I probably won’t have Yeezus on repeat, but I sure as hell respect the effort. Kanye’s doing what all underground artists should be doing. That thing is, not being afraid to stand apart from the sheep herd.. Love him or hate him, he’s a leader…pure and simple.
Stop fuckin with those same ru-in-the-mill trap beats. You may luck up and song that buzzes in your local scene, but you’re not going to create an identity for yourself. Everybody may not understand your boldness to be different at first, but that’s the way it always is with trendsetters. You’re tuned to a different frequency than they are. I think some of these critics are giving Yeezus high praise simply because they don’t want it to appear like they didn’t get it. I’m okay with that.
Jay-Z’s deal with Samsung doesn’t mean that hip hop is going too corporate. Relax. He’s in his 40’s and planning for borader interests when he makes his exit. You’d be wise to start strategizing on how you’re going to help change the music paradigm. It’s wide open. And hey, didn’t Hov kill autotune? Who injected it with the zombie virus?
On the indie side, we’re only halfway into the year and we’ve been graced been some dope hip hop releases. I fux wit that new Mac Miller. Joey Bada$$ is dropping some killer singles. His Summer Knights is highly anticipated. That Run the Jewels shit with Killer Mike and El-P is bananas, and Statik Selektah’s new album is off the meter. That’s just to name a few.
If you’re an artist. keep following that creative voice that makes you and individual, and don’t compromise. The money is not always the measure of success. Shit, If the hip hop gods were fair, Rakim and KRS would be billionaires.
