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It’s not about the underground vs. mainstream this time.
It’s not the intellectual
hip-hop purists vs. the living embodiments of Thugnificent
this time.
It’s Wayne vs. Jay Z,
Nikki Minaj vs. Lil Kim and Drake vs. Ludacris/Common and
etc.
Unnecessary pettiness and
over-sensitivity plays a role here, but this isn’t your
typical ploy to boost q ratings and sales.
Since so many legends and
veterans of the 90s have NOT fallen off yet, the game is
crowded if you think about it. And what is at stake boils
down to more than just a percentage of the fans, because
most of these artists have loyal fans who can’t be swayed
and that is how they’ve lasted so long.
This is about principle.
This, for once…is becoming a legitimate feud over ideology.
Paying respect where it’s
due, historical accuracy and the right to regulate the
genre.
It’s damn near better than
the political debates.
Here’s a break down of
each side.
In one corner of the ring
you have truly legendary artists who are STILL relevant even
though their careers took off prior to the year 2000.
They have done the
impossible by being “this hot for this long”.
For what they’ve
accomplished, they could get lifelong props for their status
alone.
But these aren’t old
has-beens, these are people still currently dominant in many
ways.
These are their major
points to beef about:
-
In the same way they gave respect to those who preceded
them, they feel they deserve honor and acknowledgment
from the newer class of rap artists.
-
The newer class of artists are fronting like they are
the ones who originated certain styles and trends in the
art form and the veterans are trying to set the record
straight.
-
For years, these artists have served as vanguards. Not
just rapping in the industry but regulating and steering
it. If they don’t like the direction it’s headed in,
since they’ve got the longevity and success to back them
up they feel entitled to keep the genre from imploding.
In the other corner of the
ring you have talented artists who are currently dominating
the game in careers that are barely four or five years old
(except for Lil Wayne).
They have done the
impossible by rising to power in a depleted industry where
sales will never be what they used to be.
For what they’ve
accomplished, they’ve earned the right to be judged on their
success and little else. But these aren’t just flash in the
pan neophytes, if things keep going the way they seem these
current stars may one day achieve just as much as their
older rap star siblings.
These are their major
points to beef about:
-
Money equals respect. If you aren’t giving them a check,
they don’t owe you any out the way gesture to show their
respect. If they are succeeding and getting paid, they
don’t owe anyone anything.
-
They’re not feeling being reprimanded by the veterans in
the game, no matter if they are still hot or not. They
want freedom to do things their way.
EVERYBODY HATES DRAKE,
STILL…
If you search the Internet
you will find a million stories on who started it, but this
latest Anti-Aubrey tirade by Common leaves a bad taste in my
mouth.
Not because Common is too
conscious to engage in a good ol rap war (let's not forget,
he’s the only rapper to ever match wits and win against Ice
Cube).
But because attacking
Drake is cliché these days.
If you hate on Drizzy
because he’s the bandwagon right now, it doesn’t help your
cause to hop on the “everyone against Drake” bandwagon
either.
Common’s song “Sweet”
takes aim at Drake and others that the Chi Town veteran
feels are watering down his beloved genre. As I pointed out
earlier, that is part of the entitlement that comes with
lasting 15+ years in the game. The same way if you’ve lived
in a good neighborhood for years and you own your home there
you feel the right to personally object when someone new
moves in whose carelessness threatens to send property
values downwards.
It’s understandable, in
theory.
But picking on Drake isn’t
making the bullies look tougher, it’s making them look
desperate.
Now LUDA, he needed to
give Drake that history lesson.
That was a well-deserved
ass kicking… which is why Drake nor Big Sean never replied.
Still, if airing out Drake
is the most popular way to prove your rap manhood these days
then none of these dudes should get any stripes whatsoever.
If I’m a football player
who thinks only real men play football, what do I gain from
beating up a drama geek or math nerd? Nothing. It actually
diminishes toughness.
I’m not coming to Drake’s
defense as much as I am trying to put rap toughness in its
proper light. Is Drizzy ill on the mic? Yes, quite. Has he
changed the game? Yes, totally.
He has the numbers,
wealth, endorsements and actual skill level.
If he wants to talk about
or make songs for girls, let him.
His recent tough talk
isn’t helping much.
But some of this Drake
Hate is about Drake, and some of it is about something more.
Are they veterans really
hating on the young boy’s success?
Are they jealous?
Or are they just trying to
school him?
WHAT’S AGE GOT TO DO WITH
IT?
When Lil Kim had that
scene in the “Get Money” video with Salt N Pepa in the
beauty salon,
it was obvious she was
paying homage. She or someone in her camp understood how
vital it was to assure her dominance at the top of the
female rap game by showing respect to the ladies who
occupied that perch just a few short years earlier.
The same way Jay Z always
mentioned Big Daddy Kane in his rhymes.
The same way Nas dedicated
a song to Rakim.
The same way Puffy went on
record saying he could never have toured internationally had
M.C. Hammer not knocked those doors down first.
For these icons and
heavyweights, they never had beef with those who ushered
them in because they took the steps to acknowledge them as
the torches were being passed.
In an ego-driven
enterprise, that takes great humility to do.
But maybe that’s exactly
why so many of the 90s vets have lasted so long.
Someone in the
entertainment business I’m connected to just told me L.L.
Cool J. has a label now and he’s more frequently seen on TV
than heard on the radio.
These aren’t washed up old
people.
These are the real job
creators in rap.
It’s not like when all
those 80s rappers got old and were struggling and their
rhymes sounded dated. That hasn’t been the case with a large
number of acts who got hot from ’92 to 2000.
They are still here and in
many ways still killing the game.
I mean… Lil Kim’s “Black
Friday (Nikki Minaj Dis)” was a murk session.
None of these currently
beefing artists, old or new, have came harder than THAT!
In terms of plaques,
accolades, trends and global impact (yes, global)… it would
take
Nikki Minaj at least five
years to catch up to Lil Kim.
This is the reason why Jay
Z says that if anyone with less than 10 years in the game
tries to battle him, he’s not even responding. It’s not even
on his level.
However, in maybe two more
years… Lil Wayne will be able to say he’s been killing the
game for an entire decade.
And Nikki Minaj is
international thanks to her pop sound, so it just might be
possible she could one day catch or maybe eclipse Lil Kim.
Generation X is everyone
currently ages 36 to 49/50 (Lil Kim, Common, Jay Z, etc.)
Generation Y is everyone
currently ages 22 to 34/35 (Drake, Wayne, Nikki, etc.)
So it’s not like old
fogies trying to make the kids respect their elders.
It’s more like older
sibling/ younger sibling rivalry.
Two sides divided by
different ideology and honor systems.
One that demands a certain
level of respect and reverence, and another that isn’t going
out of their way to get anyone’s respect because they are
too busy getting a check.
The truly remarkable thing
is that there seems to be room for everyone.
Artist who have been
giving us great music for over a decade, and the artists who
were raised on that music and now want to run the game
themselves.
See you all next week,
Peace.
Email
ugemusic@gmail.com
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