As someone who is sort of a rap fanatic, I have been frightened, thrilled, upset, and most of all confused of what the rap genre is becoming in this day and age. With media darling Kendrick Lamar garnering heaps of attention and awards with his newest project "DAMN." (the latest being the Pulitzer award), it seems rap music has reached new heights in terms of popularity. Perhaps Lamar's success can be attributed to the media finally recognizing that hip-hop is quickly becoming a dominant, unstoppable force. In short, it seems like Lamar is the sexy pick for anyone handing outwards, and rightfully so. Lamar's discography is unique, thought-provoking, brilliant, and his music almost stands alone in the genre.
But there are some like me who always take a sudden acceptance with a grain of salt. I remain very appreciative of Lamar breaking new ground, and I am proud that rap music--often called destructive and violent for so long--is garnering positive attention. Sometimes I feel that Lamar's ascension into poster child status is giving some groups an opportunity to use his popularity and success to place attention onto themselves. Ismail Muhammad of Slate writes "the recognition feels belated, even opportunistic." He also invokes Doreen St. Félix's argument, that "[the] prize does more to bolster the Pulitzers’ credibility than hip-hop’s." Such arguments are valid, as it seems like the undying love for Beyoncé--who recently stole the show at Coachella this year--and Lamar these days are doing wonders for their popularity and little for the genre as a whole. Will the love for the genres of R&B and rap continue when Beyoncé and Lamar are not releasing new albums or touring? For me, it seems that mainstream white audiences and publications loved DAMN due to it being an album that has "vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life," which is what the Pulitzer's described it as. As Muhammad notes in his piece, DAMN., while containing moments critical of race relations in the US, it is more about the individual rather than a broad critique of how or what it is to be black in America. I consumed and accepted the album as it being a man's journey as he battles conflict within himself, dealing with his Feelings (FEEL), love (LOVE), pride (PRIDE), fear (FEAR), humility (HUMBLE), and finally battling with religion and God and the truth that he is a true Isrealite (GOD and BLOOD). It seems to me that if the board who awarded Lamar the prize had actually looked at the tracklist they would not have offered the bland, generic summary they did. In laymans terms their summary says that since Lamar is black, then his album must be about black life in America. If anything, the recent developments in the media are generating stimulating conversation. It will be very interesting to see where rap goes from here in terms of media reception, but as Muhammad points out "we shouldn’t base hip-hop’s cultural legitimacy on their (media) praise or evaluate it according to their criteria. If we do, we risk losing sight of the sonic and lyrical innovation that is the genre’s hallmark." I now turn my attention to another, more perplexing trend in rap music that I have taken notice of. With the recent release of J.Cole's new album "KOD"--which Cole says has three meanings "King Overdosed, Kill Our Demons, and Kids on Drugs"--I find it necessary to gauge the temperature of the reception of the album, versus the trend of trap rap. When J.Cole's album released, a friend of mine said on Snapchat that Cole's album was "trash." I was very perplexed by his statement. I didn't get angry, though. As a J.Cole fan I felt obligated to defend one of my favorite artists. But I didn't. The only question I had in my head, is "what kind of music do you listen to?" I also asked close friends of mine of their opinion, and one young woman whom I attended high school with said she loved it. When I told her of someone calling the album trash, she respond "his intellect must be trash." This debate, though, convicted me to examine what makes trendy rap fun, versus why J. Cole's music has been called "boring," and also why also examining what KOD means for me and the larger implications it has on the genre. Listen to KOD here: open.spotify.com/album/4Wv5UAieM1LDEYVq5WmqDd When I started diving into what was trending on YouTube, Complex Magazine, what i recently listened to, and the XXL Magazine Freshman Lists, I quickly discovered that there was an influx of "Lil'" rappers that have flooded the mainstream. These "Lil' rappers, such as Lil' Xan, Lil' Skies, Lil' Yachty, Lil' Uzi Vert--whom I love--Lil' Pump, Lil' Peep (now deceased), and Lil' Windex (yes, there is a lil' windex), have all to some degree--and some more than others--glorified drug use. There are also other rappers without the moniker "lil" that also invoke drugs, violence, and other vices such as Tekashi69, Smokepurpp, YBN Nahmir, and Trill Sammy. Most of them have a plethora of tattoos, dread locks and colorful hair. When I listen to their music, save for Lil' Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty who are probably the most distinct of the entire group, it honestly saddens me. I am disappointed by the lack of lyrical ability, how much they insist on being under the influence, and most of all, how popular it is. Some rappers have even said that they aren't with "that lyrical sh*t." The rappers combined have millions upon millions of views and streams on YouTube and Spotify. Their comeuppance is undeniable. Many young teens are drawn to their music as the generation seems hellbent on rebelling against traditional values. The ambiance of their music lends itself to fast money, popping pills and living a fast lifestyle. Lil Xan's name for example, is a play off Xanax. Lil Xan' says in multiple interviews that he was addicted to Xanax for years. He raps in "Betrayed": "Xans gon' fake you Xans gon' betray you Xans gon' take you Xans gon' betray you Xans gon' take you Xans gon' take you" As you can see by the lyrics, the subject matter is extremely simple. He raps about selling his soul for a "good price," orgies with women, and other vulgarities. Mind you, this is the same rapper that called Tupac's music "boring" in an interview. Rappers Lil' Pump and Smokepurpp, also teased a song called "F*ck J.Cole." So, not only are these new rappers praising drug usage at an alarming rate, they are also disrespecting the generation that came before them. But, there is a shining light in the clouds for some of the newer rappers though. Lil' Xan has now changed his name to Diego and detracted his statements about Tupac, and rapper 21 Savage has claimed that he will stop wearing jewelry in order to focus on real estate and other business endeavors. It would be easy for me to condemn their music as stupid, irrational, or overly aggressive in lyricism, but there is a reason why their music is popular. Young teens feel a connection to their lyrics because they are possibly disenchanted with sobriety because it is simply uncool, or they do not know how to deal with their personal problems. This new generation of rappers are not going without challenge though. Radio personality DJ Ebro said of Xan's comments on Tupac that "certain things in hip-hop are not tolerated." Other celebrities such as Michael Rapaport have also lashed out against him in profanity-filled tirades. But the most damning criticism of the "lil" rappers came from J.Cole in his 2016 single "Everybody Dies." He says: Bunch of words and ain't sayin' shit, I hate these rappers Especially the amateur eight week rappers Lil' whatever – just another short bus rapper Fake drug dealers turn tour bus trappers It seems that there is somewhat of a split that is going on in rap music. There are those who rebel against the minimalist approach of J.Cole's instrumentals compared to the uber-popular trap inspired, drum-heavy approach of artists like the ones listed above. The most glaring difference between J.Cole and newer rappers of the last three years or so, is that Cole's lyricism takes precedent over the actual sounds of the beat, where as younger artists lyrics are simple, but energetic. Please note that the following vidoes are NSFW (Not safe for work).
Cole continues his assault on the new generation of rappers on the last song of KOD called "1985." In my own interpretation of the song, I think he is addressing every modern rapper period who has pinned their fame on this social media trend. In short, he tells the rappers to never stop touring, because that's how rappers make the majority of their money, and to stop playing up to white people's stereotypes of rappers. He also says that they should save their money instead of buying fancy cars and jewelry. Basically, Cole dons the role of a big brother or father figure and lectures the young men on how they should conduct themselves. But, Cole's preaching is what turns the younger audience away from his music. In my experience as a church-goer, is that people usually do not want to hear what's wrong with them, or understand why the things they are doing is wrong. For preachers such as Joel Osteen who preach prosperity, sometimes I feel that Lamar can make generic songs, such as LOVE, or LOYALTY and have them be radio hits because of his outstanding ability. Lamar is a caterer; a brilliant one at that who never fails to please his listeners. DAMN. made me a fan, and I cannot wait to he releases his next album. Cole, however, has never pulled punches or spent a slot on album trying to get hit songs on the radio. What Kendrick does do better than Cole, however, is make songs that people want to hear. The last three albums that Cole has released contains NO features. He is the lone, singular voice on his projects. As a staunch Cole fan, I believe he has proved his point by going platinum TWICE (double platinum in the case of 2014 Forest Hills Drive) with no features. This criticism is shared by a plethora of people, as some are off-put by his constant preaching, his off-key singing, and his minimalist and jazz-influenced instrumentation on his albums.
While the negativity towards J.Cole is somewhat uncalled for in my opinion, his fan base is rabid, and loyal. They support him unequivocally, and his recent release has showed that J.Cole relates to Everyman maybe to a degree that Lamar doesn't. I have heard some say that Lamar represents a pantheon; his music is so otherworldly or a place that no one can really feel close to him. When some speak of Cole, you would have thought that he was the second coming of Christ himself, which is another reason why some do not like his music. KOD, however, has generated so much criticism--both positive and negative--that has made Cole a legend. He released the album five days ahead of its release date with no press and people flocked to it. He even broke the record for opening day streams on Spotify with the title track "KOD." The buzz that he generates whenever he releases a project ensures that he will always be a relevant force within the hip-hop community. KOD has received glowing reviews from hip-hop icons such Logic, Fabolous, as well as other celebrities such as NBA champion Kevin Durant, who says that Cole "was in [his] head." Broadly, KOD is Cole's attempt to parody the modern rapper by mocking the triplet flow that is prevalent in mainstream rap, but also condemn drug usage. Cole's proclamation to "meditate" instead of "medicate" drove some to anger, and others to praise. Yoh Phillips of DJ Booth says of KOD, "the man who made No Role Modelz made his most earnest attempt at being one." Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave an albuma 4 out of 5 stars and states "J Cole casts himself as rap’s moral compass with this masterfully pared-back fifth album." There are others, though, who do not share their sentiment. Aaron Williams of Uproxx says that the album is "half-assed" in its critique on mumble rap, and also says he falls short of his critiques on drugs and modern culture. And then, in the most surprising turn, Williams blames Cole's fans for "holding him back." Personally, if one thing my education at Hendrix has taught me, was how to critique a critic. Williams does offer some good analysis, particularly when he says that Cole can sometimes "preach to the choir." But, it seems somewhat disingenuous of him--being that he is a hip-hop editor of a somewhat relevant magazine, or website--to take an album review and then criticize the artists fans. I have never, ever read an album review that had nothing good to say about any of the songs. When Williams does offer praise, he quickly diverts back to negativity. If anything, his review was half-assed. He also gives an off-hand statement that "hip-hop doesn't have a drug problem after all" and provides a vague source to compliment his statement. I mean, has he listened to new rappers at all? If anything, it seems he includes the source just to go against Cole. With bad criticism now aside, I believe KOD is what I needed to hear, as well as what the younger generation needs to hear. I believe that the genre now is almost too casual in its invocation of drugs. We should aspire to Kill Our Demons and face our most horrifying moments in our lives. As a person who has sought out counseling for traumatic instances in my life, this album is exactly what the culture needs. Cole doesn't promise that the road to recovery would be easy, nor does he say that he had all the answers, but meditation is still (in some instances, not all) is better than turning to any form of a temporary high that can lead to addiction or sometimes even death. The tragic passing of Lil' Peep, Pimp C, and a plethora of other rappers can attributed to opioids and promethazine respectively. I am by no means attacking new rap. I enjoy some of it, but I desperately believe that there needs to be a balance in what is being played in the mainstream--which is mainly social media stars listed above, and conscious rap by artists like Cole, Lamar, Big KRIT, Wale, Joey BadA$$, and others. When I turn on the radio now to a rap station, there is only party music and glorification of a lifestyle that the average consumer cannot relate to. But, as Lamar, Beyonce, Cole, and other rappers successes have indicated, there is still plenty, plenty of hope.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Rem HarrisSr @ Hendrix College Music and Reviews |