Praise the Lawd!

Despite Jay Electronica's seemingly sloth-like work ethic which usually produces two or three songs per year, he is being lauded as not only one of the greatest rappers of his time, but perhaps of all time. For people familiar with this force of lyrical ferocity, it is easy to see why many are lauding him with such high praise. It's not only that he makes unbelievable music, but also that he seemingly can't make a bad song and has very little apparent interest in seeking enormous amounts of fame and revels in his continued mythical-like ambiguity. 

Tracks like Exhibit C and the unreal Just Begun should continue to build his mythical status even as he continues to delay releasing any sort of album. What kind of person introduces a preview for a track that is seemingly as great as Dear Moleskine then makes people wait for over half a year with no further mention of it? But is this all part of Jay Electronica's master plan? Is he just sitting on all of this material that he knows is legendary and is just waiting for the right time to unleash it upon us mortals? Are we just not ready for his presence? Excuse the religious undertones that this man evokes, but if hip-hop needed a savior, he would be it. 

Jay Electronica- Exhibit C

Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica, J. Cole, Mos Def- Just Begun

Home Is Where The Dope Music Is

The weather outside is frightful...

I forget what Christmas song that is from but he may have been speaking of Detroit Christmas 2009. Or was that line not meant to apply to a Christmas day which consists of a rain that could be considered a downpour and menacing clouds that shroud the American side of Lake St. Clair while sunlight mocks me from the Canadian side? Perhaps a sign from the Big J.C. to finally put the finishing touches on this health care reform? Without a doubt! 

But despite the weather it has indeed been a merry Christmas and Detroit producer/MC has contributed greatly to the days merriness with his unstoppable song 'Keep Going' which will be on his upcoming summer release titled Album of the Year (Yes, that's really the title). 

Maybe I'm just showing my bit of favoritism for Detroit musicians but I like to think Black Milk can actually have such an audaciously titled album as long as he keeps the album on par with this song. A magnificent song that is distinctly Detroit with it's sporadic dirty drums and oozing chorus. Spread the Christmas cheer!

Black Milk- Keep Going

To Live and Die In Authenticity

After shelving Freddie Gibb's rather awesomely raw mixtape The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs I've dusted it off and brought it to light again mainly because he's been popping up in all the publications you wouldn't expect to find him in (New Yorker, New York Times, Pitchfork). The situation is similar in all these publications. Hip-hop is dying or is dead, and Gibbs is the man to resuscitate it with his brand of Gary, Indiana gangster rap that manages to stay true to its mid-90's 

roots without being anywhere near nostalgic. 

Now I have my own feelings about Gibbs future success. The very rawness that made his mixtape

often doesn't translate well to a studio album for various reasons (see declining hip-hop album sales

and worried studio executives). But my main concern with articles such as these are their simplistic

views of the hip-hop genre and their constant love of gangster acts like Gibbs. Like I said before, the Gibbs

mixtape is fire, but this doesn't mean that hip-hop hasn't blessed the world with other great music this year.

I can't help but think that publications such as the New York Times and especially the New Yorker

look upon hip-hop with a tinge of fetishization. It seems the only records that are 'real' in hip-hop, 

according to these publications, are the gulliest examples of gangster rap. The more nihilistic the better.

They discount Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 for not being real enough and praise Gibbs for his authenticity

when in reality comparing those two artists, one a young twenty something from Gary the other now 40,

married to Beyonce and trying to move the Nets to Brooklyn, is like comparing apples to oranges.The

truth is their is more than enough room for both in hip-hop. There will always be room for the kid like Gibbs

in hip-hop but as the genre continues to grow as the world's most popular music genre you have to

believe (and desire) that as legends like Jay-Z push 40 they will change their subject matter somewhat.

Or is growth not allowed in this industry? Should Jay-Z go the route of The Who and continue to sing

his equivalent to 'I hope I die before I get old' at his shows into his AARP days. Or in hip-hop does one 

actually have to get killed, like Biggie or Tupac, to be considered TRULY authentic?

The point is, there is room for both in hip-hop as it continues to grow as a genre. There are times when 

I can't listen to The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs and there are times when I can't listen to The Blueprint 3. 

Each is good in it's own right. Gibbs isn't the end all be all of authentic rappers. While hip-hop continues to grow

it seems hip-hop critics are stuck in the mud desiring a return to the so-called authentic time of the genre

when most of the artists were broke 20 somethings telling ghetto tales. Now that those artists have grown up

they have been discarded by those same critics. You have to wonder: does Gibbs need to save hip-hop

or do publications such as the New Yorker need to change their views of what hip-hop is? I'll put my money

on the latter.

Freddie Gibbs- The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs