In Talib Kweli and HI-Tek's new video for their song "More or Less," Kweli spits a line very tangential to the remainder of his song. Now don't get me wrong I think the song is dope and has a real social conscious about it, but since this "Hip-Hop is Dead" buzz word is jumping out of everybodys lips these days, I'd better touch on this before the moment passes.
In the middle of his first verse Kweli spits the line,
". . . more originality, less bitting off Pac and Big . . ," which got me to thinking.
How many new rappers can you think of who either
1) shout out Mr. Wallace or Mr. Shakur,
2) say they are best next thing since them, or
3) bit one of their beats for their own song.
Granted, after the tragic passing of these 2 rappers back in '96 & '97, the hip-hop community had a kind of a collective, "what the f' do we do now??" Most of you I'm sure are up on your Hip-Hop knowledge so I won't waste your time with the impact and implications of their deaths, but it still remains,
when will we let that part of Hip-Hop die?
Many people say hip-hop is in a rut, it's dead, in hibernation, malnourished, homesick, whatever. Pick you're metaphor. (I like underfed personally)
But I think the problem is that back in the '90s, every new M.C. was trying to find their own niche in the game, not just trying to be a carbon copy of Sugar Hill Gang, Rakim, EPMD, or any other successful artist from the '80's before them. Hip-Hop was looking forward, towards the future. But ever since Pac, and B.I.G. passed a large part of the hip-hop community is still staring in their graves with their black suits on at the funeral. Looking back at the past for how to be Hot today.
Maybe the only way we can revive hip-hop, is by accepting that part of our past is dead, moving on, and accepting it can never be brought back no matter how much it is missed
by truly saying rest in peace.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
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3 comments:
welcome peter.
I wouldn't necessarily say that hip-hop has always been about looking towards the future. In fact, I think that hip-hop culture relies heavily on a nostalgic preservation of the past.
Remember that hip-hop evolved out of spinning funk/break records at parties... which means that this "new" art form derives directly from using preexisting music -- thus the term "old school" comes up so much in hip-hop. Sampling music is a direct homage to older music, and I don't see that as "copying" any more than Jay-Z reusing a Biggie lyric. We see phrases like "back to basics" or "keeping it real" coming out of hip-hop as early as the mid-90s, so in my opinion a crucial part of hip-hop has always been nodding to those who came before you, preserving that which defines the genre. It makes you sound like you know whats up - it makes you more legit, gives you street cred, etc as an artist - rather than cheapens you and makes you look like a poser. Of course you still "gotta have style, and learn to be original" like KRS said, but you aren't respected in this game if you don't respect your predecessors.
Hope that made sense... I came down with something today and my head's not quite right.
that shit ash said was...
2 say..
singularly...
awesome...
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