The New York Times Arts
section continues to expend considerable space and quasi erudition
on hip hop music. Articles and reviews abound, such as the one
yesterday from Kelefa
Sanneh, who writes frequently on this
music. This time he writes about the hip hopper Nas, whose new
album proclaims that "hip hop is dead" and rails against
commercialism in the music. Instead of seeing this as
standard-issue pop music posturing, Sanneh takes it seriously,
citing the angry objections of hip hopper Young Jeezy. Sanneh
writes:
"Young Jeezy
sounded not just irritated but wounded too, asking, 'I'm-a respect
his craft, he ain't gon' respect mine?' Somehow a vague album
title had come to seem like a personal
insult."
Imagine that. I hope no one gets killed.
Later Sanneh quotes the scholarly Young Jeezy again:
"'Has Nas did anything he talk about? Has Nas been on the block? Do
Nas have street credibility? Is any of his homeys in the
feds?'"
Sanneh then goes on to differentiate between hip-hop
formalists and hip-hop culturalists. Apparently the formalists
really care about the words and structures and the culturalists,
like Young Jeezy, think the hip hop "way of life" is the all
important thing. Sanneh seems to side with the culturalists:
"There is lots to be said for the culturalist view,
which gives rappers license to break formal rules so long as they
honor cultural ones, to ignore old history so long as they pay
attention to current context."
Given the depraved, often homicidal culture that hip
hop upholds, and considering how not just irritated but wounded
Young Jeezy is feeling, I'd advise Nas to watch his back.
