Artists are fond of reminding the public that an artist’s only responsibility is to his art. Invariably, the artists who make these proclamations are those whose work has been called into question by the public. With Rap Music, which performer/writer Head Roc has reminded us is not the same as Hip Hop, the questions of responsibility, tastefulness and relevance have been around as long as the genre itself. Why are rap lyrics so base, so inane, so devoid of any uplifting theme and so celebratory of excess and violence? Can you even call it art? But if it’s so repugnant, why does it sell so well?
Well, it sells because rap music in 2013 has degenerated into a version of the 1990’s World Wrestling Federation; something so patently fake that we have all agreed to a willing suspension of disbelief. Trinidad James is a star? Seriously? Drake drops a song saying he “Started From the Bottom” even though he actually started out playing the character Jimmy Brooks in the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation and everybody traces that ish. Nicki Minaj is the poster child for irrelevancy and Rick Ross? To paraphrase Jay Z; “I respect the shooter, not the one who got shot at.”
The truth is that rap consumers are as much to blame as rap performers for the current state of the art. Somehow consumers migrated away from being an audience waiting to be entertained to a body of sycophants needing to live vicariously through mindless lyrics completely disconnected from their own life experiences. This is different, and it’s important to note the difference. Music is vital when it reminds us of our own realities; a love lost, a struggle being waged, life with our friends, things in common with our peers. Instead, what we have today are artists who demand that we co-sign childish irresponsibility; throwing money at strippers, trivializing violence, disrespecting our women and the virtue of community. Now, it’s not about you; it’s all about them. If they cared about you, they would write about you.
Think of it this way; if you had a taste for Italian food and went to an Italian restaurant only to discover that every dish on the menu was Chinese you’d leave, right? That’s not what you wanted and not what you came for. It should be the same way with rap music – stop paying for bullshit when what you actually want to be entertained with is something relevant to your own tastes. But rap music marketers don’t think of you as sophisticated consumers. They think of you as the sucker who stays in the Italian restaurant that only serves Chinese food.
Enjoy your meal!