I've been making Hip-Hop music for some time now, and listening to it even longer. And I'm often asked a lot of questions about hip-hop not only from those outside the genre, but also from those getting into the genre. I'm going to try to publicly field some of the questions I get more often as they become relevant.
One question I get a lot concerns the ego-ism we see in hip-hop today. Every rapper is the best and every other rapper doesn't compare. The question is simple: why?
Growing up in my shoes would make this answer apparent but perhaps someone can use this discussion, er, monologue, to vicariously walk in my shoes. While I have always been more of a fan of R&B, I've picked up a thing or two about hip-hop. :)
Hip-hop has strong roots in competition; always has, always will. In fact, hip-hop battles were not always about beef or hatred; rather, they were about showing off skill, quick wit, and creativity. A game of one upsmanship, just to see who's better. My theory is that with the evolution of the game and the introduction and explosive popularity of gangsta rap, mixed in with the times, a more aggressive form of ego-ism has been pushed to the forefront. No longer is it just good to be better, but you must be unquestionably better ... or else.
Still, nothing has changed. Being the best at what you do is part of the "game" ... and in this game, why play if you're not out to win? Personally, I think that there are far too many artists out today with the opposite effect of ego-ism going on -- they are content to be mediocre, happy to follow the beaten path and do the same thing as the next man. And there are those that truly see this as their only way to move ahead, so of course they are going to take the safe, established path. Of course, I doubt any of those people are reading this blog if they are in that situation.
I think artists should strive to be the best at what they do, and when you are that good, why hide it? If you can walk the walk, there's no shame in talking the talk. I do feel, however, that you can't walk the walk by talking the talk. Your hottest song shouldn't be about how hot you are. Telling the world that you're the best and actually being the best are two different things. Ironically, those things aren't as far apart as enthusiasts of the art would like to believe, but they are not one in the same. If I tell you I'm the best a million times then soon enough, you may start to think I just might be the best.
Much of the scrutiny regarding ego-ism in hip-hop looks to the aggressive braggadocio, the countless artists demanding that you know they are better than everyone else in their intimidating (or not-so-intimidating) lyrics. However, it's not just there. Think of a man they call Kanye West. I don't think I need to go into examples as to why he fits this discussion, but you see my point. However, the difference between him and those spoken of when we talk about egoism is that his music does not have himself being the best as the focal point of the subject matter. Instead, he goes in the booth and makes incredible music, then tells everyone he's the best. :)
Ego-ism is always going to be a part of the game. It's naturally competitive, and where there's competition, there's someone who wants to be better than everyone else. While I won't argue that some people don't deserve to utter those words from their lips, I understand the motivation. Where I'm from, and anybody in that situation will attest to the same, it's a lot easier to find people to bring you down than it is to find genuine supporters. That said, it's a lot easier to use your own words to motivate yourself in believe you're the best than waste time having other people say so. You'll be hard pressed to find an artist putting over another artist just for the hell of it. It's just the way it is. Honestly, I have a lot more people who support my music outside of my hometown than in it. Worse (and this is a topic for another day), you're hard-pressed nowadays to find a genuine rap fan -- everybody wants to be a rapper.
I think therein lies part of the issue regarding some of the unwarranted ego-ism. Some people don't understand the roots of it, and they instead duplicate what they hear. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it is actually rather annoying in this context. If you're not being creative and not pulling from your heart or experience, but rather, something you heard or saw, I may enjoy your work, but I can not respect you as an artist.
That said, I believe Nasir Jones once said that "no idea's original." So it does become difficult to determine when someone is imitating versus when they are being genuine. For me, it's something you've just gotta feel in the music.
And when you get to that point, you won't have a need for ego-ism. You will be, that good. To me, that's the best way to truly show that you are, indeed, the best. However, we don't live in a perfect world.
So, in closing, ego-ism certainly has its place in hip-hop, and it always has. However, nowadays there's always someone telling you what you can't do, why you can't do it, and why you'll never make it, that sometimes it's more of a reflex than bragging, a defense mechanism if you will. Other times, it's simply competitive. However, I don't need to hear a whole song about why you're the best; as I said, you can't walk the walk by talking the talk.
Just shut up and make good music. :)
N. Talekt
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