon?</p> <div id="u5QSmo"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/3Wq2ClKViZI9VCBbVOyAe7" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="1ch2FV"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc/episodes/0301c609-5872-4b7d-92c1-eb64d98a6103">Donnie is joined by Micah Peters and Conor Nevins</a> to discuss the end of the Champions League group stage and who made it the final 16 (1:00). Then they discuss Manchester City’s recent struggles and whether or not Pep is long for the job (16:00). Finally, they go over the managerial comings and goings in the Premier League and shout-out Stanford keeper and instant legend Katie Meyer (33:45).</p>
<p id="u4qXG9"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fringer-fc%2Fid1268851589%3Fmt%3D2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc">Art19</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/ringer-fc">Stitcher</a> / <a href="https://www.theringer.com/rss/ringer-fc/index.xml">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2019/12/11/21012078/is-pep-guardiola-on-his-way-outDonnie KwakMicah PetersConor Nevins2019-11-12T15:20:03-05:002019-11-12T15:20:03-05:00Pep Guardiola Memes and Premier League Teens
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<img alt="Liverpool FC v Manchester City - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2tsGFliXq1XqiL2DVUxYDVRhB3Y=/232x0:4040x2856/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65686856/1181677517.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Plus, the group plays a couple of Premier League trivia games and previews the international break</p> <div id="DjfEEj"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/2FP0l8Pymf9gkXA5iqEC0I" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="nQIShv"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc/episodes/ea45f500-91ab-44bc-a668-a91fba5e6010">Donnie is joined by Conor Nevins and Micah Peters</a> to discuss Liverpool’s big win over Manchester City (1:15) and whether they will ever lose again. Then they play a couple of Premier League trivia games and preview the international break and PL Matchday 13 (25:20).</p>
<p id="HfTHge"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fringer-fc%2Fid1268851589%3Fmt%3D2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc">Art19</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/ringer-fc">Stitcher</a> / <a href="https://www.theringer.com/rss/ringer-fc/index.xml">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2019/11/12/20961810/pep-guardiola-memes-and-premier-league-teensDonnie KwakConor NevinsMicah Peters2019-10-30T20:46:32-04:002019-10-30T20:46:32-04:00Liverpool-Arsenal Reactions and Sergiño Dest
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<img alt="Liverpool v Arsenal - Carabao Cup Fourth Round" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ek6hlNcmV8MP95SDRpqxcP7Pv4Y=/109x0:3789x2760/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65589721/1184500767.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Visionhaus</figcaption>
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<p>Discussing Liverpool’s wild win on penalties over Arsenal in the League Cup, USMNT’s shiny new fullback, and more</p> <div id="qx2aIM"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/37vVaK93ZtzC9nzdAnq05R" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="w2GmJ1"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc/episodes/4d116a3e-b510-4f33-99ac-8ab35ec612e3">Donnie is joined by Conor Nevins and Micah Peters</a> to discuss Liverpool’s wild win on penalties over Arsenal in the League Cup (1:00) before delving into the Granit Xhaka controversy at the Emirates (13:20). Then Shaker Samman joins to talk about the USMNT’s shiny new fullback (28:45) and the fall of LAFC to Seattle (44:20).</p>
<p id="UuxkDr">Host: Donnie Kwak<br>Guests: Conor Nevins, Micah Peters, and Shaker Samman</p>
<p id="gYT6EC"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fringer-fc%2Fid1268851589%3Fmt%3D2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc">Art19</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/ringer-fc">Stitcher</a> / <a href="https://www.theringer.com/rss/ringer-fc/index.xml">RSS</a></p>
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https://www.theringer.com/2019/10/30/20941079/liverpool-arsenal-reactions-and-sergino-destDonnie KwakConor NevinsMicah PetersShaker Samman2019-10-28T18:43:01-04:002019-10-28T18:43:01-04:00If ‘Jesus Is King,’ Who Is Kanye?
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<img alt="FGI 36th Annual Night of Stars Gala" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LahmcCgo7sNDytwLvMGUF9sXYUY=/0x0:3600x2700/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65570799/1183259788.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Donnie and Andrew discuss Kanye’s recent career and what could be next for the rapper</p> <div id="SVprAM"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/3ZXt6H4I52lxq357sBzN1q" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="W20FQS"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-dish/episodes/09898ac0-4277-4a95-96e6-69ec6815ccdc">After many false alarms, Kanye West’s newest album</a>, <em>Jesus Is King</em>, dropped on Friday. We talk about the rollout of the album (3:12), how the last three years of West’s career have brought us to this point (11:56), and what could be next for the rapper (31:35).</p>
<p id="10d0uR">Hosts: Donnie Kwak and Andrew Gruttadaro</p>
<p id="fsUgvH"><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ringer-dish/id1465286477">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-dish">Art19</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2019/10/28/20937239/if-jesus-is-king-who-is-kanye-westDonnie KwakAndrew Gruttadaro2019-10-15T11:29:15-04:002019-10-15T11:29:15-04:00SuperM Is Here, and They’re Making K-pop History
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<img alt="SuperM Live From Capitol Records in Hollywood - Atmosphere" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2Ek9kIu6iz73zrr0qaxDE1Vqyl4=/108x0:4972x3648/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65471733/1179289545.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Capitol Music Group</figcaption>
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<p>The Ringer’s own Avengers of K-pop assembled last week to discuss the supergroup’s record-breaking start, as SuperM became the first Korean act to hit no. 1 with a debut album</p> <div id="qbkPDZ"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/5Y5J6mQPPLb8mdM6lkcGPv" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="cBgsCW"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-dish/episodes/7eed4e17-513a-4355-898c-83a7894a1294">Self-dubbed “The Avengers of K-pop,”</a> SM Entertainment’s newest boy group SuperM made their grand debut in North America last week, rising to a swift no. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Isaac Lee, Donnie Kwak, and Kate Halliwell assembled directly following the group’s Hollywood debut to discuss the team’s composition, the history of Korean artists venturing into the American market, and the music of SuperM.</p>
<p id="4CySzW"><strong>Subscribe: </strong><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ringer-dish/id1465286477">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-dish">Art19</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2019/10/15/20915529/superm-kpop-capitol-records-exo-nct-shinee-wayv-billboard-chartsDonnie KwakIsaac LeeKate Halliwell2019-10-07T11:50:18-04:002019-10-07T11:50:18-04:00Jay Gruden Is Out As Washington Head Coach, but Nothing Will Change
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9-AxUbBOJfvVZCGg9bxF4LYiRGE=/274x0:2941x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65410300/gruden_fired_getty_ringer.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Getty Images/Ringer illustration</figcaption>
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<p>After an 0-5 start, the younger Gruden finally got the ax. Until Dan Snyder removes team president Bruce Allen, though, the franchise is still heading nowhere fast.</p> <aside id="kjgwXu"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 5 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/10/4/20898504/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-5-of-the-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="79gm9c">At a <a href="https://twitter.com/dcsportsbog/status/1181176283872595973">5 a.m. meeting on Monday morning</a>, Jay Gruden was relieved of his duties as Washington Redskins head coach by team owner Dan Snyder and president Bruce Allen. (“Relieved” is surely how Jay felt.) A <a href="https://twitter.com/kareemcopeland/status/1181164557844262912">team statement</a> followed: “Through the first five games of the 2019 season, the team has clearly not performed up to expectations, and we all share that responsibility.” (A public thank-you for Gruden’s work over his nearly six-year tenure was noticeably absent.) And so, less than 24 hours after the Skins’ meek home loss to the Patriots left them 0-5, Washington’s beleaguered leader finally took the fall. Assistant head coach and offensive line coach Bill Callahan—<a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-mar-13-sp-newswire13-story.html">once again replacing a departing Gruden</a>—has been named interim head coach. (Jay, feel free to <a href="https://deadspin.com/videos-of-jay-gruden-out-partying-have-recirculated-wit-1838804333">spark one and relax</a> now.) </p>
<p id="jhZjV5">Gruden leaves Washington after five seasons and change with a regular-season record of 35-49-1 and one postseason appearance, a loss in the 2015 wild-card round. His two winning seasons (2015 and 2016) were fruitful for two people who have since kicked rocks: then–offensive coordinator and current Rams head coach Sean McVay, and quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is now being paid handsomely to be mediocre in Minnesota. </p>
<p id="9Nn7kV">Since McVay and Cousins left, Washington has been a sinking morass of injuries, incompetence, and organizational dysfunction. Last season saw two quarterbacks felled by broken legs. The start of this season was marred by the continuing holdout of offensive tackle Trent Williams; long-term injuries to tight end Jordan Reed, running back Derrius Guice, and guard Brandon Scherff; and yet another <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/9/24/20881528/washington-dwayne-haskins-jay-gruden-case-keenum">quarterback kerfuffle</a> involving 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins. Sunday’s 33-7 loss to New England proved a fitting end to the Jay Gruden era: a decent start quickly disintegrating into a total, embarrassing, predictable capitulation. </p>
<p id="P9nsXb">After the game, when asked about the possibility of getting fired, Gruden responded: “If the key works on Monday, I’ll keep working.” A nice quip for his last press conference as the head coach. In fact, Jay was always a bit of a lovable loser—bumbling but self-deprecating, an amicable company man in over his head. Running back Chris Thompson <a href="https://twitter.com/Matthew_Paras/status/1180947095710322688">broke down into tears postgame</a> when contemplating his coach’s probable dismissal. (Though <a href="https://twitter.com/JosinaAnderson/status/1181166161632927744">not every player was pro-Jay</a>, apparently.) With Gruden gone, the spotlight once again focuses on the two-headed monster of Snyder and Allen. The owner has long been blamed for his franchise’s plummeting reputation, but Allen may have surpassed him as the primary target of fans’ ire. Under Allen’s reign as team president, the Redskins <a href="https://twitter.com/granthpaulsen/status/1181202677528760320">have gone 42-75</a>. His fingerprints have been on everything from the firing of GM Scot McCloughan <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/07/31/redskins-have-faced-business-staff-exodus-since-firing-brian-lafemina/">and other key execs</a> to the doomed Alex Smith trade and front-office stubbornness in the Williams standoff. Somehow, Allen has survived it all. At this point, replacing the head coach is like putting a new paint job on a car with a fucked engine. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="vydeTN">Who really wants to take the wheel of this lemon? Callahan is in the driver’s seat for now, with newly promoted offensive coordinator Kevin “Budget McVay” O’Connell the presumed longer-term successor. Jay Gruden will probably resurface as an OC somewhere soon, free from the chains of this blundering mess. Like the rest of us, he can now watch this car crash from afar.</p>
<aside id="Yt86y4"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"ringer_newsletter"}'></div></aside>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/10/7/20902966/jay-gruden-fired-washington-redskins-head-coach-bill-callahanDonnie Kwak2019-10-01T18:44:59-04:002019-10-01T18:44:59-04:00Spurs Spanked! Plus: #OleOut or #EmeryOut?
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<img alt="Tottenham Hotspur v Bayern Muenchen: Group B - UEFA Champions League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/okijTDtRB1zziPtTkwjsb_pucXY=/271x0:2618x1760/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65370790/1178424470.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Breaking down everything from Tuesday’s Champions League slate</p> <div id="d0EspD"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/2BRzPFowpyctdvF40bQBzs" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="cB8pv6"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc/episodes/cb84e0c4-4523-4782-884e-2df46ffb26b6">Donnie Kwak, Micah Peters, and Conor Nevins</a> discuss Bayern Munich’s rout of Tottenham and the rest of Tuesday’s Champions League matches (0:15), the Manchester United–Arsenal snoozefest (15:00), and the new Diego Maradona documentary premiering on HBO (36:30).</p>
<p id="AfTvoR"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fringer-fc%2Fid1268851589%3Fmt%3D2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc">Art19</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/ringer-fc">Stitcher</a> / <a href="https://www.theringer.com/rss/ringer-fc/index.xml">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2019/10/1/20894242/spurs-spanked-plus-oleout-or-emeryoutDonnie KwakMicah PetersConor Nevins2019-09-18T20:44:05-04:002019-09-18T20:44:05-04:00Everybody Loves Chelsea Now
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<img alt="Chelsea FC v Sheffield United - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/69G8RLy_MEu50XVA1ejZcP_Hh5M=/438x0:3934x2622/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65275909/1171341572.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Donnie, Micah, and Conor discuss Chelsea’s youth movement, the return of the Champions League, and more</p> <div id="RMiQ6a"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/6KuYuFFpsv9YE2WxCrlch6" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="P9itNm"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc/episodes/96c19154-94fc-4963-8ad0-08058f6f2717">Donnie, Micah Peters, and Conor Nevins discuss the return</a> of the Champions League (1:00), the Manchester City defensive mini-crisis (10:54), the Chelsea youth movement (22:25), the perils of playing it out from the back (34:01), and our “double-click” players of the week (42:02).</p>
<p id="2H2yJ5">Host: Donnie Kwak<br>Guests: Micah Peters and Conor Nevins</p>
<p id="uXfUiK"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fringer-fc%2Fid1268851589%3Fmt%3D2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc">Art19</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/ringer-fc">Stitcher</a> / <a href="https://www.theringer.com/rss/ringer-fc/index.xml">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/2019/9/18/20873272/everybody-loves-chelsea-nowDonnie KwakMicah PetersConor Nevins2019-08-20T20:37:27-04:002019-08-20T20:37:27-04:00Why Is the Premier League So Good Now?
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<img alt="Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KH08VlHc7EXSWLGGt4Vfl56bI9I=/0x0:3673x2755/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65078069/1162813094.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Ringer FC crew discusses Paul Pogba, the VAR debate, Pukki, and more </p> <div id="Xq7J2i"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/1jp4Oy4SjaTWtZt8jNAjHQ" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 232px;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>
<p id="kEO1AL"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc/episodes/c3ef6ec0-8056-4ac1-bd73-0504c0141e54">Two matches into the PL’s new season</a>, Donnie Kwak, Micah Peters, and Miles Surrey discuss Paul Pogba pens, the endless VAR debate, Pukki the GOAT, the league’s youth movement, and the all-new You Hate to See That segment.</p>
<p id="cSpUdG"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fringer-fc%2Fid1268851589%3Fmt%3D2">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/ringer-fc">Art19</a> / <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-ringer/ringer-fc">Stitcher</a> / <a href="https://www.theringer.com/rss/ringer-fc/index.xml">RSS</a></p>
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https://www.theringer.com/2019/8/20/20825906/why-is-the-premier-league-so-good-nowDonnie KwakMicah PetersMiles Surrey2019-08-01T06:30:00-04:002019-08-01T06:30:00-04:00How Jay-Z’s ‘Vol. 3’ Explained Rap Music in 1999—and Predicted Its Future
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TaYQt-H6fNVKNGeHWvv5fngCyzQ=/400x0:2800x1800/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64890085/Ringer_Jay.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="http://www.arturodraws.com" target="_blank">Arturo Torres</a></figcaption>
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<p>With disparate styles and references to where hip-hop was headed, Jigga’s colossal fourth album is the perfect time capsule for the genre on the eve of the millennium</p> <p id="bDhFLy"><em>Welcome to </em><a href="https://www.theringer.com/music/2019/7/29/8937400/everything-you-need-to-know-about-99-music-week"><em>1999 Music Week</em></a><em>, a celebration of one of the most interesting, vivid, varied music years ever. Join us as we count down </em><a href="https://99music.theringer.com/"><em>the best singles and albums of the year</em></a><em>, remember the days of scrubs and the girls who wear Abercrombie & Fitch, and argue about which albums stood above the rest.</em></p>
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<p class="p--has-dropcap" id="UhjQXB">In the fall of 1999, Def Jam posted a billboard atop the intersection of Flatbush and DeKalb avenues in downtown Brooklyn to advertise Jay-Z’s new album. Fittingly, the blown-up <a href="https://images.complex.com/complex/images/c_limit,dpr_auto,q_90,w_720/fl_lossy,pg_1/oc0ievfmfsdbzen8ftou/vol-3-life-and-times-of-s-carter">cover image</a> for <em>Vol. 3 … Life and Times of S. Carter</em> depicted the rapper flanked by skyscrapers, peering downward. (Hov always did love a good metaphor.) He was now above the competition—in his home borough, in New York City, and in hip-hop. By the time <em>Vol. 3</em> dropped in late December, Jay-Z was rap’s undisputed ruler. </p>
<p id="KGs3PZ">Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Two of the previous kings of hip-hop had been slain: 2Pac in Las Vegas in September 1996, and the Notorious B.I.G. six months later in March 1997. The following year, chart-topping debuts from DMX and Lauryn Hill were game-changers; X released a second album at the end of ’98 that also went no. 1. Either he or Hill could reasonably claim the throne that year, but their reigns weren’t built to last. For all his bark, X was a little too one-dimensional to keep in step with rap’s evolution. Meanwhile, Hill’s first solo album would also be her last. </p>
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<p id="CM7TsR">Into this power vacuum stepped Jay-Z, who had already built momentum from his own no. 1 album in ’98, <em>Vol. 2 … Hard Knock Life</em>. As the pall cast by the deaths of Pac and Biggie cleared, Jay snatched the crown in 1999. <em>Vol. 3</em> went no. 1, as did all nine of his subsequent solo releases. Beyond his transcendent skill, Jay’s nimbleness and ambition would become the hallmarks of a long-running monarchy. He hewed his sound to adapt to radio trends and collaborated with the right people at the right time. And he was ruthlessly competitive, on and off the mic, which only added to his longevity. </p>
<p id="kidv4G">While <em>Vol. 3</em> isn’t regarded as Jay’s best album—that accolade is reserved for his debut or 2001’s <em>The Blueprint</em>—it does have a wide-ranging aesthetic that reveals the expansive kingdom that Jay-Z oversaw when he first assumed power. The South was rising. Dr. Dre returned. New disrupters were en route. And hip-hop in general was on the verge of going fully mainstream. Jay observed the terrain and adapted accordingly. From his very first words on the album—<em>Yeah, I know you just ripped the packaging off your CD</em>—to the bootlegged songs that were left off the final cut, <em>Vol. 3 </em>provides a perfect time capsule of rap as it headed into the new millennium. </p>
<p id="pXXLqk">Here, then, is a selection of songs from <em>Vol. 3</em> that highlight where rap was 20 years ago and also where it was going.</p>
<h3 id="Y81iKP">“Watch Me” (feat. Dr. Dre) </h3>
<p id="J8hcgq">Any residue from the East Coast vs. West Coast conflict was mostly gone by 1999—truthfully, the coastal rancor of the mid-’90s was always more of a Bad Boy vs. Death Row dispute. As those record labels waned, so too did any lingering beef. The deaths of Pac and Big set off an exodus of artists. Dr. Dre left Death Row in 1996 to start his own Aftermath Entertainment; two years later, Snoop Dogg fled to No Limit Records. In April ’99, Mase quit Bad Boy to become a pastor, and Sean “Puffy” Combs’s grip on radio playlists was loosening. </p>
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<p id="KexQkg">When the smoke cleared, Dr. Dre and Jay-Z emerged as the new leaders of their respective coasts—and, unlike their predecessors, willing collaborative partners. 1999 would be a huge year for Dre. In February, he hitched his wagon to <a href="https://www.theringer.com/music/2019/2/20/18232748/eminem-slim-shady-lp-20th-anniversary">a young white disrupter from Detroit</a>, setting the stage for his second career as a record mogul. But not before dropping another smash of his own in November: <em>2001</em>, his first solo album in seven years. As Dre’s new secret weapon, Eminem reprised Snoop’s breakout role on <em>The Chronic</em> with his own song-stealing performances on <em>2001</em>. Track for track (and with apologies to Mos Def), it’s probably rap’s only undeniable classic from 1999. </p>
<p id="oBctfN">Jay-Z had a hand in its success. He famously wrote Dre’s defiant comeback verses for “Still D.R.E.,” <em>2001</em>’s lead single. For Jay-Z’s <em>Vol. 3</em>, Dre rapped the hook on “Watch Me” over a pounding Irv Gotti and Lil Rob beat that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhXnmUr1Zbg">sounded like one of Dre’s</a>, reusing Jay’s lines from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6HLi4oCebc">an old Biggie song</a>. It wasn’t an official East-West truce, but it felt like one. </p>
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<h3 id="0r2SdP">“It’s Hot (Some Like It Hot)” </h3>
<p id="kF1Fve">Speaking of disrupters: Eminem wasn’t the only ’99 newcomer who would one day dominate the charts with the assistance of Dr. Dre. For the Queens rapper named 50 Cent, however, the Dre partnership came a few years later. First was “<a href="https://www.theringer.com/music/2019/8/1/20749275/50-cent-how-to-rob-screwball-who-shot-rudy-1999-music-controversy">How to Rob</a>,” an opening salvo that wasn’t a mainstream hit, but featured lyrics—about robbing every big-name rapper or R&B singer—that instantly made 50 an industry villain. Jay-Z, of course, was one of 50’s many targets: “What, Jigga just sold like four milli, got something to live for / Don’t want a n-gga putting four through that Bentley coupe door.”</p>
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<p id="f9m03X">“How to Rob” served its purpose, as it drew the attention of rap’s new king. On “Hova Song (Intro),” <em>Vol. 3</em>’s opening track, Jay responded: “Mike Jordan of rap, outside Jay working / Now watch how quickly I drop 50.” Then, on the Timbaland-produced “It’s Hot,” he dropped the memorable dagger (which he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlG6H45t-Sw">premiered months before</a> at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlG6H45t-Sw">Hot 97’s Summer Jam</a>): “Go against Jigga your ass is dense / I’m about a dollar, what the fuck is 50 cents?” Two punch lines don’t constitute a real feud: Jay-Z saved his real missiles for a 2001 battle with someone closer to his level in Nas, who dropped two high-selling but mid-quality albums in 1999 and always remained a throne contender. As for 50? In 2000, he was the one who got shot up in a car. Three years later, alongside Em and Dre, he would rule commercial rap. </p>
<h3 id="99ycZB">“Snoopy Track” (feat. Juvenile)</h3>
<p id="t7gmE8">If <em>2001</em> was the most memorable rap album from 1999, then “Back That Azz Up” was the year’s most enduring rap song. It dropped as a single in February, after first appearing on Juvenile’s 1998 release <em>400 Degreez</em>, which remains Cash Money Records’ best-selling album to this day. Off the strength of Juve’s “Back That Azz Up” and a string of lesser 1999 hits—B.G.’s “Bling Bling,” Hot Boys’ “We on Fire,” and <a href="https://www.theringer.com/music/2019/7/31/20748073/lil-wayne-block-is-hot-retrospective-1999-music-week">a teenage Lil Wayne’s “Tha Block Is Hot”</a>—Cash Money became the dominant force in Southern rap. The South had made inroads earlier in the decade, powered by collectives like Atlanta’s Dungeon Family and Memphis’s Hypnotize Minds, but New Orleans was the region’s epicenter in ’99, thanks to Cash Money and No Limit Records. The latter, however, was lauded more for <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7Vn7nlIgAAhIJ-.png?format=jpg&name=small">the business exploits of its CEO, Master P</a>, than for its musical output. </p>
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<p id="jKqUB8">Cash Money’s breakthrough came with Juvenile’s 1998 single “Ha.” As the song started traveling beyond the South, Jay recorded his own verse over Mannie Fresh’s instrumental and sent it to Cash Money through its parent label, Universal. That unsolicited Jay verse was added to the official remix, and suddenly Juvenile was a bigger presence nationwide. The South may have been buzzing, but NYC was still the ultimate arbiter of rap cool. “After that,” <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/2012/11/juvenile-breaks-down-his-25-most-essential-songs/">said Juve of the remix in 2012</a>, “I didn’t have a problem doing nothing with anybody. I didn’t have problems with all those companies who didn’t know who I was.” The “Ha” remix set off a chain of NYC-South team-ups in ’99, including the Ruff Ryders’ Juve-featuring “Down Bottom” and Cash Money’s appearance on Noreaga’s second solo album. (Jay-Z also popped up on a No Limit record—Silkk the Shocker’s “You Know What We Bout”—that went nowhere.) On <em>Vol. 3</em>’s “Snoopy Track,” Juve and Jay-Z reunited on a loopy, flow-driven Timbaland rhythm that began with the Brooklyn rapper paying homage to the South: “This is for my n-ggas down in Houston on candy paint / All my n-ggas in the Dirty South, Miami mayne / All my n-ggas in the ATL throwin’ dem ’bows.”</p>
<p id="KUki4O">To be clear, Jay-Z giving Juve the coveted NYC cosign on “Ha” was less an act of benevolence than it was opportunism. From touring down South, Hov would’ve been aware of what local artists were popping in the clubs. His two songs with Juvenile, as well as his <em>Vol. 3 </em>smash “Big Pimpin’” with Texas duo UGK, were mutually beneficial collaborations. As <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1Nr2u5GBvM">Juve later put it</a>: “When he did [the “Ha” remix], I was like, ‘OK, now I’m really in New York.’ For him it was the same way: ‘Now I’m really in the South.’” </p>
<p id="LkBajX">Not for the last time, Jay identified a sonic wave to ride just as it was beginning to crest. In 2000, the Ruff Ryders and Cash Money would embark on a joint tour. By the mid-aughts, Cash Money’s Lil Wayne would stake his own claim to the king of rap title.</p>
<h3 id="dgytJM">“So Ghetto” </h3>
<p id="Cn1H1u">When the Bad Boy–Death Row rivalry ended, another battle line formed: mainstream vs. underground rap. After Big’s death, Puffy and Bad Boy forged ahead with an ostentatious, radio-friendly sound that took over playlists in 1997-98, now remembered as the “shiny-suit era.” In turn came an uprising from independent artists (and some major-label ones) who promoted artistic growth—or at least sharper lyrics—over naked greed. “Real hip-hop” became an anti-mainstream mantra; “jiggy rap” was its foil. At the forefront of the movement was the indie imprint Rawkus, which released El-P and Company Flow’s <em>Funcrusher Plus</em> (’97) and Black Star’s <em>Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star</em> (’98), two albums that became underground hip-hop canon. (Ironically, the crossover success of Mos Def’s ’99 solo debut, <em>Black on Both Sides</em> on Rawkus, helped negate the distinction between mainstream and indie.) </p>
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<p id="Tbr1gy">Jay-Z was able to straddle the commercial-underground divide better than most, having risen to mainstream status after humble beginnings as an indie underdog. As Kelefa Sanneh wrote of Jay in a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/08/20/gettin-paid?mbid=social_twitter">2001 <em>New Yorker </em>profile</a>: “Most people thought of Puffy and Biggie as opposites—the executive and the thug, the businessman and the artist, the pop star and the rapper—but Jay-Z’s insight was to seize upon the avarice that united them.” Hov blurred the lines, making records that appeased both sides. That tension—pop vs. rap—is a through line in <em>Vol. 3</em>, in a year when hip-hop and <a href="https://www.theringer.com/music/2017/10/2/16394708/trl-behind-the-scenes"><em>TRL</em></a> were strange bedfellows. On “Come and Get Me,” Jay admonished rap rivals who thought he’d gone soft: “I ain’t cross over I brought the suburbs to the hood / Made ’em relate to your struggle, told ’em ’bout your hustle / Went on MTV with do-rags, I made them love you.” And on the DJ Premier–produced “So Ghetto,” the B-side to <em>Vol. 3</em>’s lead single, Jay playfully reminded fans that success wouldn’t change him: “We tote guns to the Grammys / Pop bottles on the White House lawn / Guess I’m just the same old Shawn.”</p>
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<p id="lnrPrE">And where would Jay-Z debut “So Ghetto” for a television audience? On MTV’s New Year’s Eve 1999 special—sans the do-rag. </p>
<h3 id="0xZxRG">“Is That Yo Bitch” (feat. Missy Elliott) [unreleased]</h3>
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<p id="U8zzbS">One of the best songs intended for Jay-Z’s <em>Vol. 3</em> never made it to the final cut (but did to <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/2014/11/vol-3-better-than-the-black-album">the U.K. version</a>) because of a leak of the album that was widely bootlegged a month before its release. Jay-Z swapped out three tracks from the leaked album, including the “Hard Knock Life” soundalike “Anything” and <a href="https://genius.com/Jay-z-hova-interlude-lyrics">an interlude</a> meant to connect the “Hova Song” intro and outro. The third song, “Is That Yo Bitch,” would later appear—renamed “Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses),” with added guests—on Memphis Bleek’s 2000 album, <em>The Understanding</em>. </p>
<p id="GFLNj9">From this story line, a few narrative threads emerged. To begin with, 1999 was one of the last years of nondigital piracy, when leaks were burned onto physical CDs and peddled hand to hand by neighborhood hustlers. Once peer-to-peer networks like Napster and LimeWire entered the picture at the turn of the century, music piracy became a free-for-all that disproportionately affected hip-hop. Leaks were still damaging in the file-sharing era, but a global crime wave is much harder to stamp out than a local threat. “There is no analogy between bootlegging and anything that happens in the streets,” explained Jay-Z in his 2010 book <em>Decoded</em>, “unless you count n-ggas going up in stash spots and straight robbing you.”</p>
<p id="Bo4KgI">Jay-Z’s reaction to the <em>Vol. 3</em> bootlegging snafu almost upended his reign before it began. At the release party for Q-Tip’s <em>Amplified</em> at Manhattan’s Kit Kat Klub on December 2, 1999, Jay was charged with felony assault for stabbing music exec Lance “Un” Rivera, who had been suspected of the original <em>Vol. 3</em> leak. “I was blacking out with anger,” he wrote in <em>Decoded</em>. Jay faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted, but ended up with a sweet plea deal: three years of probation.</p>
<p id="F803Iz">Even after the murders of 2Pac and Biggie, violence was never far in the rap world, and especially in its capital city. Big L was gunned down on February 15 in Harlem; Freaky Tah of the Lost Boyz was killed on March 28 in Queens. In April, Sean “Puffy” Combs and two of his bodyguards allegedly beat up Nas’s manager Steve Stoute in his office over a crucifixion scene from Nas’s “Hate Me Now” video. And a few weeks after Jay-Z’s Kit Kat Klub incident, Puffy, his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, and his protégé Shyne were involved in a nightclub fracas that turned into a shootout. Puffy was found not guilty of all charges, but Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison. </p>
<p id="H72rds">Still, these were all local disputes. By and large, it was a hopeful era in hip-hop, as the genre edged toward a new prosperity. </p>
<h3 id="rLXvKk">“Things That U Do” (feat. Mariah Carey)</h3>
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<p id="u6MrUZ">The <em>Vol. 3 </em>song that was the most blatant grab at radio airplay was also, unsurprisingly, one of the album’s worst. “Things That U Do,” the Swizz Beatz–produced second single, was a rare Hov brick, despite the Mariah Carey feature. Why did it underperform? In <a href="https://www.theringer.com/music/2019/7/29/8934482/lfo-summer-girls-1999-music-abercrombie-fitch-song">Rob Harvilla’s <em>Ringer</em> feature on LFO’s “Summer Girls,”</a> he noted that “pop radio in 1999 had a disoriented, throw-shit-at-the-wall quality. … Nobody knew exactly what worked, which meant, again, that anything might.” It was much the same on rap radio in ’99, but it inspired more diversity in hip-hop rather than sheer novelty. With the absence of a surefire hit-making formula, this was an exciting time to listen to rap. The coastal hegemony had weakened, making room for the likes of Juvenile, the Roots, and Missy Elliott to shine—“Back That Azz Up” after “You Got Me” after “Hot Boyz.” There was no single dominant super-producer, and thus no signature sound, allowing for a bevy of distinct regional flavors to share the airwaves. </p>
<p id="kKru6Q">Turns out “Things That U Do” may have been a little ahead of its time—Ja Rule would go on to make plenty of hits following a similar sing-songy formula. (Or, possibly: “Things That U Do” just plain sucked.) In any event, Jay-Z realized his mistake by quickly dropping a new <em>Vol. 3 </em>single: “Big Pimpin’” featuring Bun B and Pimp C from UGK. “It didn’t sound like anything else on the radio at the time, but I knew it was time to double down,” wrote Jay-Z in <em>Decoded</em>. And that was the right strategy to penetrate radio in ’99. </p>
<h3 id="X6W0Ok">“Pop 4 Roc” (feat. Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel & Amil) </h3>
<p id="oG1iMw">For all of rap’s mainstream emergence in 1999, it wasn’t a banner <em>Billboard</em> year. No rap songs made the year-end top 20. But even though rap had enjoyed greater commercial heights in the ’90s, many of the biggest hits felt like genre anomalies: Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” Kriss Kross’s “Jump,” Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” and the like. At the end of the decade, rappers were building momentum on their own terms, eventually forcing pop music to assimilate to it. (In 2002, seven rap songs made the year-end top 20.)</p>
<p id="6qP7tc">Part of the momentum came in the form of added revenue streams: Signing new artists and starting a clothing line were usually the first two chess moves. Jay-Z, like Puffy before him, did both. Hov’s business acumen wouldn’t become a major theme in his music until later, but <em>Vol. 3</em>’s “Pop 4 Roc” (and Amil’s 2000 single <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tosG9zVW4kg">“4 da Fam”</a>) doubled as brand-builders. On the latter song, Jay proclaimed: “What y’all about to witness is big business kid … This is much more than rap, it’s black entrepreneurs / Clothing, movie, and films, we come to conquer it all.” The corporatization of hip-hop had begun. </p>
<p id="SY8wqy">The new king would lead the way. Much like <em>Vol. 3</em>’s place in Jay-Z’s oeuvre, 1999 wasn’t hip-hop’s best year, but it was a pivotal moment of transition: the start of an ambitious new regime across an unsure landscape that would soon become more fertile than ever. Hov was ready to conquer. His next album needed no metaphor: He called it <em>The Dynasty</em>. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/music/2019/8/1/20747726/1999-rap-music-jay-z-vol-3-dr-dre-juvenile-eminemDonnie Kwak