I’m taking all you St. Louis people back with this song. I was in high school when this song came out, probably 6-8 years ago. 105.7 The Point used to play this song all the time. It’s by a St. Louis band named Matt’s Dad’s Basement and is about seeing Tupac at McDonalds. It is a hilarious song. I don’t know whatever happened to this band, but their album Two Think Minimum is a pretty decent album. (The rest of the album is alternative. This was the only acoustic track on the album).
I just finished reading Michael Eric Dyson’s Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop. It is a brilliant, insightful discussion on hip hop and its history, it’s problems, and how it relates to society as a whole. Anyone who is interested in what hip hop really is about and where it’s going needs to read this. My particular favorite parts of this book are the discussion of the older generation’s hatred of hip hop (just as the previous generation’s parents hated Soul, Funk, Rock, etc), and why that has hurt hip hop and caused (or at least reinforced) some of the problems found in the hip hop culture today (materialism, misogyny, violence). If hip hop was embraced by the past generation when hip hop was at it’s best, in terms of social and political statements, then it could have, in my opinion, a very different culture today. If they fostered and nurtured the creativity instead of blasting it, then maybe the hip hop youth wouldn’t have rebelled, or at least not as much. Of course, the shunning of the new by the old isn’t the only cause of the current state of hip hop, many factors are to blame, such as Reagan era economic policies, the introduction of crack into the urban centers of America (which was ignored if not helped by the CIA), and the prejudiced justice system, among other things.
In the last chapter, before the Outro written by Nas, Dyson talks about Nas’ symbolism in releasing a hip hop record that states hip hop is dead. This wasn’t to be taken literal, it was commentary on how clever rhetoric was “replaced by the mindless redundancy of themes we’re all too familiar with: women, weed, wine, cars, and jewelry. The thug persona has replaced skillful exploration of thug’s predicament: hustling in a culture where crime is the only option of the economic vulnerable.” The movement started by Nas is a response to this mass-marketed culture. So is hip hop dead? By saying so Nas proved the exact opposite (which was no doubt intentional). He brought it to the forefront of musical discussion. It made people think about what was actually being put out by record companies. Conscious rappers like Common, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, and others are heard more. People started blasting Nas for saying it was dead. Others agreed. His mission was (at least) partially successful. People were talking. Of course the consumer is the real judge. The hip hop culture will always be there. The question is, what image will be shown to the masses. On September 11th people have a choice of which hip hop they want, an album by 50 Cent or and album by Kanye. Do you want the thug persona, or someone that explores broader social issues (such as blood diamonds in Kanye’s song Diamonds from Sierra Leone) and that skillful exploration of the predicament?
50 Cent believes his new album will outsell Kanye West’s upcoming disc, and he’s betting his solo career on it. Both 50 Cent and West have albums due out Sept. 11. 50 Cent, who has sold better than West, has been riled by forecasts that sales of West’s “Graduation” could rival those for his “Curtis” CD.
“Let’s raise the stakes,” the 31-year-old rapper told hip-hop Web site SOHH.com in an interview posted Friday. “If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I’ll no longer write music. I’ll write music and work with my other artists, but I won’t put out any more solo albums.”
Ok, let’s be honest. Neither one are great rappers. They both have mediocre “flows.” Kanye West is still the better artist. It’s one thing to have a terrible flow and that’s all you do, but Kanye at least brings something else to the table. Actually, two things. He brings better lyrics (do we care who 50 has beef with this week or how many times he got shot anymore?) and better production. Yes, 50 is backed by Dre beats, but Kanye makes his own. 50 is all hype with no skill, plain and simple. So, I hope Kanye outsells him on September 11th. I’ll even buy a copy of his album just to do my part in trying to shut down what’s bad in rap music, and that’s 50 (and Game, and G Unit, and Young Jeezy, any rapper with Young or Lil in his name, well, pretty much all of urban radio… Let the underground shine!)
Substantial, the QN5 rapper from Maryland, released his first single from his QN5 debut Sacrifice a few weeks ago. The song is one of those classic summer songs that gets you going as soon as you hear it. If you don’t know much about Substantial, check out his MySpace. Instead of posting the song for the song of the week this week, I’m going to post his video. It’s a great song and video by a very talented rapper. Keep on the lookout for this guy. He’s even garnering some attention from The Source.
Common has been a constant force in conscious hip hop music for many years. He’s dropped classic albums for a decade now. Whether it’s his early work as Common Sense, his experimental work such as Electric Circus, his mainstream crossover with Like Water for Chocolate, he’s been able to bring conscious hip hop to the masses with great success. His last few offerings have seen him teamed up with the amazing producing skills, and fellow Chicago native, Kanye West. There is nothing like hearing Common over a Kanye beat, they fit together so well. Common’s new album, Finding Forever released yesterday and it is definitely worth checking out. Buy it, request his first single, “The People,” and let radio, television, and record companies know that there is a market for real hip hop and not everyone wants to hear crap like 50 Cent, The Game, and Young Jeezy.
[audio:http://pieceofshep.com/audio/03-The_People.mp3]