@Judahonthebeats Choose Wisely Video

Friday, January 14, 2011

Don Trump Response to 93.9 WKYS (Washington, DC) Top 10 Hottest Rappers in the DMV List

4 comments:

A.J. Throwback said...

I honestly feel a lot of what the big homie is saying, and a lot of it is what I feel--especially about what constitutes as the "DMV" vs. what doesn't and the whole "outsider looking in" perspective. A person from another state will hear the surface explanation of the DMV as D.C., Maryland and Virginia, but not realize the whole outside of the beltway argument or that Baltimore or the Hampton Roads/Tidewater area are not included. (The beltway argument is silly within itself because that excludes a LOT of areas that are included in the D.C. Metro Area. Just sayin.) I don't know, I just think it's silly for people around here to think like that--especially when the very moderator of this site posts things from B-More folks, too. This area is way too small to be so "exclusive".

I also agree that part of the reason why the DMV has trouble getting on the hip-hop map is because the support of a lot of people in this area is for go-go. Most people will listen to the go-go segments/mixes on the radio before they listen to "Home Jams," or they'll frequent the go-go clubs or shows for artists who have go-go influences in their music quicker than they will attend an open mic or a show for a local hip-hop artist. More important, most people get more EXCITED about go-go than they do about local hip-hop, which is sad because we have so many talented people here. Even when you have the Wales of the area who put go-go influence in their hip-hop music, it's either met with criticism or not met at all.

I also agree to a certain extent with what he said about local radio and not showing enough love to homegrown talent--even folks like Wale or Tabi Bonney who either have major deals or get more play on MTV than they do on their own radio stations. Although I hear more DMV rappers get more burn on local radio than I used to--and outside of a "Home Jams," "Metro Bangers" or "Deal or No Deal" format--a lot of the time slots are during times when a lot of people aren't listening to the radio. If our own stations barely play us, how will we expect to get play elsewhere?

As far as the whole hottest rappers in the DMV argument, I halfway agree with him. While I understand where he's coming from, the list is the "Top 10 Hottest Rappers IN the DMV," not the "Top 10 Hottest Rappers FROM the DMV". There's a huge difference in the wording because if we were talking more nationally recognized, then adding the word "FROM" makes more sense. However, if we're talking just within the borders and who WE as the DMV recognize as the Top 10 Hottest Rappers, then "IN" is more appropriate. All-in-all, I couldn't be mad at a lot of what the brother was saying.

Jay said...

Who is this nigga? This nigga shouldn't comment until niggas know who he is.

Ardamus said...

After a while, these lists don't mean as much as they used to. Not to take away from it because I wouldn't mind being on it myself but, at the end of the day, if you're proud of the moves you make and it reaches over to people in different areas, you're doing your thing. I think at this point, we should really focus on just making the DC/MD/VA scene poppin' regardless of what style of rap/hip-hop. We just need to show folks there is a diverse cluster of talent here just like L.A., Chicago, New York, Miami, Houston, Boston, and other cities have done with their scenes.

A.J. Throwback said...

@Ardamus I agree with you, good brother. We have to get our own thing together, and part of that is full-fledged support: from each other as artists, from supporters and from local radio/media outlets. That's the only way to be taken seriously when people truly recognize you as a movement.

@Jay What does people knowing him have to do with anything? Being from the area & being amidst the hip-hop/rap scene, I'm sure his opinion isn't completely uninformed. That's like saying any one of us simply leaving comments don't have the right to comment on these threads just because the majority of folks on this forum don't know who we are. I don't know, call me crazy for believing in free speech and having an informed opinion about things without needing a co-sign first.