021: Fighting The Good Fight
Resistance is alive and well
It’s been quite an interesting few months since I last wrote a newsletter and it’s hard to know where to begin. There’s much to digest and process, but I wanted to highlight a noticeable, recurring theme of resistance in the midst of all the happenings, both online and in reality.
When a certain “DJ” (whom I will purposefully not quote or namedrop) spewed some moronic words, the hip-hop community came together and strongly condemned not only him, but the social media driven culture of shallow, materialistic and empty desires to present yourself in a certain way. Not to mention using shock tactics to promote engagement, regardless of the crossfires it may cause.
Usually, when you see something stupid online, the right thing to do is to ignore it, because reactions, no matter what the sentiment, is the name of the game nowadays. However, there are times where it’s good to nib problematic things at the bud, which the living legend LL Cool J did very well.
Further condemnation also came from the likes of KRS-One, Slim Thug, MC Shan and many others too. I guess the troll got what he wanted, but some things can’t be allowed to slide and need to be called out. My analysis lead me to think: in bending over backwards to try and champion individualism, have we now reached a stage where we afford too much respect and benefit of doubt to folks before they even warrant or earn it? When I think of other disciplines - tech, business, sociology - in addition to hip-hop, one can’t seem to ignore the disdain on show for people, institutions and communities that laid the path for us today.
Maybe this entire episode was harder to take as it happened merely a week after a list of lyricists of the year were announced, with very few actual lyricists shortlisted? Not to mention ignoring a whole host of artists who have dropped stellar projects over the past 12 months.
In the modern era of music, accolades and award shows aren’t meant to mean much per se. Hip-hop fans certainly know this all too well. But they provide an interesting insight into how and what the industry values or sees. Understanding how the machine operates is handy. As good as Jay-Z is, do his 3 or 4 features in the last 12 months hold greater value than artists who have dropped multiple catalogues in the same period? Frankly, it feels like the selection panel just wanted to get a bunch of names together and get this whole thing over with. As The Facemob said above, how those names were brought to their attention is another problem area, but that’s another argument for another day (check the whole interview out here). Yet another reminder that validation should never be an artist’s aim. Lets also not forget that meaningless sales figures and fake love are not what defines talent, integrity or greatness.
Generational divides are part of the fabric of every culture and movement. Shifts in thinking, philosophy and basic needs change with the times and realities we face. Hip-hop seems to be at a crossroads though. It’s hard to say why, but it’s popularity and position at the forefront of modern-day culture, for better or worst, means that its problems, threats and tribulations will be very similar, if not the same, as other parts of society.
Perhaps this divide was even more clear when it was announced that a record label decided to sign an artificially generated and intelligent rap “artist”? This is still something I’m mad about all these weeks later. I was, and still am, at a loss for words over the whole ordeal. Morally, ethically and rationally, I cannot understand how or why something like this was pursued, let alone signed off. Then again, I expect nothing less from unwanted tech involvement in something that didn’t need any kind of tech input in the first place.
Social media. Streaming. Marketing analytics around views and throughput. Bots and stream farms. NFTs. Metaverse. Tech’s grandiose plan to influence and put its fingers in every single pie possible has done more damage than good as far as music goes. But while those things can be seen as some kind of expected or natural introduction into the industry (as mentioned, hip-hop is not immune from the same fates that other areas of life have been hit by), an AI artist leaves a particularly bitter taste in fans’ mouths.
I say this as somebody whose day job is in the technology sector, and this is a point I cannot stress enough: tech should not be defining or providing answers to challenges in any industry. It is the people in the industries themselves who, when trying to work around a pain point, should use their domain expertise to solve their own problem. Should that crossover and require technology to aid or deliver it, then so be it, but these things need to be done organically by those who face the challenges. Otherwise, every professional sector or service you can think of will have their own AI rapper-like fiasco. That is, a tech driven solution to a tech fantasised scenario that wasn’t never a problem.
Ultimately, the people spoke. The backlash and bad PR pushed all these decisions, conversations and discourse in the favour of those of us who hold the values of hip-hop (and in many ways, life) dear. It wasn’t doom and gloom by any stretch, there are still inconsistencies and blips in the current hip-hop climate that most of us would like to see ironed out.
But it looks like the spirit of this great genre and artform is alive and well, so may we continue to resist all things whack that go against the grain of this magnificent creation we love.
Do yourself justice, utilise your mind.
WhosAria