(ThyBlackMan.com) Why these two (and rappers like them) can get away with it and others can’t.
“She said, ‘Why in the club you don’t make it precipitate? You know, make it rain, when you could make it thunderstorm…’ I’m like ‘Why? The world needs sun. The hood needs funds. There’s a war going on and half the battle is guns. How dare I throw it on the floor, when people are poor? So I write like Edgar Allan to restore.”
– Andre 3000
In case you haven’t heard Otis yet, I won’t spoil it for you. I won’t even spoil the reason for that odd title. You’ll get it, or you should, as soon as the track begins. What I will say is that it is full of the classic, juxtaposed dynamic of soul 
and pomp from two of music’s (not just hip-hop) greatest minds.
We know their stories well by now. Kanye was the college dropout who, though initially slighted by the hardcore hip-hop community, developed a sound and work ethic that has only been matched by very few. Influenced by greats like Primo, Pete Rock, and Dr. Dre, Kanye brought the soul back to mainstream hip-hop. But he also introduced art to it. Sean Carter was the drug dealer turned rap superstar turned mogul. Enough said there. However, what makes their story intriguing is the same thing that makes them heroes to some and heels to other.
Through the years we’ve heard Kanye and Jay rap about living the good life as well as the struggles of everyday people with less thrilling existences. We heard Jay rap lines like “I’m a poster for what happened seeing your moms doing five dollars worth of work just to get a dime. So pardon my disposition. Why should I listen to a system that never listens to me? Picture me working McDonald’s. I’d rather pull a Mac on you.” and then turn right around and tell you about how much the Maybach costs and how much of power player he is because he has a stake in the Nets. We heard Kanye make a whole song about working at the Gap. Now he raps about getting intimate with super models and traveling the world like a villain in the 007 series.
But why is it that when these two style on a record, most of us accept it and hail it as “dope” or “classic”? And when others do the same, we bash them for throwing their wealth and lifestyle in our faces out of spite. How can these two make an entire song, albeit riveting and full of soul, about how much money they have to blow and get away with it but when someone like Soulja Boy does the same (minus the soul) he is hated on and dismissed as a clown who got rich off of ring tones? I’ll tell you. Or better yet. I’ll let Kanye tell you.
“…sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive.”
Forgive me, but that line is from Otis. And it sums up why certain rappers can say some things that others can’t.
Some rappers are just lyrically more talented than others. We the mature listeners are not naive. We understand that most rappers are going to boast and brag about what they have. But if you’re going to say those kinds of raps, at least make it…sophisticated. Because then it is no different from Sammy Davis Jr. in the original Ocean’s 11. In the title song, E-O Eleven, he sings about having a chauffeur, a block long limousine, and a penthouse with stacks of money. Now go look at the video of this particular scene on YouTube. All the comments are positive. This was the 60’s, the Rat Pack, Vegas, living the good life with class and sophistication. Sure, they did their dirt. But they did it with style. And it takes real talent to be able to rap about the good life and not have less fortunate people hate you for it.
Also, Kanye and Jay still incorporate the intelligence of the struggle in their songs from time to time. Remember Kanye’s Can’t Tell Me Nothing? Yes, we could all relate to that. We all realize that in this country it can be so hard to make it that when you finally do, you don’t want to listen to anyone. Think about NYC’s motto; “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.” This is the American dream in a nutshell. It is the rags to riches story. And it is America herself that is responsible for the irresponsibility of most of our misguided rappers today. The perpetual greed of those in power and the love of money itself have cultivated an excessive, sloppy culture in hip-hop. Now it’s all about who can be the most outrageous while trying to convince everyone that they are just being themselves.
But Kanye West and Jay-Z have found the happy, and lucrative, medium. I admit Kanye has crossed the line a few times and paid dearly for it. Not even I, a true fan of his, could defend some of his actions. Jay has had his moments as well. But unlike most modern mainstream rappers, these two for the most part have found a way to keep a foot on the stoop of the around the way kid and the other on the lawn of the kid from the suburbs. They don’t tackily rap about how rich they are. And they don’t rap about how rich they are on every single song. They focus on making music that people can feel. They consistently showcase the duality of the human experience. Sometimes we want to be great and humble. Other times we just want to be great.
I believe the world would be a better place if we only had raps like the one I used to begin this essay playing on the radio. But hip-hop began with b-boys battling and rapping about the same things Sammy was singing about in the 60’s. It was about the dream. It was about making it; no different from a pretty young thing boarding a bus from Kansas to L.A. in hopes of becoming a star. Still, if you possess the talent, drive, and creativity, the trick with rapping is balance. No one wants to hear you stunt and style all the time, especially in this economy. But we don’t mind it as much so long as you do it with a sense of dignity and remember from time to time to reminisce about the good old days when you folded clothes, waited tables, or (if it’s the truth) sold drugs all in hopes of attaining the wealth you have now. In other words, young rappers, give us your braggadocio in good taste. Keep it fresh and innovative, not crass and redundant.
Stay classy Hip-Hop.
Staff Writer; Jeremy Tate
To learn more about this talented brother feel free to visit; Return of the Black King.
One may also purchase JT book which is entitled; Heaven and Hell and Eating Too Many Lemon Heads.
