08.07
We’ve all seen it before: the top 5 emcees and producers lists. We’ve all debated it before: the top 5 graffiti artists and breakers lists. We’ve all thought some lists – and list-makers – were wack if their lists weren’t the same as ours. The thing is, that many times, the ones we favour aren’t the most skilled and the ones we think are skilled aren’t the most favoured. What people like are just opinions and if they don’t agree with ours, it doesn’t mean that they’re a hater. What if we could say, “just cuz I don’t like that music, doesn’t mean that I can’t like that person”? What if there was room for more definitions of hip-hop than our own individual ones? What if there is room for both Ringtone Rappers and Gangsta Rappers for both to be hip-hop? I’m not saying that I have the answers, I’m just asking the questions, hoping for more unity. It’s cuz, in my humble opinion, the hip-hop nation has enough problems without us trying to beef over who’s wack and who’s ill. What do you think?
I started wondering about all this after seeing the video above where Joe Ski Love talks about his hit, “Pee Wee’s Dance”. Props to D-Nice for creating this dope video series and thanks to my man, Brotha SouL, for putting me on to it and this discussion topic.
For me, currently, I didn’t listen to hip-hop back then. I started with Kool Moe Dee and the Fat Boys and then really got into it with Wu-Tang and the Pharcyde. However, the more I read about hip-hop history and catch up with the older music, I wish that hip-hop today was more like it was. I mean, I think that many artists in all the four elements are better than the artists back then in terms of skill, but there seems to be something about the early days that makes me feel it set a true standard.
