I do remember there was a time, when I was twelve or so, that I thought it would be pretty dumb for someone to be rapping at age thirty. Never mind at age forty. Like I said, I was twelve years old at the time. Since then, the World has become bigger than my block, my NEIGHBORHOOD, my city, my state....well...you get the damm picture. So I grew out of that thinking pretty early on. I would say in my early twenties. No, I wasn't POSITIVE Rap would still be here today but I was pretty sure. I did my part (like many of my peers did and like I always like to point out) by pushing for it to be played in the mainstream, supporting the albums (CDs later) and going to the shows far and wide. With my evolution, I have seen rap evolve a bit too, despite the constant the 'blowhards' of the World declaring it 'dead'. Careers were a little longer. Money was being made. Still and all there a 'glass ceiling' for rappers. For some dumb reason, you can't be 'older' and rap.
Now before you go looking around the blog to see if I am some 'aspiring/bitter old rapper' just ranting, let me reassure you. I am not. I don't have a horse in this race personally. Well wait, I do. I actually give a shit about people on a whole scale in some small capacity and hate to see self imposed ceilings on such things as being a rapper.
I mean, we don't say 'you can't be a singer' past a certain age do we? Sure, we may take said singer to task over content but as long as they can still sing, we don't say anything. I have heard many people say that 'Such and such shouldn't rap that way 'cause that is not the way he/she is living now....'. While I can respect that, I have to wonder if they would still be popular if they didn't 'remind' their audience where they came from. Lest said audience 'remind them' themselves via the negative comments.
It is almost like a lose/lose situation. It is as if the fans don't want the rapper to let 'em know that there is life after whatever 'struggle' it was that drew them in to begin with. Yet all I hear is about 'rappers inspiring people'. Why is that? Why would you want to read the first couple of chapters of the book, put it down and move on to the next book? Who does that? It is a shame. All I hear is that it is a 'young man's game'. If that is true does it mean that it can only be used as a tool to speak on 'the struggle' and that is it? Are you saying that one can only rap about the 'light at the end of the tunnel' but once they get out of the tunnel into the light, they are no longer 'qualified to rap'? I mean, I don't know about you but I think I am more prone to listen to the success story than the person who 'may fail' or hasn't done it yet. No? Then again, I am not of the age where I am above taking 'advice' so I may be different in that aspect.
Since rap is so young, we are just now getting to the point that we can someone who can rap about the 'other side of life'. We have a COUPLE of good candidates too. Not just one. I suspect that if we let it happen, we will have a few MORE GOOD CANDIDATES in this next wave of rappers. In order to do that though, someone HAS TO BE FIRST. When will we let that ONE person be great and fulfill this void? The void of the 'successful' older rapper. Sans the hate overall? Sans the 'get outta the way'? (Even though like a certain older rapper said "So how is it I'm in the way? What is it I'm missing?) I am not even saying that whatever rapper it is that gets anointed needs to be called 'the best' rapper. No. What I am saying is that it shouldn't be frowned upon. That is what I am saying. It doesn't make any sense to frown upon it really.
When you diss Dre you diss yourself...-Dre Day
You don't see any other genres of music saying 'You over there who paved the way? Get outta the way...You are too old. You 'can't contribute to the very GENRE YOU HELPED BRING TO THE FOREFRONT..Go sit down. Not in the fashion that hip hop fans (industry) demand some of its artists to do.
No way that an MC like KRS-One, who can still rap, is not featured on SOME SONG (original version) that is out now by one of these young rappers if this is another genre. Sure the Hip Hop Honors awards has people paying homage by performing songs. Occasionally like Snoop just did (He being an elder statesmen HIMSELF) PAY HOMAGE VIA SONG or like Rick Ross did with Special Ed on the remix but not much else.
This is not football or basketball. Hell, even in those occupations they allow the greats to do things like 'coach', mentor, own, etc, etc. Notice I didn't say sports 'cause there are some that have a 'senior' circuit. More should be done to me. If it is done now, then the crop of artists that are out now will reap the benefits of that by having the youngins who are growing up on them do the same. It has to start now. Lets get that done.
Thoughts?
