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Culture Bully

You’re Making Music The Wrong Way

A couple years ago spoken word artist, MC and former CB contributor Kyle “Guante” Myhre wrote a satirical piece in response to the growing predictability of hip hop and rap criticism entitled, “How To Write About Hip Hop.” He explained, “As an artist (one who has gotten a whole lot of great write-ups), this isn’t sour grapes—just some funny stuff I’ve noticed. And as a music writer myself, I’m guilty of some of this too. Again, just some stuff I’ve noticed.” Since then, the lighthearted article has gone a long way to helping check some of my own personal tendencies—something I suppose I still struggle with—but it has since slowly eased its way out of mind. Today’s edition of the daily media wave has provided a pair of examples that reminded me of why Myhre’s words matter however, and furthermore, what the true impact of using your own perspective to grade art can have.

There was quite a bit of chatter this morning as a slew of outlets discussed Odd Future’s performance on last night’s edition of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: “This is as bold as live TV debuts get.” [Rolling Stone] “They curse, they shout and they’re definitely NSFW. But those who can stomach the sometimes-repellent, but always captivating, lyrics will find one of the most daring, in-your-face, and unpredictable musical acts to come along in a long time.” [some CBS blog] “Gonzo L.A. rappers Odd Future made their network television debut count, as the buzzworthy group busted out an unforgettably unhinged performance.” [Billboard]

What? Y’all ain’t never seen a black man get wild before?

My intent here isn’t to detract from the coolness factor of the performance nor to trounce upon the glowing reaction the group received from both blogs and mainstream music outlets alike. I’d simply like to interject with one of Myhre’s rules: “Pretty much everything even halfway good is a ‘classic’.” Pitchfork added, “With the Roots backing them up, Tyler, the Creator and Hodgy Beats delivered an absolutely insane performance.” It was cool, but was it really “insane”-cool?

That alone is a long discussion which deserves a platform of its own, but at the heart of it is really a sense of personal taste. And who am I to say that someone else shouldn’t have such a staggering reaction to a genuinely unique performance? A few years back I remember receiving some grief from a few friends over a glowing review I wrote for P.O.S’ Never Better—an album that continues to stand as one of the most important hip hop records of the past decade (many will likely argue me to death on that). Where this sort of hype begins to take a turn for the negative is if it is used to detract from other artists; you ain’t shit if you ain’t up on Odd Future right now or if you don’t sound like P.O.S you aren’t doing it right. This becomes a bit questionable when it’s not just fans and bloggerz spoutin’ throwaway opinions though, but when large(r) media outlets start up on that tip. Which leads me to an article that appears in this week’s Nashville Scene: a profile of a different act, just with the same tone.

With an impressive, innovative debut, Sam & Tre are writing a new chapter in Nashville hip-hop” reads the title of an artist profile of the Nashville hip hop duo Sam & Tre. Having only lived in the city a short amount of time I’ve had (at best) limited contact with the music scene as a whole, let alone the clearly segmented rap and hip hop communities that are largely difficult to gauge as an outsider. That said, the headline is something I’d agree with: purists might call ‘em tight jean hipster rap or an extension of the backpackers that came before them, but the duo’s self-titled debut album is something typically not heard in in the city. From there however the tone shifts dramatically.

Hey aspiring Nashville hip-hoppers, grab your pen and pad, because we’ve got a little lesson about how to pop off straight out of the gate, courtesy of Sam & Tre—and you’ll want to take notes. See, we know that you, the up-and-coming MC, think you’re God’s gift to the rap game—most do—but we’re going to be frank: You’re not. Bragging about how much money you have and then sending us to a busted-ass MySpace page to get your mixtape isn’t helping your case, either.

The generalization that emcees have massive, unwarranted egos aside, this immediately poses a statement suggesting that there is a right way and a wrong way to not only project yourself as an artist, but that there are limits on how you can create music. In completely writing someone off because they brag about how tight their game is, doesn’t that also suggest that you should blow off any number of other singer/songwriters for going on and on about lives they clearly have never lived? It’s all storytelling, but as the perception of an emcee is largely associated with the lifestyle they project, to some degree they’re held to higher standards in terms of what they’re allowed to touch on. Nick Cave hasn’t killed people (that we know of), so why can’t MC X rap about swag and makin’ it rain? Because he doesn’t have a fancy MySpace page?

First and foremost, stop trying to sound like other rappers, or at the very least, try to sound like rappers our mom wouldn’t recognize. Think that new verse you wrote sounds just like Drake, and the hook sounds like it could’ve come from a 50 Cent track? Rip it up and throw it away.

Artists everywhere create works that are similar to other artists, that’s just the nature of inspiration, really. Projecting your individual perception of how people should create, however, seems a bit misguided. People who like 50 and Drake can’t make music that attempts to show that they like 50 and Drake?

As an example of the right way to do this, take Tre, the vocal half of Sam & Tre.

This is where that hypothetical reference to Odd Future could get out of hand; you ain’t shit if you ain’t up on Odd Future right now. Not only does a statement like this straight up suggest that there is a right and wrong way of creating art but it projects that the youngblood from Nashville is doing so in a way that begs replication (which would then go against the previous statement: Think that new verse you wrote sounds just like Tre? Rip it up and throw it away). The article goes on to run through a few examples of lyrical dexterity—which again gets back to personal taste—before eventually falling back in line; this time however, with those same tastes and preferences guiding the way.

Lesson two: Make your own music and make it sound good. For real, we never ever, ever, ever want to hear another over-compressed streaming MP3 that was recorded in Fruity Loops using keyboard pre-sets. Same goes for looping instrumentals from Top 40 hits and ‘features’ from famous artists that you straight-up jacked from the Internet. And while we’re at it: Stop listening to hip-hop all the time. There’s a whole world of music out there, and hip-hop is at its best when it’s pulling from the whole thing—folks like RZA, Q-Tip and Dre didn’t become legends by sticking to the same songs everybody knows, so it’s no different for you. Don’t tell us you’re ‘hustlin” and then drop some lazy, recycled pop shit.

If this piece were the result of a personal attack it’d make a lot more sense than it does in its present state: “Yo MC X: fuck you and your over-compressed streaming MP3 that was recorded in Fruity Loops using keyboard pre-sets!” Even then, it’s a bit harsh. The issue here is this sentiment further draws the line in the sand of what is and isn’t acceptable. Sure, “lazy recycled pop shit” is likely to be far less inspiring and enjoyable to listen to than something that at least sounds fresh, but that music has its place, too. Not only that, but Sam & Tre are far from the first to plug glitch into their game and introduce elements of “dubstep and electronica” into hip hop; I’m not calling them out—and I do like most of the album—I just think they’re being labelled inappropriately here.

Our third and final pro tip: Get yourself a copy of Sam & Tre. Those dudes could probably teach you a thing or two about how to make rap right.

This is where things are taken to another level, and one that really can’t be felt with the sentiment surrounding Odd Future (at least from where I’m sitting). The rap community in Nashville, regardless of subgenre, is already immensely divided. “What is also hurting us is that everyone wants to be the star. Everyone wants to be Kobe [or] Michael” explained Nashville emcee Mac L in a recent interview. And that’s only going to get worse when there are boundaries put in place to limit what is viewed as good and bad; “how to make rap right.” In a city with as many walls already set up preventing artists from legitimately entering the game—say what you will about how diverse the city’s pool of artists is, clearly the old guard still rules—why go out of your way to set up another boundary: As a publication we are willing to break away and give props to a wide range of genres, but only if they sound, act or look a certain way.

Myhre’s final rule reads, “Someday, write a snarky essay criticizing other writers. Remember, only you know what you’re talking about. Everyone else is a neophyte, a poseur or a fool.” This isn’t lost on me. I mean, what do I know? Really? I don’t have any idea of what sort of perspective the writer is coming from other than what he’s published with the article, and me, personally: I’m just some dude with a blog doing the same. Like every other city in the world Nashville does have a glut of bad MySpace rappers, and maybe it has come to a breaking point where they can no longer be tolerated by some. I will say this however, when an outlet with such authority in a city, as the Scene has in Nashville, begins to make definitive public statements about what is and isn’t “good,” let alone what will and won’t be considered for publication (“Recycling Rick Ross? Well, you can count on being blocked from our news feed”), doing so sends a message to rappers who don’t sound a certain way, essentially saying that they can go ahead and fuck themselves. There’s a big difference in detailing how something isn’t of interest to you and flat out saying that something isn’t “right.” As long as such a perspective prevails it will be hard for any progress to be made in terms of changing the world’s perception of what’s actually rumbling in good ol’ Music City.


4 Comments

    When you’ve been writing about Nashville hip hop for more than two months, we’ll talk. When you find an artist that I haven’t covered first, we’ll talk. When you’ve logged years of getting bombarded with spam from people that read your name in print and think that you can “put them on the cover cause they’re gonna change the game”, we’ll talk.

    Your enthusiasm and idealism are appreciated, but it’s pretty obvious that you haven’t put in your time. Don’t worry, this scene loses it’s luster pretty quick — we’ll be seeing eye to eye sooner rather than later.

    Also, use some attribution, fuckhole. I don’t mind that you disagree with my approach to criticism, but at least give credit where credit is due — that lazy ass block quote shit is just as weak as the rappers you’re defending.

    • I hope we can talk–now or later down the line–as this is something that I’m trying to learn more about. If I wasn’t I wouldn’t really care enough to bother with any of this. And you’re completely right–as I mentioned myself, my history within the city is barely existent. But that isn’t to say that my opinion is worthless. Likely uninformed? Sure. So help me change it.

      I can relate to the frustration that comes with “getting bombarded with spam”… and maybe even to some degree the “put them on the cover cause they’re gonna change the game” (though anyone who knows me, knows I’m in no position to change games… doesn’t stop the spam, unfortunately), but all the same it’s a shame that those aspects of your job have led you to making such statements as you did in the article.

      If people piss you off in terms of harassing you with promo emails I feel like those people should be dealt with on their own outside of the context of propping someone up that you think is taking care of things the right way. It bothers me when those people become focus of an attack because they don’t meet your criteria for what they should be doing to promote themselves… let alone preaching to them on how to “make rap right.”

      Clearly the Nashville Scene isn’t the right home for that style of music anyways. And with that in mind, those artists are out of line for not being reasonable in terms of what it is they’re trying to accomplish. Who would even care if the Scene started talking about mixtapes? From a reader’s perspective, I would imagine it’d be very few. If they were hot topics to the paper’s readership, they’d be featured right? That’s just dummys not thinking about who they’re peddling themselves to. Those people are everywhere, not just Nashville.

      There definitely needs to be more thought on the whole by artists, managers, press jockeys, whoever – on who they’re trying to market to and how appropriate they’re being. (No different than getting PR spam from a folk labels if you clearly don’t have any interest in covering folk.) But to go out of your way to take cheap shots at them seems unnecessary. They might not be the hustlers they’re claiming to be, but with sending you or anyone an email they’re trying to take a step forward. Some are clearly better than others at doing that, some are downright ridiculous, but to diss a wide section of artists as you did isn’t going to help clear any of that up. So just hit the spam button or delete them from the news feed like you said, and just forget about it.

      That’s kinda where I’m coming from.

      (And, “We’ll be seeing eye to eye sooner rather than later”? Are you seriously threatening me because I disagreed with you on something? c’mon…)

    Look, dude A.) I wasn’t threatening you, I was just putting it rather bluntly that the shiny, happy glow wears off this music scene relatively quickly. It’s show BUSINESS not show-friends. You will come to understand this in time.

    B.)Since you obviously haven’t been reading my other stuff, let me explain something: I am a post-structuralist writer, which means — if you’re unaware — that I use two opposing texts to construct my argument. In this case it happened to be rappers that I love vs. rappers that annoy me. It could have been Boston Cream vs. Bavarian Cream, that’s just how I do criticism. Call me old fashioned.

    As for the Scene not being the “right home for that style of music anyways” you are entirely off-base. People that make hip hop live in Nashville and hence they have place in the Scene, but this is still Nashville so they’re going to be held, at least by me, to the standards of professionalism and creativity that is expected from the rest of the community.

    Look, there are a lot of cats that “make rap right” in this town, but there are a lot that don’t even put in the effort, time or thought to make something worth listening to. There is absolutely no reason to let that slide. My reputation for being upfront and honest about what I do and don’t like is what keeps food on my table and the lights turned on. I’m not about to put that on the line for some kids I don’t know that aren’t willing even try putting together a good package.

    Is it harsh that I called them out on it in a major forum? Yes, but tough shit, at least I didn’t name names. They wanted my opinion, they got it. And I’m not gonna go one by one answering these folks politely — I’ve got other shit to do than argue with artists about why their point-and-click promo photo ain’t doin’ it for me.

    Am I a bit mercenary about the whole deal? Sure, but I don’t give a fuck. I’m going to find plenty of great music on my own, with or without PR folks and wannabe PR folks knocking on my door — it’s what I do. If a bunch of weak-ass artists are like “Fuck that dude, he’s mean” all the better. I’m not here to be buddy-buddy and pass out gold stars to everyone just for showing up.

    • This is getting far away from the fundamental issue I take with what you’ve said: There is no right and wrong way to make music. Nothing you’re going to say here is going to change my perspective on that. To me that’s no different than saying there’s a right way to create any type of art… you, me, anybody… none of us can make that definition. Yet I should take your voice seriously as The Word because you’ve been around *the scene* long enough to build up a bitterness towards artists in general? Not sold on that.

      I don’t care for your obnoxious condescension along the way, calling me a fuckhole or referring me to lazy because I was trying to make this as little about me vs. someone who I don’t know on a personal level rather than my perspective against the general perspective you’ve conveyed in that particular article. That said, the honesty is great and I’m for it. I have no issue if you think I’m a shithead or if there’s a right way to rap and there are bums who suck so immensely that they do a disservice to the art form by calling themselves emcees. At the end of the day, I could really care less about any of that. But for such a perspective to go out on street corners all across the city creates a genuine issue that goes far beyond the words that are actually published. That has nothing to do with Nashville, its artists or its scene (which I’m still surprised that you think is entirely different than *scenes* elsewhere around the country).

      If you put as much passion into your articles as you have into replying to a half-assed music blog that should probably be far below a post-structuralist‘s radar, then yeah – I’d probably have more interest in making the attempt to check out your take on Yelawolf, or whatever. Such is life though… Keep on keepin’ on man.

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