Mixed feelings abound for the hardcore hip-hop fan that is trying to come to terms with the mixture of slapstick gimmicks and heartfelt backstories that comprise Ego Trip’s latest televised social experiment. I have found it impossible to discuss the show without sounding either overly critical or too disinterested. And considering I have only seen part of one episode I couldn’t contribute much to the discussion anyway.
So instead I’ve been lurking in this hip-hop blogging universe that we’ve created to read and determine whether or not I should bother recording another episode. There are quite a few posts that present a multitude of viewpoints on the show’s premise and value. But not until today did I come across something of real substance. Brandon Soderberg has been writing detailed and opinionated summaries. As I was skimming the latest installment I skipped to the comments ’cause I noticed the homie Dart Adams left a note about a Dj Premier-produced song from one of the contestants. But then I couldn’t help but notice the next comment, written by someone who claims to be black and from Brooklyn. This is exactly what I was looking for. It knocked me back into reality. I had been wasting my time. I shouldn’t watch Miss Rap Supreme. Actually, I shouldn’t even listen to hip-hop, ’cause I’m not black.
Every now and then I come across close-minded racism of this nature and it puts me in my place. It reminds me that even though hip-hop is about self expression and derives from a historically diverse cultural base, there are still people, and forever will be, that are weak minded and have no other alternative to express their confusion than by spouting nonsense. Although the writer thinks Slav Kandyba is on his side, I doubt it. But in any case, my nonsense stops now. I am not going to watch Miss Rap Supreme, because the creators are not all black. I am burning my collection of tapes. I am sending all my vinyl to the greenCR8 project. And I’m sending some of my favorite writers, like Jay Smooth and Tom Breihan, letters imploring them to stop what they do. So long you suckers.
Now my only problem is, what should I occasionally write about? I’m not white so I can’t follow his suggestion with banking. My bloodline might suggest trying to focus on alcoholism and gold, since I am part Native American and part Spanish. If anyone out there has suggestions, please get at me. Good looking.
Essentially the problem with most bloggers like yourself Brandon is that you’re a geek behind a computer who doesn’t do enough research prior to posting. So you sit home (b/c your really a geek who doesn’t have anywhere else to go) and you write about a topic such as hip hop and illustrates you don’t really know anything about it. First of all you’re from B-More, and without any disrespect towards my homies from the B-More/D.C/Maryland area you know nothing about real hip hop music or the culture. Who was the last hot rapper to come from B-More??? Furthermore judging by you last name you’re a white guy, again without any disrespect to my white homies…who was the last hot white rapper after Eminem??? So why you choose to post a warped opinion across the World Wide Web about hip-hop I have no idea. Shouldn’t you focus your attention on blogging about banking, a topic that a black dude from Brooklyn like me might actually trust your opinion about? I stumbled across your ridiculous articles by accident and they are so out of touch that it’s actually counter productive to “our” hip hop culture. Can’t you just remain a fan and only discuss your dumb opinions on hip hop in your tight circle of white IT geek friends while eating 7 ounce crab cakes…and YOU PEOPLE wonder why people like Slav Kandyba want to “break your jaw?” Now just out of curiosity, it seems like you listen to a lot of rap music…do you actually sing along when a rapper uses the “N” word, or do you skip those parts?
-Moe Negro
Moe Negro is a dickhole and an asshead. His opinions hold less weight than Bryon Crawford’s neck. You either know what you’re talking about or you don’t, that is all. Let Moe say something…anything again so I could “unleash hell” on his lame ass.
One.
Hip hop touches everyone, regardless of exclusionary barriers. And as long as it means something to you, you can and SHOULD write about it.
If you think hip hop is about exclusivity, you’re missing the fucking point.
Fantastic piece, G.
G you know that comment does not apply to you.
I mean I kind of understand what he’s saying here – it comes from a point of frustration. Important for white dudes not to get so defensive / reactionary here. Even my boy Omowale spoke about this phenomenon. Why is hip-hop criticism and opinions and value put into the hands of predominantly white writers that form public consensus / opinions when most of it is created by an entirely different demographic? I’m not black either but when my dude says stuff like this I feel him:
“If Hip-Hop is dying or resembling staleness it’s not any particular artist or group of artists; it’s because these cats had the culture following the rich white male standard. Yeah! Why else is everyone still trying to revive the dead Village w/out Tramps, 40 Flavas, Wetlands, Spiral Lounge (my former spot)? Why else is the “best emcees” or “top rated emcees” judged in mid-town? For some strange reason, Hip-Hop isn’t dwelling in the backyard or front yard (depending on where your positioned) of Kool Herc’s 1520 Sedgwick Avenue landmark home”
Dude is far from racist he’s just telling it like it is. The power for DIRECTING and having a critical voice about the music is very muted, save for a few like NYOIL who use the media to critique black music as well as make their own music.
yeah, true. i know it wasn’t really directed at me. but unfortunately his idea of exclusivity does encompass me. just by attempting to define boundaries he limits our potential. and besides that, it just freakin irks me. stand up for yourself dude, write an opposing view. contribute critical analysis, don’t whine by the sidelines. empowerment can’t be achieved by feeling frustrated, becoming overwhelmed and resorting to anger and fantasies of violence which inevitably lead to real violence. channel the energy and focus your strength. i extend an invitation to moe negro, whoever he might be, to come write something insightful right here to get these feelings of impotence off his chest. i’ll share my limited platform to prevent another intelligent being, yeah i recognize his intelligent remarks clouded with his frustration, from succumbing to that barrage of overwhelming stimuli comprised of false images and distracting media that is shot out of the marketing machines that exist within our society.
Man. Hip Hop blogs been popping the last couple of days.
So why you choose to post a warped opinion across the World Wide Web about hip-hop I have no idea. Shouldn’t you focus your attention on blogging about banking, a topic that a black dude from Brooklyn like me might actually trust your opinion about?
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That has to be sarcasm blood. The rest of the thought in the post would indiate a level of sophicistication that would recognize how racist that shit is. ON mommas.
Oh the TITLE of the post is Naners.
Man. Hip Hop blogs been popping the last couple of days.
So why you choose to post a warped opinion across the World Wide Web about hip-hop I have no idea. Shouldn’t you focus your attention on blogging about banking, a topic that a black dude from Brooklyn like me might actually trust your opinion about?
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That has to be sarcasm blood. The rest of the thought in the post would indicate a level of sophistication that would recognize how racist that shit is. ON mommas.
Oh the TITLE of THIS post is Naners.
Word G I know you have the flexibility to see this from both angles. I thought dude brought up a valid point there’s no need to take that shit personal. Everybody knows how you grind and it’s never sensationalist, divisive, or self congratulatory so don’t even trip.
whitesimiles
commercialism.
how should we spend our money.
the niggas that take.
to get on equal ground.
usually mindless.
elvis was the first pioneer.
after him
michael wanted his job.
born and bred from us.
until we got fat and happy.
now we chew karats and hold contests
on who’s more nappy.
when you buy it
just remember
to keep the receipt.
-bar bar
frustration is one thing, but his “our culture” thing is ridiculous. what a bunch of nonsense.
I just threw myself in the middle of that shit didn’t I? I was feelin funny last night.
Yeah fam you kinda jumped on the grenade on that one LOL
i have mixed feelings on this post. the fact is that i’m white but i grew up in LA and for what it’s worth, spent enough time in the hood to understand that white males need to tread carefully in hip-hop culture. it doesn’t belong to them yet they are all over it because it’s cool and i’m guilty of that to a degree. now, i live a certain hip-hop lifestyle — been to jail, baby mama drama – and so i can relate to the lot of the poor (which are of course predominantly Black and Latino here in LA), so i come it from a different angle than Brandon Soderberg. Moe, and you’re absolutely right, this dude’s main flaws are being a geek and not doing a research.
“i live a certain hip-hop lifestyle — been to jail, baby mama drama – and so i can relate”
smh
To me the most ridiculous part of this is that Brandon’s writing from a fucking blogspot account that’s his name @blogspot.com. He’s not making any money (well maybe a little on those ads), he’s not a cultural gatekeeper, he’s just a dude who’s relatively popular because people think that he has something to say and his opinions are interesting/valid. When people go to his site, they know they’re getting opinions from a white geek; that’s where they want opinions from. And of course anyone with a blog who spends as much time on his entries as Brandon does is a geek; non-geeks don’t have time for critical analysis. Of course some would prefer he father illegitimate children before expressing an opinion, but who does that help?
@Sucka – very true, but you also have to read what the commenter said – he just stumbled on his site, and made ignorant rantings based on one random post. Regardless of what Brandon’s legacy is as a writer, the google culture will still warrant randoms hitting the site, not knowing wtf he is about or his past writings, and placing judgement based on ONE post.
That guy couldn’t be serious with that post. It seemed like satire by pigeonholing Brandon as a typical “computer geek” with “IT friends” while he himself was a “black dude from Brooklyn.” I’ve never in my life heard any black man upon introducing himself for the first time refer to himself as a “black dude.” And his fucking name is Moe Negro.
“I am part Native American and part Spanish.”
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oh shit.. me too…. Navajo, Spainish and Japanese.. tight!
Hey, this is kinda great because even though this “Moe”s comment was stupid, it kinda got to me, so it’s cool to have people sort of defending me. I mean yeah, my site’s geeky and to this date I’ve made 30 dollars on adsense so yeah, you got there for my asshole opinions and that’s awesome. I’d also add that what “doing research” means to idiots like him, I’m not sure. It usually just means he doesn’t agree with my dumb-asshole opinion. I also wish he’d just been ballsy and called me a Jew bastard; he danced around it enough!
Rap’s complicated, as everyone reading this and posting knows. So, it’s tough and disingenuous to SEPARATE it from race in the sense that so much rap is about and addresses race (I’d like to think I too address race and class with some intelligence from time to time) and comments like being post-racial, or the “new racial politics” or how Obama proves race isn’t an issue are silly, but the primary perspective to take on rap is like any art: it’s about experience. To prove my whitey-white nerd cred…Leslie Marchand didn’t get shit for writing a book about like Lord Byron or some poet because she wasn’t a bisexual Aristocrat poet, you know? I got in an argument with a dude who reviews music on the House Next Door (a film blog) about how his rap talk was wrongheaded and he deferred that he’s not AS familiar with rap and invoked his whiteness. In the same article he reviewed Joy Division and I said “Do you preface your reviews of Joy Division with ‘Now I’m not an epilpetic guy from Manchester but…”- fuck that. We relate to shit on the levels we can relate. On the emotional level of rap, a lot of “street” rap appeals to me because I too am a self-destructive male, so I think I sorta get it…
Blah blah blah, I’ll shut up soon. Dunno where the last paragraph of my comment went. What I wrapped it up with was, we get what we can or want out of everything and its depressing to isolate it to one thing or the other. On an emotional level, there’s the depressing, self-destructive stuff and those are universal emotions that a person anywhere can get, and wouldn’t have to intellectualize. At the same time, I love say, recent Andre 3000 because he’s dorky and sort of weird and overly-sensitive and kinda lame and you know, that’s me too.
“I am not going to watch Miss Rap Supreme, because the creators are not all black.”
Actually, the creators are not all black. They’re 1) black, 2) half-black/half latin, 3) latin, 4) half black/asian, and 5) asian. And the producer is asian too.
[...] • Read, think: “Every now and then I come across close-minded racism of this nature and it puts me in my place. It reminds me that even though hip-hop is about self expression and derives from a historically diverse cultural base, there are still people, and forever will be, that are weak minded and have no other alternative to express their confusion than by spouting nonsense.” Read more here: GRANDGOOD [...]