Our Music, And Why We Listen To It #2: The Fake Clouds of Urgency

How we doin' party people?,

My bad on not posting in a minute...prom approaches (Wednesday as a matter a fact). I am a high school kid, remember? Ha...

Now, currently bumpin' The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, arguably (and I believe) the best record put out by a female, and one of the best records ever put out by a person of color, I have had these very inquisitive and provocative thoughts. Of course, listening to a record as complete and meaningful as Lauryn's record is, it's hard not to get the juices in your brain flowin'. All of the thoughts and ideas have come together to post this question, the theme for this post:

How do you determine which musical act is 'real' with their music?


I say this with the thought process and understanding of where a lot of artists have their intentions. You have an established act, let's say The Roots (I can't front like they haven't been my favorite group for years, but I promise my views aren't bias, instead fact). Tariq 'Black Thought' Trotter and Ahmir '?uestlove' Thompson have connected with their passion for music and social justice since high school, and if you YouTube or Google early videos of the duo, the emotion and honesty Black Thought has in his words and metaphors..you can tell it's real. The dedication that Thought and ?uestlove have had in their many years together has carried into their latest project Rising Down, which came out April 29th (if you don't have it, get it NOW.)

Another artist that has been consistent with outpouring their music to how they honestly live their life is Dante Smith, commonly known as Mos Def. First known from his youth acting in the late 80s/early 90s with 'The Cosby Mysteries', Mos initially worked with members of his family in the collective group Urban Thermo Dynamics (only one major hit, (video here) ). Mos reached out in '96 with the Native Tongue Possee and Soulquarians (definitely look those two groups up if you don't have a clue who I'm talking about, they're the most under represented, under appreciated music collectives of the 90s, word up.) Gaining his solo status, releasing his solo record along with his Black Star record with Talib Kweli, Mos Def has kept it real from Jump St. It's hard to deny someone that hasn't held anything back, and been open to any and all criticism's he's faced. Arrested on numerous bullshit counts, as well as appearing on many intellectual, mature talk shows and forums (seen here with Dr. Cornel West on Real Talk with Bill Maher). Not even touching on his illustrious and legitimate acting career, Dante Smith has been making moves and keeping it honest, personal, and real since the very beginning.


NOW. On the flip side of this whole positivity story I hyped earlier, their are artists and acts that have made their careers on the aspects of entertainment. Specifically in hip hop, and it happens in other genres plenty of times, but especially in the hip hop game, there are artists that talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. This shit needs to be addressed, right, the fuck, now.

A rapper wakes up in his wonderfully gated-community home, with security out the ass and protection like the Pope. They wake up to their family, their wife and loved ones. Have their kids going to the most lucrative private schools, with the finest expenses at their exposure. This rapper goes to work, and his work consists of creating songs talking about..causing harm to potentially innocent civilians, marketing known illegal drugs, degrading females, the less fortunate, and other rappers in the sense of competition. 'I got kilo's under the bed/Watch your bitch ass if your snitchin' its your head/I'll kill you and your fam and everyone you love/The only way you gettin' out its from the heavens above.' Stuff of that nature..(that wasn't a direct quote from a song, just a typical rap) They do their marketing for their musical product and image, appearing in a video or selling a product. They throw on this uniform for a day, this persona that isn't them at all in their present day. After the work day is done, they go BACK to their gated-community.

I'd say 90% of the rappers out, I can't front, AT ONE TIME, had this actual persona as part of their being. They USED to push drugs, they USED to have gang relation, they USED to be a public menace..for the most part, it's a part of their former life, and now they've grown up as businessmen and entrepreneurs. They present this idea of a lavish lifestyle, of sex, drugs, and money...that they don't truthfully honestly live. These rappers are...fake. They say they live this life, but with corporation and media if they're presented with an issue or criticism..'It's just music, I throw on my business suit and go to work to make this music, I don't promote this lifestyle I just present it...There are musicians that have honestly said this in interviews and press releases, defending their ass for being caught in the act of a fake or dramatically former lifestyles.

..How do you determine a 'real' artist? If your truly down with the struggle, that's one thing. There can be documented proof that you haven't budged about who you are, and been consistent with how you do yours, how you run your productions and programs. If your only promoting a false image of yourself and how you live your life, your fake, your phony, I can't take you serious. I may bump your beat because it's tough, I may have songs on my iTunes of yours because your hook or flow is crazy, but I don't respect you. I don't consider you a true artist. Your lucky I'm a slave to this music thing...I respect the fact that you put something of musical value, but thats about it.


I think there will be more coming from this discussion, I will more then likely touch on this topic again.

Provide for me your thoughts on the situation, s'il vous plait.

Peace and love, you guys will here from me soon.

- Dana J.