It's ridiculous that anyone would read the New York Times for music coverage. Still the sad truth is that staff critic Jon Caramanica wields serious influence over the commercial hip-hop landscape, his master narratives weaving mittens for inept writers everywhere to handle trend rappers. So with another Grammy gala toasting mediocrity upon us, I thought it was a fitting time to eviscerate his write-up of last week's Stretch and Bob reunion show

I posted a blog here several months ago to provide some history behind Jay-Z's award-winning but hella-lame "NY State of Mind." Now I'm back with the latest interpolation, brought to my attention by fellow journalist Dan McCarthy, a New Hampshire native who trolls the Internet daily looking for new musical numbers that lampoon his home state.

Poor JAM’N 94.5. Just a few years ago their Monster Jams were suffering; hip-hop and R&B fans were lucky if they caught more than one artist with more than two hit songs. But in 2008 the station staged a commendable comeback with a roaring Summer Jam line-up and a subsequent pre-Halloween blowout featuring Jay-Z and Lil Wayne, only for the latter not to show up.