Phew.
Sorry. That was a bit OTT and probably not needed, but I don't care, I wanted to say it. More and more these day's I'm followed on Twitter by 'up and coming rappers' or 'greatest MC's in the game' or some nonsense. I listen to some of their stuff and as I predicted, it's average at absolute best, if I was drunk, and considered Drake to be the greatest rapper since sliced bread (He's not. No, stop talking, he's just not)
The thing is, I kinda get why every man and his dog is now either a rapper, or wants to be a rapper, it's for 3 reasons (IMO!!).
1) Hip-hop, rap, whatever you call it, has always been synonymous with ‘the struggle’. This is due to it’s history and the culture that gave birth to it. It defined a generation and is an important part of music and cultural history. However what this doesn’t mean is that every person who’s been brought up either under privileged, or have had a hard life, or whatever, can rap. I’m sorry, but just because you’ve been poor doesn’t automatically mean that you are able to talk about your struggles using something that is basically an art craft. Not everyone could rap in the 70’s, 80’s etc, and certainly the same is true now.
2) Hip hop is cool, and furthermore if you’re successful you get the girls, the money, the cars, the booze, the fame. This has happened all over the years, and now with things like Instagram you have rappers like Rick Ross rubbing it in our poor peasant like faces. We all kind of want to be like him (but less rotund I would imagine). Though for some maybe it’s simply the idea of getting a fucking Nando’s Black Card that motivates you…
3) Rap in the UK has really taken off in recent years with more and more artists. Whilst Wiley paved the way for Grime and provided a gateway for others to gain success, ignoring the real pioneers (I guess Slick Rick is the first real English rapper? I dunno) and even Roots Manuva, but focusing on the more commercially viable rappers such as Dizzee Rascal (after he switched over from Grime), Chipmunk (same as before), N-Dubz, Pro Green, Wretch 32, Tinie Tempah etc etc etc. This has really given everyone a motivation to be the next rapper to step upto the plate. It’s opened the doors and shown that it is possible for this little island of ours to be taken seriously by Hip Hop as a whole. Anyone remember when Pro Green battled Jin a long time ago, yeah, it didn’t go down too well from what I remember.
So far what I’ve said probably isn’t news to anyone. It’s kind of the blueprint to anything in a way (Identity, relevance, relate… I made that up, but it sounds cool as a set of 3 rules, I might use it for things).
I think point 1 is the one I find most true currently. I don’t know everyone’s individual situations so it sounds VERY judgmental that I can sit here on my iron throne (that would be cool, it’s actually just a plastic/metal slidey chair thing) and say you can or can’t do this. Nothing gives me the right. But what I do have the right to do is say my opinion on matters. And my opinion is, that a lot of ‘rappers’ I’ve chosen to listen to ‘on the come up’ or whatever term is used these days, are shit. I’ve listened to a few things and they are still shit. Who am I to judge? Well, to a small degree I guess I know the genre of music I most listen to, and can distinguish from those with talent to those with not much more than a brain dead goat. It really annoys me because hip hop is an art form, it’s a true profession and those who are successful are often so because they work exceptionally hard at what they do, the craft can always be perfected, ALWAYS. But what is important about that, is they understood it was a craft, it wasn’t like one day they got fired from ASDA, were broke, and thought ‘fuck this I’m going to be a rapper, I can speak, I can rhyme, I like Drake, that’s it, I’m a rapper! *updates Twitter bio*’
It’s tragic but partially true, they’ve turned to being a rapper because nothing else is working out, they don’t want a 9-5 or to pursue education, they want girls, they want to be able to tell people they are a rapper in a really cool laid back tone. They are, dickheads. Ask some 18 year old who’s recently decided to be a rapper who his biggest influences are and aspirations and he’ll reel off Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Drake. Ask him to think a bit further back, understanding the history, he MIGHT say Jay-Z, Em, Nas, any further back? And he’ll probably give you a blank look. Ask him about metaphors, similes, even about flow, and you’ll probably have him teary eyed and looking confused, ask him who Big Daddy Kane is and he’ll probably spontaneously combust.
It doesn’t matter where you’re from, but if you want to be successful in hip hop as a career, you GOT to know about fucking hip hop. You got to live it, you got to feel it, and breathe it. You can’t just say ‘YOLO’ and hope for the best, that doesn’t make you knowledgeable, that makes you a bellend. Go on Youtube and watch interviews and things with successful rappers, and they all quote their influence and old song lyrics and all sorts. It’s a fucking culture to them, to you it’s an easy way of avoiding doing a normal job. It really annoys me. As much as Example has gone down in my estimations these last few years releasing the same monotonous dance/electronic hip hop fusion (it just sounds like one endless song) he knows his history, listening to De La Soul, Mos Def, Talib etc etc, and when he feels like it, he can actually rap (go and listen to his older stuff), he’s not where he is by accident.
What you have to also understand is some people have the talent and some don’t. It’s like X Factor, not everyone has the ability to sing, and the same goes to rap, sorry but it’s just not for everyone. Some guys don’t get how to setup a punchline, some simply cannot flow on a beat properly, some haven’t even heard about multi syllabic rhyming. My advice? If after reading this, and it actually kind of describes you, firstly sorry, secondly man up, thirdly study study study. If you’re still at the same level as before, give up. For the love of god, give up. It's not going to work for everyone, the key is understanding this and accepting it. Support your family, your children, yourself by getting a proper job. There's no shame in it, in fact I'd have insanely more respect for someone who worked for years maybe not achieving what he'd hoped, but at least he put food on his families table, than some wannabe rapper who didn't make it but never knew when to give up.
Some artists IN MY OPINION have given a lot to hip hop over the years, and had/have ability, and understood what they were part of, some have strength in other areas than others, some have punchlines for days (Jadakiss may get criticized but he knows how to setup a punch, Fab has delivered consistently for a decade, Lloyd Banks oooold stuff was insane(and a bit cheesy)), some, oh fuck it, just check the list, also if you’ve heard of less than half of the below, be disappointed in yourself.
Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Masta Ace, KRS One, Rakim, DMX, Nas, Jay-Z, Eminem, AZ, Styles P, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Notorious BIG, Royce Da 5’9, Joe Budden, Ras Kass, Black Thought, De La Soul, Wu Tang, Big Pun, Big L, Cam’ron, Kendrick Lamar, Yelawolf, Big K.R.I.T, Scarface, Ludacris, Chino XL
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