@Judahonthebeats Choose Wisely Video

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Deron's Issue

My issue is the fallacy of "qualifying and validating real hip hop music in the DMV". Let's be honest, aside from guys like Judah, K. Burns, Dre, and some of the other movers and shakers in the industry from the area, no one else really has the right to validate or qualify something is real music. Let's be honest, a majority of the folks getting into this hip hop culture now, were GoGo heads about two to three, maybe even a year ago. And that's okay, if you really like gogo, that's cool. I love it, but don't fake like you know everything about hip hop just because it's cool now. Get familiar with the history. Know your roots. Know why DC has been important in the industry before "Dig Dug" came out. Know that the roots for modern R&B and hip hop came from the movement called NEW JACK SWING, which was inspired by the pocket rhythms of groups like Rare Essence. Don't just hop out there and say "I'm Hip Hop" because your mans decided to pick up a mic and where fitted jeans and a cool backpack and be "different". Be differenter. Evolution is only validated by education. Anything else is a mutation.

5 comments:

Tese Fever said...

Nice journalism but more importantly good point! But...I am extremely proud of the DMV's music...and I do feel like we get overlooked. I don't partake in downplaying another artist really (not as far as their music is concerned) because shit, I'm an artist too. Where they do that at? But I can understand artists commenting other artists. If you're industry and it's acceptable why is it a problem if you're independent or local? Constructive criticism does not replicate disrespectfulness and everyone has room for improvement in one way or another. If you didn't, you'd have nothing to work towards. I use it as a motivational tool.


Perhaps I moved a little off topic but I had to get that off my chest.


I don't write. I right.
Fever.

Joe E said...

hmm, interesting assessment. Def think he's right on the "I'm different" motif. If everybody keeps crying out how different they are, aren't they really the same?

Mr. 40. Watt said...

I totally agree wit everything Deron said I been thinking da exact same way 4 a while now probably since 2004. Dat's some real talk right there good post!!!

- Mr. 40. Watt -

deucedouble.blogspot.com

K'lajh (backrowdmv.blogspot.com) said...

I feel what he is saying, but the basis of new jack swing is more built on break beats that go-go pocket beats. I cant think of any of the major songs from the new jack swing era (ie. Toni Tone Tony's (sp)"It Feels Good" Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" etc.. ) That have that sound. The first instances of that being used were Hip-Hop like Salt N Pepa. I'm not going to rule it out i just dont know of any examples, If any knows of any I would like to check them out. As far as Hip-Hop being influenced by NEw Jack Swing, I would say it is the other way aroung. The whole premise of the New Jack sound was incorporating Hip-Hop rhytms with R&B. Good POst though.

FreeHundreds said...

@K'lajh: Yeah that's what I was just about to say lol.

It went from Teddy Riley and Guy, then eventually R. Kelly perfected that whole R&B/Hiphop blend. But with the emergence of E.U. and RE in mainstream, you def saw the industry start to incorporate more percussion and live sound from gogo. Even Andre Harrell said gogo influnced New Jack Swing. I really wouldn't want to parlay that into what hip-hop has been tho; thats a genre of it's own.

The whole "different" image to me is jaded too. I said that shit months back, when niggas were hopping up talking about how different they were, how eclectic their sound was...Im like, ok..but its garbage still lol. People will get it soon though, hopefully smfh..