We had this huge discussion on the current state of Hip Hop following Kanye West's latest self-fellationary display on the Video Music Awards. I made the following points:
- Kanye's 15 minutes of fame were up two years ago. His relevancy to Hip Hop, as a rapper, is on the same level as Hammer's. As a producer, his eccentricity has a different, less masturbatory outlet. Kanye is a much better producer than he is a rapper. He needs to stick to what he's best at and stop 'practicing' as a rapper.
- Kanye's displayed personality has always been 'punkish'. Last night was true to form. Let me be great? How 'bout you just go away?
- Per one of the brothas in the chat room: People need to realize that tight-assed pants, a weird personality, and a f**ked-up haircut does NOT make a dude a trendsetter. 100% agreement on that from me.
Another brotha (Self da Gawd) asserted that Eminem is the best rapper alive.
Mmmmmmno!
He used to be. But, now? I'm not seeing it.
I've seen the assertion that Hip Hop is based on beef with references to Jay Z & Nas, LL Cool J & his various foes (sounds like Silver Surfer or the Hulk, doesn't it?), UTFO vs Roxanne Shante, Quik & MC Eiht and others. To a degree, that's true. But, the spirit of the beef was competitive…not bitchy. Eminem (and, by extension, 50 Cent) are gynecological in their feuds.
Consider Eminem's beefs: Christina Aguilera? Brittany Spears? Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon?
Bitch made…
Fiddy goes and gets a man's ex to dish dirt on him? The mansion belonging to his baby mama (which his child lives in) is rendered uninhabitable by a mysterious arson?
A man obviously in need of tampons, monthly.
None of those things are the actions of men secure in themselves and their own masculinity. Either that or those dude's self-identification is awash in progesterone & estrogen. Honestly, if my sons acted like Kanye, Eminem or Fiddy (regardless of how much money they were making), I'd be ashamed of them. Being a man means that, sometimes, you ignore foolishness. Public displays of pique and bitchiness are not the traits of a real man.
Curiously, all three of these dudes were raised by a woman. It would seem that their fathers FAILED to impart crucial knowledge on what being a man really entails.
