So I was at a block party about a week ago, and it was some old hip hop shit. Saw people I knew from many different fields, all being "hip hop" and bobbin to shit charged cause Kanye had just left the spot. and it was cool... but at the same time it was different... I'm not really sure what happened to me and hip hop, but I really don't connect to current shit anymore. Cats swear to me that I should love MF Doom and Little Brother, and I mean its cool, but does it really feel like Tribe? Is it really Hiero? Is it Duck Down? Has anything made me feel like Microphone fiend? Of course not, its all really shallow and a bit too self important so I kind of lose it.
See, I have bumped into a couple of the cats that I knew from the Hip Hop days, back when there were crews in Chicago, and most folks didn't give a fuck about Hip Hop. Hemp Squad parties, and Chi Rock Meetings, and hip hop open mikes at the South Shore Culture Center, Subway and Elevated Meetings, stuff like that there... One cat aint doing shyt. He is still keeping it real. Real broke, and I guess its love, but damn once you pass 35 you got to know you aint getting that record deal right? so then what? what do we do? On the other hand my guy is still breaking and tagging, but he has gone semi legit. His girls father is a corporate big wig and got him on desigining corporate logos, it paid well, he got a few more, dude has cream coming in seriously, yet he didn't sell out... or did he?
It reminds me of this convo that a few of us had with KRS One with one of those hook ups when I used to really know people in Hip hop Journalism, (you know before the Dare iz a darkside Redman issue with two covers that signified the end of the Source)... Anyway, what KRS said was that when people talk all this shit about hip hop being a culture and a way of life, that shit is serious. Its not just about every person int he world trying to rap or write, or Dj, or Break though, it's bigger than that. See, when you think of culture every culture has its artisans, and we examine art to tell us a lot of the culture but it is not the be all to end all of a culture. Every culture has its merchants, and lawyers, and doctors, and bankers, and teachers, and that had to be the final goal of the hip hop nation. We were just like any other immigrants who came to this land with a since of history from our culture which colors our perspective and how we deal with life. Cause of what we learned being members of the hip hop nation, we can still be lawyers and accountants, but maybe we look at race different, maybe we look at collaborration differently, I'm not sure, it needs to be studied, but please believe that while we still respect the music, and all facets of the music let me tell it, if hip hop is a culture its a deeper part of who we are than to still be trying to break or rap, or write if we aren't the ones meant to be doing that.
What I mean is this... while I love Kanye (at times) there is a large difference to me between Common with his direct connection to UAC and Dem Dare crews that I know, than Kanye to no crew that I have heard him claim (Other than hustle which I respect but is different). There is a difference between the old Ill State Cats who were in the culture and cats who were always more for the music. Its the reason why I respect Puff because he came from the Heavy D, Eddie F, Pete Rock school, or Fat Joe because any MTV success he gets legitimizes Show and AG, and Diamond D. It's why in the beginning we all rooted for Nas because he was the great hop of all the Queens cats that never sold like Large Professor, and Red Alert, or even Jay for legitmizing Jaz.
Fact is the point of none of this is to diss, but I know I sort of get sick of people always trying to draw lines in hip hop. Understand that Vanilla Ice was not the same thing as Hammer. There has to be room for a million different interpretations and I sort of look at the my distate for some of the current music like old folks bitching about the good ole days. Society may be looser, they may show more BS on TV but they still live in America and they are all Americans, and so if you understand that we are what we are and that its more than radio hits, or fashion, or faux underground posing then I accept that you too are from the Hip Hop Nation... Even if you happen to be from the other coast than me...
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