Over at randomWalks, Adam posted "randomWalks: afrocentric hip-hop is a big shrug," a link to a Village Voice article where they claim that the Coup and Kweli's lyrics are too political for mainstream hip-hop. Typical lazy ass Village Voice reporting. Adam quotes: "People in the streets are now being told what hip-hop is and what it looks like by TV."
Or, it could be that Talib and the Coup are both wack rhymers now. Just because they come correct politically doesn't mean they get a free pass on skills. Listen to their old stuff next to their new stuff, and it's clear they just got lax with their work. Have your whiskey at the ready, though, it's depressing.
The subtext of the discussion is that hip-hop fans can't think for themselves, which is plain false. From Public Enemy to Common to Goodie Mob to Kanye West, there's clearly a thirst for political hip-hop - but not at the expense of good rhymes and beats.
Mos Def and Talib Kweli were on the top of the world when Blackstar was good, but they just dropped it, and I bet they KNOW they dropped it, that's why it's Village Voice reporters doing the whining. Every once in a while I hear a dope new Mos Def verse, and it's like "Woah? What's that from??" "Oh, it's something that's just been in the vault for four years, coming out now." There is nothing hip-hop fans want more than a worthy followup to Black on Both Sides, one of the top five hip-hop albums of all time, but it just doesn't seem likely.
I like Adam's Q-tip quote, of course. Adam - check out Fat Beats Radio. the new Q-tip song is so good. Also check out "Dangerous," ten years ago OC dropped more fantastic rhymes in one verse than most MCs do in an entire career. And if that's not enough, you get to find out what MF Doom thinks about when he puts on his metal mask every morning.
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