This is the first episode of “The Parker Report” for MTV Jams. It was a pain in the ass putting this thing together, too. We shot several panels, which will be airing on MTV Jams over the course of the next few weeks. If there is any debate that NYC has lost ground, it’s worth noting that I had to go to ATL to shoot the Dipset, who are from Harlem.

But hey, it was worth it. However pained the Dips appear when they have to sit still for any amount of time, these guys always entertain. I’m not talking about when they are in the studio pounding out records. But when the music is off and the mic is left on, them dudes captivate.

Back when I originally had Jim Jones on “The Parker Report” he broke from his disinterested demeanor to defend Oprah’s honor and to speak out against the war in Iraq.
“If Oprah wanna get me on the show, she gonna have the realest show that the world going to see,” he said on that episode. “Until I get that invitation, I’ll holler when I see her and I’ll blow a kiss at her.”

Jimmy has the whole rock star thing down cold. It’s like dude doesn’t recognize that there are different rules of etiquette for different settings. When he sat down for TPR back then, he splayed his phone, blunts and lighter out on the table, slumped in his seat, and shifted back and forth without making much eye contact.

At the same time, he always says something to keep people talking. It’s as if he likes the attention but doesn’t want you to know he’s enjoying himself—that’s the effortless mantra of the “rock stars.”

For this go-round with the Dipset, we shot a few subjects. All classic material. Though he’s silent in this first episode, Freaky Zeeky even shares a word or two—something about Jordan and the Wizards and retiring rappers. Without giving away too much (Comcast heads can check it on On Demand in a few weeks), Jigga seems to figure prominently into the Dips’ points.

Then there is this time—within the well-worn discussion of NYC rap—with the hilarious tag-team at the end.

Jim: “Most of these rappers is so much of a facade / they wait until they deal to get they first charge”

Juelz: “It’s like New York’s been soft since Jay fell off”

If you look really closely, you can almost see Jim Jones’ lips mouthing the words to Juelz’s line. It’s like he knew it was coming. If I didn’t know better—and I don’t—I’d think they rehearsed the whole thing.

Either way, it’s no less entertaining if they did. They’re still pulling of the image of reluctant talk show guests, and New York rap is still what it is—whatever that is.

Obviously, this type of programming doesn’t lead to real answers but allows for a few questions to be raised. Each episode you’ll see a panel or rappers and industry folks creating a new “Hip-Hop Law” to live by. Sometimes the topics will be based on serious issues, other times the discussions will be strictly for entertainment purposes. And then there are talks like the one above where both can be accomplished with little or no effort at all—apparently that’s the Dipset way.