Death of a Notion
Published October 9, 2007
2 Comments (at bottom of article)
By Peter Casasa-Blouin
Recently I sat down with a couple of friends and asked them how they felt about hip hop and rap. I was curious to see if they differentiated the two and how, because I feel the two terms are socially ambiguous.
All three of us are passionate about music, especially hip-hop and rap.
Interestingly one of my friends said he liked hip-hop because it wasn’t “dumbed down,” citing certain artists, which then provoked the other to say he understood that to be what defined rap — thus the ambiguity. It is a question and dichotomy that keeps the two genres in-flux. Rap is able to justify itself artistically in relation to hip-hop while hip-hop gets its followers from opposition to the intrigue and output of rap. Although there is a relationship, don’t underestimate the differences between them.
Rap is inherently dumbed down, geared toward over-the-top production and quick lyrics to give you your music fix. I consider most “rap” ( Lil Weezy, Cam’ron, T.I., Mac Dre, and the like) musical crack, and it is easy to get absorbed by both the appeal of the culture and the sound. It is this very distraction that keeps people complacent with stupid lyrics like “A Ba-Ba” and “Party Like a Rock Star.”
In a very honest moment my friend said, “Hip-hop is music for black people,” explaining it as a critique of oppressive white culture and a form of solidarity within that relationship. He also criticized the ignorance in rap and admitted its guilty intruige. He asked me why I liked to listen to music that denounces and resents White America. And mentally I responded, “why do I like listening to music about seas of codeine and keeping that white girl Christina Aguilera?” Even though I know it is projecting a negative image, I do not believe any of it or connect to it –I just like jamming out.
Having discussed the subject for longer than I had expected and realizing its density, my friend remarked that the two kind of balance each other out — which I believe. If we didn’t have access to real, honest, sensitive music, the crack would consume our souls. Which is why I assert that hip-hop is not dead; we are dead. We have to give that type of music a little corner of our hearts and maybe the best new beat by DJ Khaled will feature Common some day. In the meantime, between your fix of radio beats and garbage about who knows what, take a step back and appreciate the value of messages within hip-hop. Despite, but not in spite of, my friend’s comment, I will continue to listen to Talib Kweli telling me the “White Man” is fucked up and be glad that someone is still observant.
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2 Responses to “Death of a Notion”
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just so you know hip hop is a genre of art, music and culture. the three aspects of hip hop are (traditionally) the MC (rapper), the DJ, and B-Boyz/girlz and graffiti writers (the last two go together). raps are lyrics ANY lyrics over a hip hop beat is called a rap. people such as jay-z, common, del the funkee homosapien, yes all of them, they are rappers. da franchise boys, dipset, they are rappers too. there is underground rap like little brother which often is mistaken to be called “real hip-hop” and Crunk the club music you may have mistaken for “Rap”. it is all hip-hop. hiphop is the genre and culture, rap is the words. what you guys have mistaken is that pop, crunk/Dirty south, and underground are all hip-hop, conscious or not. just different types. no offense, after all we are in VT. happy listenin
blah blah blah rap is the music hip-hop is the lifestyle… Next…