Wealth In Hip Hop
Russell Simmons and this book do not have any affiliation with this blog or its contents, but the image certainly represents the contents below.
Sure, plenty or rappers will talk about how much money they have and how paid they are, but this album truly represented two figures that beat the odds and can now enjoy the wealth they've achieved (hence songs such as "Made In America" and "Ni**as in Paris"). However, when I mentioned this during my conversation over Thanksgiving, my brother and frequent debater in hip hop, Mr. Milan Drake, stated that his, for lack of a better word, "issue" with this was that hip hop isn't based in wealth. It's based in poverty and hardship and coming from the bottom.
We didn't get a chance to finish the conversation, but that statement definitely sparked the idea for this blog. I 100% agree that hip hop is not based in wealth. Never has been and, for the sake of preserving the culture, hopefully never will be. I can't see anybody that was born into wealth having a prosperous career in hip hop - just given its rebellious nature. However, hip hop, for a long time now, has been about the come-up and trying to improve living conditions. It's been about that struggle of having all the odds against you and still, somehow, being able to find a way out.
Typically what we see from artists over their careers is where they started from with their debut album - their struggle and hardship - followed by their rise to fame and riches (this usually takes place over a few albums), but then there tends to be a drop off. Artists end up with financial issues from years of being taken advantage of by the industry. How many artists have we seen hit with child support and tax issues? Some are able to live comfortable, but never get all of the things they wanted/expected out of their music careers. We constantly see the hard work and then the small wins, but not the ultimate victory.
"The Throne" (the album and group) represents that victory. We've seen the ups and downs of both artists, but now, even though they do still deal with their own issues, they can celebrate reaching that pinnacle. I think it's important for people to see this. It's important to see people in hip hop go through these periods of maturation and struggle and still be able come out at the very top. Hip Hop is based in the struggle, where it should be, but unless we see some people actually achieve something after going through that struggle, then it's all for naught.
When I listen to "Watch The Throne", I get inspired. I know the knock on the album more than anything else is that people can't relate to it. I certainly can't relate to a lot of the material, but I can aspire to be able to relate. When I hear "Made In America", I want to one day sing those words and truly mean it. I want to be able to travel around the world. I want to celebrate achieving my goals. I can't relate to that right now, but I can imagine that what I'm hearing is what it will feel like when I do. I also want to be able to hear this from other artist's perspectives, as well. More people need to be able to feel that. We hear so much about the struggle that, from time to time, we need to be able to see that all the hard work pays off - in a big way!
I hope for more stories like Watch The Throne. Not because I wish to see hip hop lose its edge and become soft. I want it because there needs to be a blueprint (pun intended) for how to make it in hip hop. There are always going to be new starving artists. Those are the ones that we need to cultivate and support. But, without having anything to point to, what will prevent the new artists from the same pitfalls that so many others have run up against.
As fans, we can sometimes be selfish. I truly believe that biggest reasons artists like Jay-Z and Kanye West are so polarizing in hip hop isn't because they've set the culture back. They actually do the opposite and try to push it forward. The reason is because they have reached a level of success that hip hop still isn't familiar with. They've found a way to connect with a broader audience without compromising...too much. Perhaps Jay-Z wouldn't be so polarizing if he did decide to rap like Common or Talib Kweli, but he found a way to appeal to a wide range of people while still connecting to hip hop fans.
As fans, we tend to blame all artists for that. We want artists to maintain what we view as the purest form of hip hop, even at the expense of their own progression and financial gain. We need to always hold artists that call themselves rappers/MCs accountable for being true the culture. We also need to allow them to be able to achieve success and, hopefully for others in the future, wealth without the guilt trip. In the end, we may all benefit from it.
I think we also get upset when other artists that we deem aren't straying at all from pure hip hop don't get the recognition that others do. I saw a tweet not too long ago that said "Why doesn't Kendrick Lamar have 1 million followers?" I think we would all agree that Kendric needs to be bumping out of every radio and on every Top 10 video show. Since this isn't the case for so many artists that deserve recognition, I think we sometimes attribute success to selling out and don't consider it "real" hip hop. Although this could be argued for many artists, it isn't the case for all. I hope that one day artists like Kendrick Lamar can reach the same heights that Jay-Z and Kanye West have without feeling pressure to conform in any way. Yet, as long as artists stay true to themselves and produce quality music, I won't blame them for trying to achieve the things we all strive for. Can't knock the hustle.
What do you think about wealth in hip hop? Do we need to see it more? Does wealth and the representation of it hurt hip hop? What did you think about the "Watch The Throne" album? Leave all thoughts and comments below. You can send e-mails to straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.
Peace.
Posted by H.E.R. Lover at 12/20/2011 3:16 PM 
Categories: General
Tags: hip hop music Watch The Throne Jay-Z Kanye West wealth Common Talib Kweli Kendrick Lamar
Categories: General
Tags: hip hop music Watch The Throne Jay-Z Kanye West wealth Common Talib Kweli Kendrick Lamar
Blah, blah, blah....
All the same stuff with a varying cadence and melody. Who is more than a THERMOMETER? Who's more than a temperature reader? No one in the game is a THERMOSTAT!
As much as they all talk about being GAME CHANGERS none of them are. They all simply reflect everything broken about the HOOD while they get Rich and Move out of the HOOD leaving all the Peeps still in the hood in their same dilemma.
Where's the music that helps to lift people up out of the dirt and gutter that they live in? Talkin' about yo gurls big %$# and how much money you got and how you might shoot somebody is gettin' old YO!
Lift me up! Pick my head up so I can get out of the ghetto wit' you! Teach me how to be a better MAN instead of how to be a meaner THUG! Tell me about Legal opportunities instead of celebrated CRIME that you try and call "WORK"!!!
Blah, blah, blah! All the same STUFF-(copy and share this if you feel the same)
R.T.B.Y.M.
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