The difference is kids nowadays they have the videos
rappers don't need skills to build so they don't really know
hear me yo! I'm four times on Arsenio
got 10 videos but does that help me flow? No!
KRS-ONE - Hip Hop vs Rap
I'm going to ramble today so bear with me, there may be a point somewhere. Hope you can find it. Actually forget that, I hope I can find it myself.
Anyone ever seen BET uncut? Its where the videos BET deem to be too racy to be shown during the day and evening are shown at 3 in the morning. Yes I know I should be sleeping but like Nas said 'I never sleep cause sleep is the cousin of death.'
Too racy for BET in the day you say? No you're kidding, get out of here! If you've ever seen BET during regular hours you've probably seen plenty, plenty skin so how could something be too racy? Well I wont go into detail but yes it is possible. Lawd ave mercy!
Anyway last night I couldn't sleep and got up and turned on the TV. Amidst the myriad infomercials and reruns of Chips and Batman I decided I'd watch BET uncut. Its not that I find the show actually appealing but its more a strange curiosity to see how low they can possibly go.
Anyway so far a year after its debut I don't think any artist has been able to outdo Nelly's 'Tip Drill' video for T and A content and just shear slackness, Ludacris' "P... Pop" comes in a close second though. I guess when you cant rap you have to find a means to draw attention to yourself. (sorry couldn't help myself anytime I hear the word Nelly its a reflex action to diss his untalented hide. Sorry doesn't seem the anti-hater classes are paying off) Not that I'm complaining about the video. I mean hey I'm a guy so if Nelly feels that he must re-create strip-club/porn scenes I'm not going to really be complaining now am I? Now I know some of you will say its because these rap guys have no respect for the ladies but hey what about the women in the videos, do they have respect? Also some of the videos are actually female artists so I'm guessing they have no respect for themselves either.
Oh well, anyway today I'm not here to really critique the amount of skin in the videos or their misogynistic content because its pretty obvious to the naked (pun intended) eye. Watch the videos yourself if you're curious.
Actually overall I'm old school so I'm more into the music than the videos. What I do find interesting about BET uncut (besides the pum pum shorts and bikinis that is) is that most if not all of the songs on there are absolutely totally terrible. I mean so bad that you wonder why anyone would record something that sounded so ridiculous. Mind you, come to think of it, that's not limited to only the uncut programming on BET as most of the songs they play regularly are pretty horrid. Yet these songs somehow seem to be in rotation over and over again and if you ignore most of the lyrics after a while you find yourself hypnotised and singing along with the chorus. I mean I knew it was bad when I started singing along with Chingy. I just had to quit BET cold turkey for a month after that and admit I had a problem.
Anyway I digress. The point of this longwinded rant (lawd bajans can talk nuff ya kno!) is that back in the day songs were judged on lyrics and musical content but nowadays you find more and more fare being judged on video content. A good video can make a song but does that make it a good song or only just a song with a good video? or is there even a difference?
How many great tunes are deprived the props they deserve due to the lack of a video and how many poor songs get major play because of good videos? Well I can answer that last part of the question: many many. I guess its all a matter of perception but have music videos hurt the actual musical art form? From a purist stand point I think it has. We are now more interested in the looks of the artist than their song and lets face it looks and talent do not necessarily go hand in hand so many non-beauty queen and non-GQ looking guys who can actually perform beautiful music are not getting the break unless they are exceptional because in today's music world where the video a run things, image is king.
Anyway that's about all I have to say on this topic but I do have two last observations. One, Eminem has a nice political song out there urging folk to go vote, released just in time for the election. Its called "mosh" and like I said before I'm not a big fan of his but the song has nice lyrics or I believe it has nice lyrics but I got caught up in the video so ahhh ummmm I'm not completely sure.
Two, I find there is a strange irony that after BET uncut, the show with the most slackness on BET, they switch immediately to a religious sermon. Go figure! Actually on second thought maybe its good marketing. Get all the sinners to watch BET uncut and then after hit them with the sermon. 'You there oogling those fine sisters as they gyrate their bodies to that devil music. Yes you on the couch, I'm talking to you! Are you not ashamed for viewing these women as objects of lust and desire! Are you not ashamed? Well you should be. The bible says that there is hope for even one as repulsive in his ways as you. Repent you sinner and backslider and see the evil of your ways!'
If that works collection plates will double what they pull in.
Absolutely Ingenious!
1 comment:
I use to feel the same way you do. I was mad that hip hop had turned into commercial pop crap and that women were being objectified etc. I would go on about what the Ludas, Nellys, Lil Jons and the host of others in the rap industry had done to the artform. I was always mad at the artist and to some extent I still am. I do however realize that both the artists and the labels are doing exactly what we as consumers allow them to do...pimp our minds and our pockets.
Unfortunately, its the junior highers and teenagers who are the most vulnerable to this hip hop pop crap. Those of us who were around and old enough to enjoy the early hip hop know better even if we don't always act like it. Its up to us to not support that crap and introduce our future to our past. So yeah keep boycotting Black Exploitation Television and the rest of the crap!
P.S. Nelly is straight garbage. The TRUTH ain't hate!!
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