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Save the Drama for your Mama · by Sach O
The cover reminds me of Breakin Atoms though.
One of the most annoying aspects of 21st century emceeing is the universal tendency for the man on the mic to view his life as an epic struggle that must be related to the people. No longer content to simply kick it with funky flows, it seems that every single rapper out today wants you to understand that he’s been through a whole bunch of shit and now that he has a record deal, he’s going to change the world. Never mind the fact that none of these guys have all that much impact beyond deciding the clothing worn by 15 year olds. I personally put the blame for this phenomenon on Kanye West and Eminem: whether winning Oscars or explaining how the car accident sucked to the world, they did it with the kind of over the top melodramatic hype that kept impressionable kids wide-eyed and anyone over the age of 20 wishing they’d just chill like EPMD. Unfortunately, the trend spread quickly with the Diplomats “building a movement”, Young Jeezy “offering motivation” and pretty much everything G-Unit being pure image. Nowadays, it seems that presenting yourself as a modern day Spartacus is the only way to move units short of snap music which is annoying for entirely different reasons. Not a good range of choices.
Which brings us to the subject of Lupe Fiasco. Without actually reviewing his album, I can safely say that Food and Liquor is perhaps the most acute example of over-dramatization yet. With every beat shimmering under layers of rock guitars, synthesizers and most of all, a big ass string section, Lupe desperately wants you to think that his album is an epic world changing event, the kind of pop culture milestone that’ll forever alter your musical landscape and have you rethinking what it means to be a Hiphop fan. The problem is, no matter how much he wants that 5 mic rating and those multi-platinum sales…it’s out of his hands. By being entirely too self-conscious about the “importance” of his record, he shoots himself in the foot, filling his debut with unnecessary pomp and self-importance. That’s a shame because he’s actually a very talented emcee when give the chance. On I Gotcha he lets himself go, riding the beat for the sake of it to dope results. Sunshine is a fairly down to earth storytelling track about meeting a girl which is more human than 90% of the stuff out there and Kick Push is dope even if it loses its impact amidst the other 13 tracks of larger-than-life stories. To be fair, I’m singling out Lupe because of his potential (and lets face it, because his album leaked) but I see this kind of mistake befalling rookie emcees of all regions. Hell, at least Lupe has an individual personality, he just needs to get over his insecurity about it and let his guard down instead of building himself up as some kind savior.
Nas started out as a project kid rapping over dirty beats. Biz Markie was a nerdy-clown who rapped about going to the mall. Ice Cube had it up to his raiders hat with the LAPD. Even Biggie’s rap-movies were more Scorsese than Michael Bay. If today’s artists want to live up to those standards, they need to quit worrying about how history will judge them and just release a dope album. Lupe’s already being himself on the mic, now he just needs to realize that as a whole, it ain’t that serious.
Comments for "Save the Drama for your Mama"
I havent heard the Lupe leak yet but I think you need to add the success of Blueprint & Black Album Jay-Z in pushing the trend you describe.
By the way noz dropped a really dope piece on Blueprint at XXL.
— Rafi Sep 12, 11:36 AM
I just commented there actually. Ironically I disagree on his take on the album even if Jay-Z did have a major role in the “pre-fab classic” movement. I guess you’re allowed a certain amount of self-importance 6 albums in. It’s the debut album by a nerdy Chicago kid that suffers from it.
If you ask me, Jay-Z was at his best on his first three releases anyways. After that it was all good-if-unnecessary. I smell a post here.
— Sach Sep 12, 11:43 AM
“Lupe desperately wants you to think that his album is an epic world changing event, the kind of pop culture milestone that’ll forever alter your musical landscape and have you rethinking what it means to be a Hiphop fan.”
That’s not true. What Lupe says about himself and his album, and what his boosters are pushing are very different.
— Hashim Sep 12, 11:54 AM
It’s just kind of frustrating to see rappers present themselves as being more than just rappers. Dipset being a movement is a joke. Look at indie rock music now, which I’d say is at a high point whereas rap is at a low. We both liked that Decemberists album a lot but all it was was a collection of songs. I don’t know a damned thing about Colin Meloy’s backstory but I do know a hell of a lot about Lupe Fiasco’s. Contrast that to the fact that this is the Decemberists 4th album and that I can practically recite Fiasco’s bio. He dropped a pretty good album but it isn’t earth shattering by any means. No good artist can produce anything of substance when they’re focused on anything beyond the music. At least that’s my interpretation of things. Nice post as always.
— Jeff Sep 12, 04:38 PM
I have to agree with Hashim on that one. I think Lupe’s reaction to the initial leak was completely heartfelt and, dare I say, human. The last time a rapper freaked over a leak was when….? However, I still don’t think Lupe will sell for other reasons. I have a post about that. Still Liked your post, though.
RD
— RD Sep 12, 05:41 PM
You just can’t win with you guys. One second rap is cluttered with talentless wannabe label backed Pablo Escobars and the next second there are too many self important idealists playing the pseudo artist. Illmatic is filled with the dead serious self made mythology of the arrival of a ghetto profit, as was astutely pointed out on this very site way back in the day when you guys posted actual reviews rather then spewing hip hop is dead doomsday proclamations in daily sarcastic, cynical rants. Dipset was a movement before 2003, believe it or not, back when Kanye was clamoring to throw beats on Come Home With Me. I just can’t wait until 5 years from now when you’re bitching about the next movement in hip hop that comes along, that will be misunderstood by hip hop illuminati as every other advance in the medium ever has been, when youll wonder aloud without a hint of irony “What happened to all the artists that were really about their music, like Lupe Fiasco?”
— BKbomber Sep 12, 05:45 PM
^Damn, did he just declare that OhWord is Dead?
— R.H.S. Sep 12, 06:38 PM
BKbomber,
luckily, aspiring or established rappers do not have to choose between being either a label-backed fake druglord or a self-important hip hop idealist (that faulty assumption is largely responsible for the mediocrity of today’s so called “conscious” rap, at least in terms of content).
And rap fans don’t have to cosign every song or marketing decision an artist makes simply because he or she is not a phony Escobar.
— eauhellzgnaw Sep 12, 07:27 PM
Don’t think that really applies to Lupe either. Look I don’t even really love the album, but its intensely personal, I respect his passion for his music and I don’t think it suffers from the same extreme messiah intentionality you get from both Kanye albums. Plus the premisce that this is a new concept is retarded. (PE, Nas, Jeru, Common) The main problem I have with the new conscious is rather then doing what Lupe’s attempting and providing a sort of alt hip hop, its a bunch of shit talking and crying about how bad rap is (i.e. 75% of Little Brothers shit) without actually making your own music. Oh Wordlike non constructive critism, and I wasnt saying the site is dead but what originally made it my favorite was the premise that your basically getting graduate papers on Mobb Deep and Digable Planets. I didnt always agree but I always learned something or discovered a new approach to some of my favorites. It was interesting because the love for the material showed in the writing. Without that what we have here is a couple of blogpackers moaning about music they hate, wishing it was still 1992. Or even worse, every other hip hop site on the internet.
— BKbomber Sep 12, 10:32 PM
Sorry for any spelling mistakes and shit. Long night and I figured I should answer all queries.
First off: Damn, Imagine if I’d really hated the album instead of just being disapointed!
Hashim: I’m going strictly based on the retail album itself, not any interviews or anything else. It takes itself extremely seriously to the point where it gets grating imo. I don’t have anything against Lupe the person. Like I said, this is epidemic today.
RD: See above, it’s the retail not the previous leak. Which might I add had some down-to-earth material that was cut out (excuse my not naming them, kinda tired right now).
BKbomber: I disagree with you that what I wrote is non-constructive and that my tone is solely negative. When I write about how the Roots deliver their best album ever or that Method Man’s new shit is a great return to form, I either get ignored or blasted by cats who assume I’ve got low standards for today’s music. On the other hand, when something disapoints me I’m a total dick who’s stuck in the past. clearly I can’t win.
I’d “rather” Lupe’s music be popular as well. I like the kid’s character even if he makes Kanye West’s ego-trips on record look pathetic in comparison. However it stands that the self-myths and overbearing drama currently in Hiphop really are annoying and if no one points it out, it’s only going to get worse. And Public Enemy’s Black Nationalism, Nas and Common’s urban poetry and Jeru’s grimy pseudo-mysticism aren’t anywhere near this.
RHS and I have a feature coming up on Timberland and Timbaland which you may enjoy. Probably not since it’s not that deep and it complains a lot but at least it’s a feature.
Also, I can’t help but feel like karma has bitten me in the ass: I spend my time complaining about how rappers fell off and now apparently this site has. Damn. o_O
— Sach Sep 12, 10:53 PM
since a lot of us have been reflecting on his career as of late, what about 2pac? didnt “2pacalypse now”, “strictly 4 my n*ggaz”, and “me against the world” have more than its fair share of self-important/change the world songs?
— ninoybrown Sep 15, 01:03 PM
Yeah, you could definitely make a good argument that the superstardom of Pac and Biggie created this model.
They were the first to really become superstars by pushing their own (alleged) lives as subjects worthy of epic treatment. And on the flip-side they became superstars by living up to (and dying by) the story they were telling.
— Rafi Sep 15, 01:35 PM