Hip-Hop: The Bigger Picture

Kanye vs. 50.

In this corner we’ve got the outspoken, passionate underdog; the backpack wearing, Louis Vuitton Don of overindulgence, who will never produce enough albums to explain his humbleness/greatness. In the other corner, we have the instigator with the laid-back gangsta swagger; Gorilla Unit’s ringleader, who will offer to pay child support before the kid’s born. It was one of greatest and least violent hip-hop battles in recent history- Martin would have been proud. Hyped by ego and fueled by sales; yet there was much more riding on this battle than that. In the balance lay the fate of hip-hop.

So I present to you an argument that I thought the urban culture intellectuals (i.e Michael Eric Dyson, Cornell West) would have started weeks ago, but it looks like I’m gonna pop this one off right here myself: What does Kanye’s “triumph” over 50 say about the state of hip-hop today?

For starters, a good fight (and a little bit of press) always attracts a crowd. Buying either one of these albums was like placing a bet on hip-hop. In any case, the record industry doesn’t care how it goes down because at the end of the day, a sale is sale.

Next is the issue concerning musical content and character. Strictly on principle, I used that $15 iTunes gift card I got for Christmas last year to cop Graudation, then I downloaded Curtis from LimeWire, just to throw salt in his game. For me, what Kanye represents to hip-hop, though doesn’t always present very well, is an intelligence that reaches far beyond rhyming gat with black. I respect 50 for his hustle, but in his shadow are a bunch of nobodies trying to hustle the same formula. If music is the small dot in the Seurat picture, then the larger picture is a reflection of the morals of today’s society. In the process of the hustle, a younger hip-hop audience degenerate their cultural morals.

Does Kanye’s apparent victory mean that there is more to mainstream hip-hop than the illiterate, instructional dance shyt we been jamming to since ‘01 (please note lean with it, snap your fingers, and Soulja Boy Crank That- if this ain’t a bit of some new millienium hokey pokey than I don’t ‘know what is)? I sure hope so. Even though XXL has deemed Rich Boy (eat something) Lil Boosie (sounds like a woman), Gorilla Zoe (who?), Joell Ortiz (never heard of you either) Crooked I (what letter is that really?), Papoose (still tryna make it) Young Dro (one hit wonder) among the “Leaders of the New School,” one can only hope that Kanye’s album sales proved otherwise.

With that being said, truth be told, I had higher expectations for Kanye’s latest effort. “Stronger” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” were appropriate singles, while “I Wonder,” and “Flashing Lights” were instant classics for me. However, the rest of the album fell a little flat to me. Gone are the comedic intros which made College Dropout and Late Registration both musically and comedically genius. But you’ve got it give to Curtis for its consistency; hoes, money, hustle are the same popular themes he’s been pushing since Wanksta. His product is wanted and he’s smart enough to provide.

However, if 50 holds true to his word, than Curtis is it for him; and Kanye’s apparent victory proves that educated cockiness indeed trumps thuggery.

N