Comments on: Only Twelve Trying to Tell Me That He Like My Style

By: 信次

信次 — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:58:00 +0000

By: heightsy

heightsy — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 23:48:00 +0000

If hip-hop were more like punk-rock we’d have movements with every ‘conscious’ motherfucker putting together their own little collectives and perhaps for a glimmer of a time, like in the early 90s with the explosion of Nirvana (which while inevitably captured by the mainstream) actually shed some light on groups in it for the art and not the paper. People often, and artists are no different in their pursuit of dropping the bar when reaching the ‘ideal’ begins to be too high to reach. Who cares about virtues like lyricism or even lyricisms like right and wrong when everything becomes ‘hustling’, a clever way to disguise relativism. ‘i’m gettin’ my shine on regardless’. Regardless of any notion of duty to the community, duty to how that community may be perceived on its own merits or those of the outside world.
Returning to the Nirvana example, while major labels did co-opt it for its ‘sound’ and now rock radio lingers in dreck like My Chemical Romance, etc. The indie scene is alive and well. Pockets of indie scenes exist nationwide–to such an extent that it’s really now more of an entire ‘indie’ culture. The inherent ‘hipster’ drawbacks obviously exist. In my experience, I mean just look at myspace, every second motherfucker on earth puts out a rap album with some doggerel photoshopped cover art. What we don’t have are US. We aren’t forming our own groups. We’d rather piss and moan about the minstrel show from our intellectual ivory towers when history has shown that there are viable alternatives. We don’t make our alternative venues, we don’t love the art enough to commit ourselves to it. We just complain. I know I keep taking cues from punk to indie rock but people were in love with the music enough to found an SST or a K records and lord knows know how many labels there are that put out vital records outside of the mainstream. Secretly Canadian, Touch and Go, Beggars Banquet, 4AD, Merge, the list goes on. We had Rawkus in the late 90s. You can say Def Jux. You can say Stones Throw. Two of those owned and run by white men, and I guess that invites its own debate that I would never start here. What I’m saying, in the most agonizing way is that the blame is on us. Don’t blame the record companies. They sell absolute shit. That’s what they do. That didn’t stop an alternative music culture (and i’m not talking about alternative music in the Clear Channel Communications sense either) from thriving from the Seventies all the way to today. When Rick Srpingfield and Don Johnson were ruining radio in the Eighties there was still plenty of good music going around. With the access to information working the way it is now, and which is inherently responsible for the ‘i hate hipsters’ nonsense going about now–the idea is that it’s easier to disseminate ‘good shit’. Part of things being accepted as ‘good shit’ means getting the movement moving. If we all cared as much as we cry that we do we would be putting our own groups together (didn’t Robert Pollard and Guided By Voices get together when they were in their late 20′s or early 30′s), hell, the median age for a member of TV on the Radio is over 30 (and if they can be sold critically, hell everyone can. They look dirty. Yeah, I said it.). I’m being polemical here, but if hip-hop dies and stays a slave to the fucking new Fat Joe and Weezy video (throwing money around women and cars off of a forklift for God’s sake) then it’s our fault. Kanye isn’t going to save hip-hop as some sort of middle class enlightened savior as some tout him (though, I admit probably not here.

‘It degrades hip-hop as a musical artform if we allow the actions of few to represent many’

It isn’t a few representing the many. It is the many representing the many.

I fear that this post may come off nonsense, but I really am hurt as anyone else over things like this. I’m in Chi-town, theheightstx@gmail.com if anyone thinks any of what I argue is relevant, perhaps we can dialogue about a course of action.

By: t-grass

t-grass — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:24:00 +0000

Your projection of issues of hip-hop onto future generations–especially your own children–is an interesting take on the issue. It’s a whole new view of censorship, for it takes on an emotional aspect in relationship to one’s own kin. This is an insightful, sensitive post, and the lessons you muse on can be applied to almost any aspect of our society. Your use of hip-hop as a means of representing societal change and trends never ceases to impress me, and you present your opinions with a well thought-out affection for even those aspects of our world which are easy to write off as unimportant.

By: ScottyB

ScottyB — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:11:00 +0000

As usual, some very good points to be made. I run into the same problem with the sportbike crowd. As a responsible, courteous rider, who believes in the true skill and honor of the sport, I am constantly bombarded with the public’s disapproval – because they are fixated on the jackass who blows by their family on the interstate at 150 mph. And like your closing point, I don’t blame them for having a negative view of ALL of us since they don’t really have a choice. We just do what we can, talk to the people who will listen, and try to change one mind at a time.

Great site, and this is coming from someone who feels much like that lady in the story about most hiphop. Palms Out shows the other side, and highlights some truly amazing music. I’m a convert.

By: Grantlove

Grantlove — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:57:00 +0000

I was a teeneger who witnessed first hand the birth of Hip Hop. I looked at that baby and knew he would be something special. I was a proud parent who lovingly watched his child grow up right before my eyes. I was there when all he talked about was partying. Hanging out in the parks and rec centers all over the Boogie Down Bronx. I was there when he started to gain a conscience and wanted to teach others what he had learned. I was there when the commercialization started to get into his head and he became bigger than anyone had imagined. I was there when he went through his daisy age, and when he carried a backpack everywhere he went. I was there when he dabbled in the 5 percent nation, trying to acquire knowledge of self. I was there when Hollywood came knocking on my door, trying to capitalize on his growing world appeal. Suddenly things started to change. His behaviour became that of a menace, all he talked about was guns, and drugs. All he did for a few years was smoke that chronic, and talk about girls, calling them Ho’s & Bitches. I had to sit him down and tell him that’s not how he was raised. He was raised to respect the culture from whence he came. One day he told me, ” I’m just keeping it real!” I said yeah! Real dumb. What happened to the artform? What happened to just having fun? He tells me, “it’s a new day & age, I’m just talking about what’s going on.” I say so did Marvin Gaye, but you never heard him call a woman a bitch. Deaf ears heard none of what I’ve said. “I’m making millions now, you really think I’m going to change now?” I hung my head low, realizing that his innocence was lost. He walks out rapping, “I wanna Fuck you, you already know I wanna fuck you…….” He’s no longer a child of mine.

Peace & Blessings
Grantlove