christian-onwuka-posts-blog

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Kanye & Jay-Z’s personal struggles have officially affected their business relationship; Kanye accused TIDAL of a breach of contract, and asked for an immediate termination of contract. Although TIDAL has begun to compete with Apple Music on the idea of streaming music, this can be a huge game-changer if Kanye decides to invest in his own streaming service, given the talent he has signed under his management.

G.O.O.D. Music currently has talents such as Big Sean, Pusha T, Teyana Taylor, Tyga & Mr. West himself. If he was to take all that talent, that firepower out from under TIDAL & established his own streaming service, he would be able to attract other artists over due to his own clout in the music industry, both as a rapper and a producer. I find it interesting how market forces and market trends can allow for artists to utilize other products to establish their empire. Jay-Z successfully did this, when he created TIDAL; due to the increasing animosity between the two, I see this as a power move for Kanye. I believe this is an aggressive chess move, and a warning to Jay-Z for him to take Kanye more seriously as a mogul. A man with his own brand, who is no longer looking to share the spotlight, or even hide behind Hov. Mr. West has graduated into a new league, and is putting all other moguls on notice, especially his former best friend.

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Gangster. Thug. Pimp. Businessman. Mogul. Icon. Shawn Carter has reinvented himself time after time, and has done so with class and elegance. However, we only see the exterior suave that Jay-Z has handled; in his recent concert, we were given an insider as to the inner demons that he struggles with on an everyday basis. 

In his recent concert, Jay-Z gave a montage of footage, including a picture of himself, followed by the eyes catching fire which spread to the entire picture. There was also a video of Blue Ivy playing, with the video showing Blue floating in the air, to illustrate an absent parent. We must talk about the impact that these lifestyles have on stars, and the exhaust it can take on their personal life. “A man who can’t take care of his family can’t be rich”; a parable that Jay-Z stated in his latest album, a phrase that served as a window into the life of handling rumors, juggling emotions, as well as understanding as a public figure you have an image to uphold and a job to do. 

I chose this because, biased-filled, I respect Jay-Z; I think he’s the second best NY rapper (maybe third, behind Nas & Rakim). I looked at Jay-Z as impenetrable; nobody could touch Hov. This was his human moment; he let the public into what it was like to be a man who goes through problems and issues, as well as internalizing how to handle situations properly.

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Nicki Minaj revolutionized the market for female rappers. Starting off as the first lady of Young Money Inc., to becoming arguably the most influential female rapper in history. Her cunning wordplay allows her to compete with both male and female counterparts, and her commercial success has been unparalleled amongst female rappers, with the closest being the pinnacle of Lil Kim’s career and popularity. 

Her transition from rapper to mogul has been amazing and revolutionary in her field. Being a rapper, Hollywood already has an implicit bias on whether you can compete as a serious entertainment icon; to add on being a female rapper, a negative stereotype is associated with such. Ranging from her experience as a consistent judge on American Idol, to supporting roles in blaxploitation movies such as Barbershop: The Next Cut, Minaj has positioned herself to break the barrier and help establish a female presence in Hip Hop. This is important to me, coming from a single mother, women empowerment was preached in my household; Minaj is the female Jay Z, able to adapt to the times and change their image for marketability reasons, which is something anybody of any gender can respect.

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Tupac is Hip Hop’s Jesus.

Tupac was able to come from a situation that wasn’t created for him to succeed, and saw the importance of caring for others. Although he wasn’t perfect, and Jesus was, he wasn’t the most selfless person, and Jesus was, and he wasn’t divine, as Jesus was, he was immaculate and he was heaven-sent, as he not only revived and saved the West Coast from becoming irrelevant, he was Hip Hop’s savior. As the article pointed out, the influence that Tupac had on both the West and East Coast should always be applauded, but his versatility is something that is consistently overlooked, but should be emphasized and appreciated.

Tupac’s versatility allowed for artists to step outside of their comfort box, while also challenging them to make sure their lyrics were of the same quality yet hard-hitting wittiness as Tupac. His growing as a background member of the Digital Underground humbled him to understand that when he got his chance, to take advantage of it. He was the face of West Coast Gangsta rap, merging with Snoop to speak on “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.” He let you know that California was the place to be, from San Diego to Sacramento and all in between in “California Love.” However, because of Afeni Shakur, because of Jada Pinkett, because of the women who shaped his life, he is emotionally in tune with himself, and understanding the importance of addressing all issues. In his ballad to Afeni Shakur in “Dear Mama”, he expressed the importance of black mothers, and used his as a prime example. This gained a women following, because he left Tupac at the door, and was his mother’s son in a song. In “Keep Ya Head Up”, he checked brothers all across America to represent and respect all our Black queens, and told us to understand the level of reverence we should have, since “we all came from a woman.”

Tupac is a savior to Hip Hop, because he laid the example for all rappers to be yourself, and that you can have more than one side to your own self.

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Although this is not exactly related to a topic in class, it’s hard to not speak on this. The courage that it took Eminem to criticize 45, his policy, his internal decisions, as well as condemning those who thought that he would have been the best choice to be president. As the article spoke on, what makes this situation so unique is the position it places the fans of Eminem, seeing as there were “more than a few” that actually voted for 45.

What made this freestyle were three different factors; first, the appreciation and respect that Eminem gave to former President Barack Obama. He vocalized, proclaiming that we as a nation “better give Obama props” for the class that he had for the office that he represented with class and dignity. Secondly, he made it clear that he does not agree with the fact that 45 has conditioned this country to go back to a racist & aggressive time in our history. In addition to this, Eminem alluded to some of the concrete examples like attacking NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem, instead of addressing the many tragedies that were happening at that time in Houston, Florida & Puerto Rico.

The last factor is the fact that Eminem is white. When black artists speak on the fact that 45 is divisive and only has a negative impact on our country’s development, white people can twist that and say that it’s a color bias toward positioning on 45. However, the only white man who raps & nobody can argue the talent, or legendary status he has, used his white privilege to speak on black issues. This shows the humanity Eminem has; he recognizes that 45 is not good for this country, as well as his presidency is uncomfortable for many of the people around him. THIS is “What Makes Eminem’s Anti-45 Rap Different”; he wasn’t asking for blacks to reconsider, he wasn’t even condemning white people. He said “If you are for 45, f**k you.” The simplicity of this statement, accompanied by his concrete, real, supported examples makes this freestyle so great.

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“It was all a dream”... that’s what every Hip Hop Head was hoping on March 9, 1997 as it was announced that Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., had been shot and killed. His smooth approach to his flow, his cunning lyrics left his as a legendary martyr in the Hip Hop community. I say martyr because he died working for the religion of Hip Hop; he died in the name of Hip Hop. However, the Hip Hop community wouldn’t accept his death, and his afterlife work associated allows his legacy to continue on.

The Hip Hop community almost refuses to believe that artists pass away. Conspiracy theorists have speculated that Tupac is having a margarita on a beach in Cuba since I was born, that Biggie made the margarita, and that Jam Master Jay is on his way right now, with Aaliyah in the passenger seat. We refuse to believe that our heros are actually dead and gone, by continuing to recreate their greatness. For example, in the idea of Biggie, two of his more popular albums are coincidently called “Life After Death” & “Born Again.” His feature on the popular song “Mo Money Mo Problems” has been played at every B.I.G. tribute, as well as regarded as one of the most legendary lyrics in Hip Hop history. Diddy, Faith Evans & 112 made a great collaboration song in memory of Biggie in “I’ll Be Missing You”.  Afterlife isn’t accepted in the Hip Hop community, because of the outlets that many people have to continue to let the artists live on past their human life. Although their physical being is gone, their spirit can live on forever through what gained them their following: the music.

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For Calvin Broadus, popularly known as Snoop Dogg, or in his name change Snoop Lion, an appreciation for the natural world has been evident throughout his career. Snoop has always ventured into different fields and demographics, trying to establish his own definition of the surrounding world, and all of its intricacies. 

On a religious note, Snoop has expressed interest in a multitude of religions. Growing up in a traditional Black Christian household, it was announced that in 2009 Snoop identified as a member of the Nation of Islam. After 3-4 years of commitment, Snoop announced that he was “born again” and converted to the religion of Rastafarianism. The article interestingly pointed out how Rastafarianism can be viewed a sect group under the Christianity umbrella, with the savior being in the form of Haile Selassie in comparison to Jesus, as well as a heavy emphasis on the completion of humanity and nature. Snoop’s research into the religion itself, not staying on the surface, but understanding the essence, as well as the teaching of Haile Selassie and seeing the correlation of teachings from Rastafarianism to other religions he was already intrigued/informed on, shows the true appreciation he has to convert. 

It is also important to notice how rappers have not only been sending their appreciation toward the Christian representation of God. Many rappers identify as Five-Percenters, and some of their lyrics reflect those. Snoop’s conversion was followed by a reggae-based album, a genre of music that is popularly linked with the religion of Rastafarianism. This shows the true influence that religion can have over the kind of art artists put out.

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This article focused on how mainstream and underground rap has started to have a grey area surrounding the distinction. We have recently seen a trend of “Soundcloud” rappers receive mainstream popularity, which has brought up the conversation of whether this is actually rap music, or can it be classified as hardcore. Various artists have catapulted into millennial’s ears, including big names such as Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Pump & XXXTentacion. However, the actual lyrics of their songs falls more under the genre of “hardcore” in comparison to “hip hop.” 

The “reckless energy” that this music’s atmosphere is being described as, the common themes of drug abuse, domestic abuse, the disrespect of mankind, as well as tangling death and suicidal thoughts, is what has looked down upon in the Hip Hop community. The criticisms from rap legends ranging from Chuck D to Snoop Dogg to KRS-One have two different levels; the first level of this criticism is the representation of what hip-hop music is today. With these violent, sadistic rappers being the a part of the current representation of Hip Hop, it upsets many of the pilgrims and legends who set a standard for the quality of music being released. The second level, is that there is an apparent switch in characteristics for what is considered “mainstream” and “underground”; as heard from Parker Edison, as well as read by in articles, underground rappers commonly speak on the issues that affect their surrounding community, while mainstream rappers commonly perpetuate what their record company desires. We’re starting to see a shift, with artists like Kendrick, J. Cole & Wale speaking on black issues and bringing them to the forefront, while the aforementioned artists in the first paragraph are saying what they desire, gaining a cult following, and individually reaping the benefits.

#soundcloud

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Rakim detailed his belief on the true difference between what an Emcee & a Rapper is. His belief as to what the distinction is fall in line with the fluid conversation we had in class regarding market forces, as well as the difference in the mindsets. Rakim’s voicing of how emcee’s lyrics and wordplay are much more “witty”, while artists who are considered rappers in modern times can be classified better as “party rappers.” In this, Rakim is referring to lyrics that have little to no substance, and you can tell by his facial expression his true disgust with “party rappers”, and he personally identifies as an emcee.

This 1-minute interview is a window into what many old school emcee hold their opinions toward new age rappers. With the shift of the time, as hip-hop became more accepted by mainstream communities (i.e. the White community), market forces looked to shift the content of the lyrics. With groups like N.W.A. & Wu-Tang using their songs as testimonies to what living in the inner city of major towns, it is almost taboo that now the accepted hip-hop music in the eyes of the white male-dominated media circuits mainly contain lyrics that objectify women, push the dominated stereotypes of being drug dealers and gang bangers, or flaunt a lavish lifestyle that are filled with women, jewelry and excessive unnecessary spending. That is not the essence on what Hip Hop was built on, which is what has led Rakim to continue to criticize the industry he worked so hard to build.

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At 7 years old, I hear Kanye scream “Jesus Walks.” His screaming of how Jesus walks with not only him, but also all young black children who relate to his struggle. This article’s breakdown of Kanye, Kendrick Lamar, and Chance the Rapper’s own religious revelations, concurrent with their public proclamation of how God has worked for them follows Durkheim’s idea of unification in religion. Durkheim defined religion as “A unified set of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things...which unite one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them.” The Church that Durkheim refers to is the Christian church, and West, Lamar & Chance all speak on the same Christian God that Durkheim refers to.

The diversification between the experiences of the three artists makes the connection between Hip Hop & Religion even more unique. Looking at Kanye West, who reached his pinnacle of happiness then dealt with the tragedy of losing a mother, his lyrics reflected God’s handling of his current situation. Kendrick Lamar started from an underground hip hop point, and praises God for bringing him to a mainstream level, while remaining HUMBLE to continue to release music that is true to his being. Lastly, Chance the Rapper reached some moderate mainstream popularity, reached a personal low with drug abuse, and was able to bounce back through his own testimonial belief on God bringing him through his personal vices. This “religious revival” is the culmination of artists recognizing their spiritual side can coincide with their profession, and they can use their platform to continue to praise God.