I guess I'm writing this essay partially because I need to restore the faith in the music I love so much. A lot of what you will see written are my opinions others will be well researched facts, and other information. These are my essays on hip-hop:
"The Whole World is a Hustle"
Being a musician and a writer, I consider myself an artist. With that said, I believe I have reasonability to not compromise my artistry or myself. Often times when we look at history artist have had the responsibility of exposing society to itself.
Which sometimes would mean telling people things they don't wanna hear. Some would say telling them that ugly truth, that makes you angry for no other reason than it is.
And at times when one is the messenger of that truth the receiver can take it as a personal attack. When nothing (sometimes) could be farther from the truth. Usually the art is about the artist personal experience first and if others relate to it, and if a truth is reveled it is purely serendipitous occurrence.
But then sometimes artist can be struck back for telling the truth. Cuz sometimes people flat out don't want to hear it! So they in essence "kill the messenger"
I think, this is what we have witnessed in mainstream hip-hop over the past decade. A genre of music that was once esoteric has now become a major channel in the mainstream of media. Everybody knows most people don't want the truth by way of human condition. And at one point hip-hop was the truth, but now it has become part of the machine, the matrix if you will and is nothing but a well marketed lie.
Which as I said before explains the stuff we hear on the radio. I'm not knocking what being played, in fact I like some of what is spun but I feel that there is an unbalanced play in terms of the greater spectrum of hip-hop.
How the same type of artist and the same types of songs get the most airplay. Meanwhile more congest hip-hop gets pushed to the wayside. And what you find happening on a large scale is the once "underground/congest" hip-hop artists turn into cookie cutter mainstream artists to get more airplay. Selling their artistry for marketability.
Submitting to become just an image as opposed to being a real person because your persona has become controlled by the media.
And what ends up happening is public deception on a mass scale:
You have "Artists" Selling music that's not theirs, that they may not really even like just to sale records. Then you have fans that think they know their artist based on the music they hear from them. But the music wasn't the artists art to began with so now two people that have been scammed....so the cycle continues to grow and grow.
Fake music by fake artists, pretending to be people they never were in the first place to sell records to you because their real art was not "saleable" enough!
So who's the victim here? You the consumer? who has been duped! Or the artist who was raped of their artistic purity and force to prostitute a "better looking" body of music to you?
Answer: NO ONES TO BLAME!
Why? Because, the whole world is a hustle. Especially the music industry. A giant game of buying and selling musical whores. And if you refuse to be a part of it you ain't in it win it so to speak.
My language may be a little harsh but, some would say those musical whores are making madd bread....meanwhile you're broke
Which is very true, but if they're the whores try to think about who's pimping em'?
And partly it's you and me cuz we allow it. But that is another essay so I'm not gonna get in to that.
My favorite recording artist is Ms. Lauryn Hill, a woman who came out with two mind blowing albums (and I don’t give a damn about what any critics say about the unplugged album it was pure lyrical genius) Then disappear from the mainstream. Her reason being the abuse and misuse she suffered at the hands of the music industry.
Ms. Hill quoted to say at a fugees concert in 2005:
"...I'm not crazy I'm just a black woman, who's super smart, can't be bought, can't bribed. I am not a machine and give my people the truth. And for some reason today in the world if you all those things they think you crazy. However if that's the definition of crazy, then I'm crazy...blood clot!'And her is very much correct in her statement, people who attempt to be righteous in any mode of industry are often labeled as extremist. So we ended giving watered down versions of ourselves to the rest of the world to make ourselves more comfortable for everyone else. it's the same with the music industry.
these watered and dumbed down songs we hear on the radio that aren't helping anyone. MUSIC IS SUPPOSED TO INSPIRE!
But Ms. Hill's out cry on how the industry has damaged her doesn't end there. A recently leaked song on you tube title "World Is Hustle" ; which inspired this essay. Ms. Hill speaks about how "we" become addicted to the unreality of celebrity here is a quote from the song:
"Of the world Spun by evil men with lies Only programmed to agree With what we see before our eyes Running after status quo On a television show Just a picture perfect life It's the only life we know And this uncomfortable reality Got me chasing, chasing fallacy And the pace the pace is killing me But I so willingly practiced it Just like it's my friend
OWhen the whole world is a hustle Exactly where did we arrive In this manufactured life to Sell my soul just to survive (yes) In the game of numbers I must thank the Gods of Industry oh for the opportunity or I display such loyalty oh for the way that they exploit me (yes)
OOh to consider life outside of this Just like a splinter in My mind persists But the ministry of fear exists Only to keep me from knowing the truth Stealing my youth..."
But In closing I will say this..."So few can see the emperors new clothes when the blind lead the just more troubles and woes, lustful this hustle turns humans to hoes."
So what do really some that looks nice? or something that's real?
Budda Early grew up in the apartment building that housed Hip-Hop legends KRS-One and Kool Herc. The pedigree rubbed off on Budda, whose mic presence earned him the praise of another pioneer the World’s Greatest DJ Kid Capri. The emcee’s lyrical wordplay and ability to catch a beat’s rhythm have earned him the right to be called “Bronx Borough President.”
