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Another Thought
Process Edition:
The Powers that Be?
Written by: John Howard
Rapindustry.com
Disclaimer: This article is strictly
based on my opinion. I realize that this may not be the feelings of you, the
reader. You are entitled to your opinion on this subject matter.
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The
Powers that Be?
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After
copping the Roots last album, Rising Down, and realizing how great of an album
it is, how slept on the group is by the masses, and I feel very agitated.
After deep thought, I’ve come to ask myself the question: Who are the
“powers that be” that recognize what’s “hot” and
what’s not? This is a question I ask, because it’s often interesting
to wonder, who decides that a paticular should be on a magazine, rap radio
station, or TV show every other hour of the day all day everyday? Of course,
you have to give credit to the marketing of these rappers’ managers,
labels, promoters, etc. However, who are really the gatekeepers of hip-hop
that allow rappers like Soulja Boy and Lil Boosie to slip through while brillant
(but underrated) artists like Pharaoh Monch and the Roots are continually
slept on?
I’m sure many people have spoke on this topic before, but I’m just
trying to offer my own insight and my two cents. I’m not here to criticize
any artists, or say one music is greater then the other, because each is entitled
to their own opinion. Unfortunately , its ironic that many hip-hop listeners
complain about how redundant the music has become, and the lack of diversity,
while the same type of music (and artists) are being force-fed to us constantly.
Actually, it’s interesting to observe just how impressionable some people
can be, when it comes to hip-hop music. A magazine, a radio show, or a TV
show can tell you that an album is hot, or a rapper deserves to be in the
top ten rappers of all time, and many people will believe this just because
this media outlet told them. In other words, many people let the media to
tell them something is “hot” before they decide to judge it for
themselves. The statement that I am making is so true to the point that it
is actually very sad.
I am one to believe that good music is an acquired taste, and I myself listen
to a wide range of hip-hop artists from Young Buck to Ras Kass to Jadakiss
to Black Thought. However, in my opinion, a writer in a magazine giving an
album a particular rating should not be the governing body to tell you if
you should invest in an artist or not. I don’t blame the magazines or
journalists themselves; I blame the fans that don’t allow themselves
to form their own opinion. Hip hop fans are supposed to be the most open minded,
independent, creative thinkers around, but oftentimes too many of us are followers
like sheep in a flock.
Honestly, I can’t help but cringe whenever I see a network air a show
like “The top 20 rappers of all-time”. I don’t have a problem
with the shows per se, but the problem is when people actually feel that a
particular rapper is number five or number one, etc. because a network told
them so rather then forming their own opinion.
So who exactly governs what is tight or who is hot right now? Is it MTV and
BET? Is it the magazines? The clubs? The streets? Many times the media wants
to claim that the consensus on “hot music” comes from the streets,
but somehow I can’t say that I honestly believe it. So many complain
about the redundancy and staleness in the music, that it is hard for me to
believe that it is “the streets” that request for a song to be played
on the radio 55 times a day and a particular artist to be placed on the cover
of a magazine every three months. A lot of the music and artists that we see
are so force fed to us that the first few times you hear/see them you can’t
stand them, but then it reaches to the point where you can tolerate them and
before you know it, you find yourself humming their hook.
Another interesting question to ask is, “How influential are critics?
“ I ask this because a classic album like Illmatic is praised, deified,
and honored by many hip-hop artists and fans alike, however its sound scan
sales are slim compared to other albums of lesser merit. Therefore, an interesting
question to ask is, “If Illmatic debuted today, how successful would
it be? Or even in the case of Jay-Z, how can a widely lauded, influential
album such as Reasonable Doubt, sell less copies then Hard Knock Life? Undoubtedly,
hip hop was on a larger scale in 1998 then it was in ‘96, and the hit
singles on Hard Knock Life helped, but Jay’s first album is deemed a
classic by most. Curiously enough, Hard Knock Life was a bigger selling album
instead of Reasonable Doubt . it’s a crazy industry indeed.
This whole problem of the powers that be is enough to make one want to pull
their hair out and scream, but what can we really do about it? Many rappers,
critics, fans have openly confessed that they enjoyed hip-hop better in the
late ‘80s and ‘90s, when the music was more diverse, creative, and
less financially driven. Perhaps, it would help if the powers at be at the
networks would show a more diverse array of artists on their programs. The
magazines could help by featuring different artists also. I’m not saying
that all hip hop music has to be conceptual and conscious rap, because if
that was played 24/7 that would be boring too. Today more then ever we need
fresh faces and new music. However, hip-hop has such an advantage compared
to other genres of music because there are so many different flavors and styles
to appreciate. There is absolutely no reason why the music that is offered
to us can’t reflect the diversity of the art form and the listeners themselves.
Hip hop is made up of down south music, gangsta rap, conscious rap, East Coast,
etc. All have their share of stars, and there is definitely something for
almost everyone.
Maybe one day the “powers that be” will wake up and realize that
we are actually smarter and more open minded then they think we are and actually
give us real choices. Until then will we keep turning on the radio to hear
the same old song?
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